Jennie, an orphan chimpanzee, is brought to America from Africa by anthropologist Hugo Archibald. Jennie learns American Sign Language, which allows her to communicate with her new family, neighbors, and scientists. Major problems arise when Jennie becomes an adolescent, and her forced realization that she is not human has catastrophic results. The novel is divided into a series of interviews and diary entries made by the various people who have a hand in raising Jennie. So realistic are these different accounts of Jennie's life that many readers will believe the book is a nonfiction case history of a chimpanzee. The book's conclusion raises provocative questions about our relationship to, and treatment of, other species. This first novel features an enchanting heroine who will not soon be forgotten by readers. An excellent purchase for public libraries of all sizes.-Nancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, Seattle
Engaging and touching . . . A remarkable book.” —The Denver Post on Jennie
“Brilliant and complex. Jennie is a dazzling fiction debut.” —Los Angeles Times
“A poignant, thought-provoking story.” —The Wall Street Journal
“A haunting account of the nebulous line between man and animal. . . . Tragic, dark, irresistible.” —Boston Herald
“I love Jennie, the book and the chimp . . . a very remarkable person and a very important book.” —Jane Goodall, bestselling author of In the Shadow of Man
“An amazing story.” —Entertainment Weekly
“Engrossing story of a chimp experiment . . . Jennie is a believable character, both hilarious and heart-breaking.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer
“An enchanting morality tale in which genes and evolution replace fates of ancient tragedy. . . . Preston sticks to scientific fact and so it's to his credit that he reader finds himself asking 'Is Jennie human?' and to the end is never convinced that she is not.” —Dallas Morning News
Jennie, a chimp brought from Africa and raised as a human by an anthropologist and his family, is the subject of this enthralling tale. Written as a diary, the fictional work is brought into the realm of theater by this unique approach. A different actor reads each role, developing each character--and the listener’s perceptions--throughout the ten-hour presentation. The individual performances combine to form a cohesive whole, which never loses momentum. Even readers reluctant to read “animal stories” will put aside their misgivings. Highly recommended. R.B.F. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine