Ape

(Paperback)

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Description

Ape also considers representations of apes in popular culture, discussing films, advertising and zoos, considering how apes have been portrayed as caricatures of humans, demonic monsters and as clowns. It also looks at the precarious future of the apes, many of whom are on the brink of extinction, focusing on the 'bush-meat' crisis in Africa, palmoil production in Indonesiaand the illegal pet trade, and also includes a discussion of sanctuaries thatmay offer some hope for their survival.

Reviews

Ape is an emotionally powerful book that traces humankind's long and troubled relationship with our closest living relatives . . . John Sorenson packs this little volume with riveting examples . . . At once a lucid cultural history and a manifesto for change * Times Literary Supplement *
Sorenson writes well and carries readers with him, and I found myself appreciating the book more and more as I read on. At times, he writes with suppressed, but barely suppressed, indignation - as when he talks about apes being caged, brutally treated to make them perform, slaughtered for bushmeat, and used as proxies in procedures that could not be performed on humans - for ethical reasons - and his message communicates itself all the more effectively for avoiding emotive language. * The Quarterly Review of Biology *
a compelling book with a clear message. If apes are to survive in the wild we are going to have to put self-interest aside and treat them with the same care and respect as we show towards our human relatives. Their future is in our hands. * The Vegan *

Author Bio

John Sorenson is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at Brock University, Ontario, where he also teaches critical animal studies.