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Ancestral Passions The Leakey Family and the Quest for Humankind Beginnings Virginia Morell Books

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Ancestral Passions The Leakey Family and the Quest for Humankind Beginnings Virginia Morell Books

Perhaps one needs to be a paleontology nut to get all the way through this long book. For those interested, it is worth the time. The intrigues, controversies, stunning finds, personal lives - there're all here. Much is said about Tim White and Donald Johanson (the Lucy finders) and Johanson's ambition to "outdo" the Leakey family. Apparently Johanson wasn't quite as straight forward as he seemed and took every opportunity to steal the limelight from and shed doubt on even the matriarch, Mary Leakey.

While Richard Leakey certainly has earned his detractors, his accomplishments are worthy as is his devotion to his native country of Kenya. There is much good to be said of a man who traveled and gave lectures and used the money earned to pay the way for native Kenyans to advance their educations abroad.

I highly recommend this book.


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Ancestral Passions The Leakey Family and the Quest for Humankind Beginnings Virginia Morell Books Reviews

Morell's astounding level of research reveals the Leakeys individually, as a family, and as dogged searchers for the truth about man's origins--and as living, breathing humans. Through letters, diaries, journals, personal interviews, and family archives, they speak to the reader with unprecedented candor about their personal travails, but more importantly, about their early struggles for funding, their fossil discoveries in remote desert locations, their constant surprise by the historical record, and their uncertainty, to this day, about modern man's exact lineage.

Some Leakey peccadilloes, never secret, are fully documented here Louis's constant womanizing and his "adoption" of young female researchers, such as Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas; Mary's scotch-drinking, her cigar-smoking, and her intolerance of those on her Stinker List, some of them other researchers; and Richard's boyish brashness and arrogance, along with his health problems and dislike of Donald Johanson. Less appreciated, however, is the fact that before Louis's work and significant discoveries, people still believed that early man was from China or Europe, not Africa. Mary Leakey was the first person ever to excavate a Paleolithic site, and her meticulous care about documenting the tools and animals found in the same stratae as her hominid fossils, told here in detail, revolutionized the way fossils were recovered and catalogued. Richard found as many hominid fossils in two years (1971 and 1972) as Mary and Louis found in 36 years, and his level of dedication to research since finding his first hominid fossil at age 6, his mentoring of young researchers, and his creation of museums and foundations in Nairobi have perhaps received less attention than they deserve.

The Leakeys believe at least two and perhaps three or four different hominids may have lived in certain areas simultaneously, sharing space for a million or more years, and that the exact line of descent to modern man is still unknown. Tens of thousands of extinct, fossilized species of hippos, elephants, saber-toothed cats, crocodiles, antelopes, and even insects, unearthed by the Leakeys, are overwhelming evidence that if species, including hominids, do not change and adapt, they die. While some may argue about how certain hominids are labeled, no one can argue with their existence in the historical record, and nearly all of them have been unearthed by just one family. These contributions continue beyond the purview of this book into a new generation Dr. Louise Leakey and her mother Maeve (Richard's wife) found yet another completely new hominid species in March, 2001. Mary Whipple
The Leakeys - Louis, Mary and Richard (and many others)- gave birth to the modern science of human origins.. In the process they changed our views on geology, archaeology, anthropology and evolution. The only way to describe the research is incredible - from interviews, letters, books, papers, conversations with family, friends and rivals.

A popular fiction that many still believe is that comradely, intellectual discourse among scientists in the norm. Anyone who has followed the history of evolution or cosmology know the opposite is true. Scientists are just as competitive (if not more so) than real estate agents, boxers or athletes. Indeed, if one work could describe the world of the Leakeys it would be "drama" - playing for the audience, calculating, scheming, sabotaging, lying, alone with constant affairs, gigantic and bruised egos and publicity-seeking. Ms. Morell, who knew the Leakeys intimately, presents a multi-faceted look at the family and the inclusion of so many warts, ego, pride, envy and sheer hatred only makes their discoveries all the more amazing.

This book can be praised on several levels - academic, scientific (an educated layman can follow the science), biographical (what characters they were!), historical (the emergence of modern Africa) and literary (wonderful writing). The three main characters dominate the story and all are similar - incredibly driven and hard-working, eschewing the easy life, controversial, larger than life. Louis, an international star, triumphed despite constant battles with other explorers, family dramas, numerous affairs, little money and personal pain. Even his detractors were awed at his vision. Mary, the quiet, caustic explorer, slowly came into her own but it was Richard who make the Leakeys an international brand.

The book stops at 1995 and Richard is no longer actively involved in fossil searches. He has since devoted his life to humanistic causes - saving wildlife, making Kenya into a liberal democracy, preserving species and raising money.
Very well researched and written.
5stars
Detailed chronology includes a good balance of alternating between the fascinating digs, with all the enthusiasm of the diggers, and the competitors and sometimes distressing human relationships. Engaging throughout.
Somewhat tedious being bogged down in paleontology controversies but ultimately absorbing stories of the lives & scientific contributions of the Leakey family.
I have read a number of the popular press books on early Homo sapiens discoveries. This is a comprehensive, balanced review of the Leakey family members life's work and discoveries, thankfully leaving out most of the non-constructive tension with others in the anthropology community.
Perhaps one needs to be a paleontology nut to get all the way through this long book. For those interested, it is worth the time. The intrigues, controversies, stunning finds, personal lives - there're all here. Much is said about Tim White and Donald Johanson (the Lucy finders) and Johanson's ambition to "outdo" the Leakey family. Apparently Johanson wasn't quite as straight forward as he seemed and took every opportunity to steal the limelight from and shed doubt on even the matriarch, Mary Leakey.

While Richard Leakey certainly has earned his detractors, his accomplishments are worthy as is his devotion to his native country of Kenya. There is much good to be said of a man who traveled and gave lectures and used the money earned to pay the way for native Kenyans to advance their educations abroad.

I highly recommend this book.