The Left Bank Ape

By David Quammen

National Geographic, March 2013

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/03/bonobos/quammen-text

The lead in The Left Bank Ape by David Quammen was surprisingly lacking in action and details. It was a scene setting graf that described, in basic terms, the location of the Wamba Research Camp and the founder. It did not fully grasp my attention as a reader, and as a journalist I would have like to see a scene that would have show what the camp was, rather than told us. However, it did a good job of giving the reader the necessary details to get right in to the piece.

Quammen also is quick to engage the reader by addressing them in his usage of the word “you.” Journalist tend to stray away from that point of view because they want to present the information with authority and credibility and it “you” doesn’t typically fit in stylistically. His decision to use it brings down the academic tone to present the scientific information in a less intimidating way because he uses such specific jargon that the typical reader wouldn’t be familiar with.

Not too far down in the feature, Quammen takes a break from the scientific language and facts to introduce us to some secondary characters. I appreciated the slower pace when he stopped to name each of the apes by name and their identifiers. It gave credibility to the writer for being present and also to the research institute for their close relationship with their subjects.

The scene that he chose was one that I had wanted to see earlier but it also fit well further down in the story. He used specific descriptions and clear language that moved the action and kept the pace quick, almost as if we were watching the scene as well.  He successfully wrapped the action up with a quote that summed up what it was, and its relevance all in a few words.

The structure that we learned in class holds here too: lead, nut graft, establish the story and the action, hear from the main sources, then background info followed by the less important details. Quammen digs into the history of the discovery of the bonobo by the Belgian scientist and the misconception of the apes as pygmy chimpanzees. He also describes the species’ distinguishing characteristics as mostly behavioral that give the reader more knowledge on the personalities of the main subjects.

After the background information, the author jumps to answer the So What?  question. As bonobos and chimps are the closest living relatives to humans, Quammen wants to uncover if the human lineage branched off closer to the chimp line of male dominance and fighting, or the bonobo line of female dominance, social sex and peace.

The author appropriately inserted his sources opinions and quotes that backed up the story he was trying to tell. He also used the pacing to determine when to introduce new sources, when to tell anecdotes, when to use quotes, and when to do his on scene setting. This feature included all of those elements, and event though it was heavily research and reporting based, I was still hooked till the end thanks to the details, action, and story.