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(Buy this book) |
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The Impenetrable Forest by Thor Hanson (Uganda 199395) Writers Showcase/iUniverse 2000 264 pages $18.95 |
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![]() Read about Thor Hanson's experience with self-publishing The Impenetrable Forest |
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Reviewed by Martha Martin (Costa Rica 197981) | |||||
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WHEN I RECEIVED A COPY of The Impenetrable Forest to read, I was delighted. Imagine, a Peace Corps
![]() I started reading, and must admit that I got a bit bogged down in Ugandan history in Chapter 2; fortunately, by the end of the chapter, Hanson came up with a great line, its no wonder people stare at me in this country. Im running around with a plastic glove full of urine. and things were back in full swing. Hanson articulates the Peace Corps experience well:
Hansons assignment was to habituate the endangered mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to ecotourism. His description of his first encounter with an aggressive gorilla is priceless: The ape careened past in a flash of bared teeth and wild eyes, less than an arms reach from my face . . . . The gorilla spun away, still screaming, and continued down the slope. The noise alone was heart-stopping: an indescribable roar . . . Thus begins the story of the habituation of the Katendegyere group of mountain gorillas to tourists; the goal was to have them calm enough for visitors within a year.
Of course, the underlying question woven throughout the book has to do with the future of Uganda and of Africa in general. As Hanson writes, Legendary wilderness and a rich cultural heritage draw more visitors to the Dark Continent every year, but the modern African experience is tainted by a vague sense of desperation. As Hanson describes the impact of AIDS, of civil wars, of hunger and poverty, one is left to wonder what the future of Africa holds, not only for the endangered mountain gorilla, but for all of the human inhabitants as well.
Ultimately, the strength of this book lies in the wonderful descriptions of the forest and its inhabitants. In the next to last chapter, Hanson describes troops of monkeys: The flashy russet fur of the redtails contrasted sharply with the blues, who gleamed in shades of dull silver, like woodland spirits woven from mist. And finally
Hanson left Bwindi Park on a very sad note, just after the deaths of a close friends much beloved wife and daughter. This, of course, is the tragedy of every Peace Corps Volunteers service; we will leave the troubles and pains of our friends behind when we return to the United States, but our friends will live with them forever, and we can only hope that we have in some way improved or enhanced their lives, if only in the smallest measure. |
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Martha Martin is an Admissions Counselor for the School of Management at George Mason University. She is completing a fictional account of her service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in School and Community Gardens Promotion in Costa Rica.
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