Oswego Reading Initiative

The Oswego Reading Initiative is an annual project asking the campus community to read one book over the summer. To accompany the selection, a series of programs, including cultural events and talks are planned to facilitate discussion and involvement around the title. 

We are pleased to announce Bonobo Handshake as our summer 2011 ORI.  Woods writes about her journey that took her from Australia to Congo to study bonobos.  The book has multiple dimensions that make it an excellent choice for ORI. It is the story of a young woman, Vanessa Woods, who is still trying to find her way and finds it through her work with her fiancé, scientist Brian Hare. It is a story about the civil war–torn Congo and the courage of men and women in that country who are picking up the pieces and moving forward. And, finally, it is a story about this species, bonobos, whose tolerance and intelligence are explained in such accessible terms by Vennesa Woods. The book really brings to light the differences between the bonobos and chimpanzees where the former live in a matriarchal society cooperating and rarely fighting and the later with a male-dominated society with significant violence. We hope you will enjoy the book.

Vanessa Woods is an award winning journalist and author. She has written three children's books; one of her book, It's True! Space Turns You Into Spaghetti, won the Acclaimed Book award from the Royal Society, UK. Vanessa is also the author of the travel memoir It's Every Monkey For Themselves about her experiences chasing wild capuchin monkeys through the Costa Rican jungle. Vanessa is an internationally published journalist and has written for various publications including the Discovery Channel, BBC Wildlife, New Scientist, and Travel Africa. In 2003, Vanessa won the Australasian Science award for journalism. Vanessa is currently a Research Scientist at Duke University and studies the cognitive development of chimpanzees and bonobos at sanctuaries in the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Look for her campus visit in Fall 2011.