Webb takes care to give Borneo’s residents a voice in this debut, sharing their ongoing concerns about the environment and what can and should be done to preserve it. It’s also a fascinating memoir that details Webb’s passion for the rainforest and her work to protect it while increasing residents’ standard of living. Her writing remains engaging as she shares her own stories, including her long recovery from a box jellyfish sting, marital trouble, and growing interest in spirituality ... A compelling science memoir that will be relished by those who enjoy reading about innovative efforts to save imperiled habitats.
The backstory of how author Webb, an American from small-town northern New Mexico, literally lurched her way through the deepest jungles of Indonesian Borneo in 1993 as an undergraduate biology major to study orangutans is worth the price of the ticket here, so arduous was her journey, and so fantastical her ultimate destination, the Gunung Palung National Park, home to some of the world’s greatest diversity of flora and fauna ... This really is a journey of hope, told with an observant eye and an open heart.
Even when things look hopeless, it might still be possible to avoid disaster,' writes physician Webb in this valiant debut that addresses climate change and health care head-on ... After a near-fatal sting by a box jellyfish in July 2011, Webb was forced to scale back her hands-on humanitarian efforts, but her devotion to fighting for the health of the world and its people remains unflagging, as evidenced in her galvanizing and hopeful story. Those looking for a jolt of inspiration would do well to pick this up.
