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| Mary & one VIP Dalmation |
Dear Bookclub,
Penny Haw's "Follow Me to Africa" did not impress our group. While most found it enjoyable to learn more about Mary Leakey, the novel's format of oscillating between the tale of Mary's youth to the tale of another young woman's experience many years later, tired our interest. Both time frames included Mary, yet the story's focus blurred as the chapters progressed.
A more coherent dive into Mary's life and contributions with my keyboard search-collaborator broadened my understanding. Please check out this short, comprehensive video (which is charming in its original French) for some great visuals, above snap included, and a 30 second bio:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jlYvSLC6t4o
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| https://leakeyfoundation.org/ |
The Leakey Foundation website has a fascinating drop down tab, "Learn & Explore" that I encourage you to investigate. The mission of the foundation:
"The Leakey Foundation combines science and education to explore our shared past, understand our present, and inspire a better future. We’re on a mission to uncover the story of human evolution and share this knowledge with the world. Join us."
is well-represented in the website's offerings. Please be sure to listen to something from the Oral History of Human Origins Research. I recommend paleoanthropolgist Yoel Rak's interview (the 5 minute snapshot if nothing else):
https://leakeyfoundation.org/oral-history-yoel-rak/
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| Yoel Rak |
Back to Mary Leakey and her beginnings with Louis, who'd asked her for illustrations for his upcoming book, "Adam's Ancestors", published in 1934. In can be yours for about $16 on Biblio. Also, The Huntington has an original copy in their Rare Book Collection.
Finally, the Leakey family tree is impressive. Please be sure to scroll down past the list of notables and click on the tree itself:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leakey_family
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| Princess Louise Leakey |
Wanda's suggestions for an upcoming read:
"The Correspondent" Virginia Evans *chosen
"A Flower Traveled in My Blood" Haley Cohen Gilliland
"Atmosphere" Taylor Jenkins Reid
Up next:
Happy reading,
LK
