We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

Author: Karen Joy Fowler

Karen Joy Fowler has written books of every genre including science fiction, fantasy and even literary fiction. However, this tale defies classification as it is somewhere between fiction and non-fiction and tells a story of family that has adopted a chimpanzee and the psychological impact it has on the children as they grow up.  The story is told by the daughter Rosemary Cooke and is written in a very collegiate, contemporary style. Sentences like "I went into the kitchen, phoned the airport, where my call was very important to them, and left a message" remind you of some of the madness of our times. You will chuckle at many of these as you read through this book.

The author tries desperately to compare our thoughts and feelings to those of a chimpanzee living amidst a family. Not only is this hard to identify with, but it is also hard to get past the absurdity of the comparison. Nevertheless you do get to learn something about the social behavior of chimpanzees. You also learn about the behavior of young kids and maybe there isn't that much difference at some level.

One of the nice quotes in the book that I am sure I will find an opportunity to use is, "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself". Overall, a good read that entertains and educates.