An exhilarating quest into a remote African forest to examine
chimpanzees and understand the roots of human behavior.
As a young student, John Crocker embarked on the adventure of a
lifetime, spending eight months in the Gombe forest working with Jane
Goodall. He followed families of wild chimpanzees from sunrise to sunset
and learned the fundamental behavioral traits of these chimps as they
raised their offspring.
One chimpanzee captivated him. Her name was Fifi, and she displayed
extraordinary patience and reassurance toward her infant, Freud. Upon
returning home and becoming a doctor, Crocker found himself
incorporating the lessons he learned from Fifi into his work as a father
and physician. When he witnessed his young patients rocketing around his
exam room, he would picture Fifi's patience and tacit approval of
Freud's uninhibited and joyful exploration.
Crocker shares how his time spent with our closest animal cousins has
helped him better understand his patients with ADD, anxiety, and
depression, and how primate traits hardwired into our own natural
behavior help chimpanzees protect their community, raise their young,
and survive. Finally, chronicling his return to Gombe thirty-six years
later with his own son, he reflects on how his experience with the
chimps has come full circle.
An illuminating book that will raise thought-provoking questions about
the evolution of human behavior and the importance of patience and
strong family bonds, Following Fifi provides a greater understanding
of what it means to be human.
