11/1/05 Science Books & Films
This book, one in a series about the successful careers of contemporary women in science, is targeted toward young girls aspiring to careers in science. Gorilla Mountain follows the story of wildlife biologist Amy Vedder from childhood, through college, to her marriage to college classmate Bill Weber and a two-year stint in the Peace Corps in Zaire, where she became acquainted with mountain gorillas. Upon returning to the United States, both entered graduate school at the University of Wisconsin to study gorilla ecology. Introduced to Dian Fossey (Gorillas in the Mist, Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1983) and supported by a grant from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), they traveled to Fossey's Karisoke research station in the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda. For 18 months, Amy lived in a close relationship with a group of mountain gorillas to gather data on gorilla ecology. Bill studied the dynamics of the Rwandan gorilla population. Their work evolved into the successful Mountain Gorilla Project, an economic program involving tourism that rescued the gorillas from extinction. Their success led to directorships of WCS African programs. In the meantime, Amy gave birth to two sons. The book provides references, including Web sites, and a very helpful time line of Amy Vedder's life. She is an excellent example of a woman who successfully combined adventure, a scientific career, and marriage and family life to achieve goals she set early in life. This well-designed, well-written, well-illustrated, engaging book reads like a true adventure story. It will appeal to all readers, not just young girls.