The Elephant Whisperer: Book Review



Title: The Elephant Whisperer
Author: Lawrence Anthony
Genre: Memoir

Nature and animals have a remarkable manner of teaching you about life. Lawrence Anthony transcripts his learnings from a herd of rogue elephants in this beautiful memoir. 

Set in the wilderness of Africa in a place called Zululand, Anthony is asked to accept a herd of troublesome elephants on his reserve. His failure to do so would result in them being shot down.In order to save their lives, he takes them in. 

After the initial hiccups with this herd creating a havoc and trying to escape, Anthony manages to build a bond with them. In his adventures with this 'rogue' herd. he takes the readers into a different world altogether. A world where dogs attack crocodiles, snakes kill zebras,  animals manage to safeguard themselves against danger. A world where he has embraced danger with torrential rains and rivers, temperamental tribes and their customs and supernatural forces trapped behind rocks. 

Anthony describes the lessons that he learnt from this herd. This includes, leadership, familial and unconditional love, loyalty, dignity and the ability to forgive. He goes deep into the animal psyche enabling readers to obtain a different perspective as to why animals behave in the manner that they do. 

Written in a compelling and heartwarming manner, the author touches upon themes of freedom and trust. As he mentions in his book-there is more to life than just yourself, your own family, or your own kind. This endearing and extraordinary memoir is bound to be enjoyed by especially those who have a penchant for wildlife and the animal kingdom. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Heidi: Movie review

Image
I had read this classic by Johanna Spyri as a little girl. I won it as a prize along with my merit card when I was graduating from Primary to Middle School.  When I stumbled upon this on Amazon Prime, I was delighted. It always feels good to watch your favorite fictional characters on screen. Its often slated that the book is always better as it captures a lot more depth with regards to the plot and characters. However a couple of adaptations that I had seen in the recent past made a good watch. A couple of them ended up being a visual treat. One was The Call of the Wild which showcased the beauty of the Alaskan Wilderness. Another one was Heidi which exhibited the splendor of the snow clad Alps.  Heidi is the story of a young orphaned girl who is sent to live in the mountains with her rather eccentric grandfather-who is known as Alm Uncle by the villagers. Heidi manages to melt his heart as he develops an affection for her. She spends her carefree days in t...
Read more

100 meters : Movie Review

Image
Watched this inspiring Spanish film over the weekend on Netflix!  100 meters is a based on a true story of a man named Ramon who is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He is told that he will be able to even walk 100 meters in the next one year. Determined to prove this wrong, he takes up the challenge of doing the grueling Ironman race which involves 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking and 26.2 miles running.  With the help of his father in law with whom he initially shares a shaky relationship with, he begins to train relentlessly. Ramon faces challenges on the way and is almost pushed to the brink of being bed ridden. He overcomes every hurdle with grit and a positive frame of mind. It remains to be seen if he actually finishes the race.  This movie struck a chord in many ways. A triathlon is not just a race-its a humbling journey which alters your life forever. The training period is especially a challenging one as it demands a lot out of you. The film showcases the i...
Read more

My friend Ganesha: Friendship with God

Image
-By Swetha Amit http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=b7ab149a-5f35-4861-8859-6a890ddb71fe Loneliness often propels one to longingly seek a friend. Times like these often push us into a solitary stance or we find our solace in the road to spirituality striking an unspoken friendship with God. My friend Ganesha is one such film which depicts this divine friendship between a child and the elephant faced God and takes you down the mythological lane. The movie revolves around a family consisting of Ashu, his parents, aunt and the maid Gangubhai who places her sincere devotion in Lord Ganapathy. Ashu is a lonely child devoid of any friends and to top it all he is bullied by his counterparts at every given opportunity. To make matters worse, his parents who are caught up with the corporate lifestyles hardly spend time with him. One day he ends up saving a little mouse from the harsh rains. On sharing this with the maid, leaves her enthralled enough to tell him of being the...
Read more