I met Debra Rosenman in 2007 at a symposium on chimpanzees featuring my hero, Jane Goodall. At that time, Debra had an idea for a book about the lives of chimpanzees—a compilation of insights by authorities in the fields of research, testing, rescuing, and providing sanctuaries for chimpanzees. That year, Hurt Go Happy had been just been released in paperback. My 18 years of research and writing, followed by rejection after rejection, only to finally see it published was over. I have to admit, I felt sorry for Debra. I had a sense of what she was up against, but there was something about her that made me think she could do it. And she did.
The Chimpanzee Chronicles is a beautiful tribute to the chimpanzees who have survived all we’ve done to them in the name of science, entertainment, and ill-conceived pet ownership, and to the people who have dedicated their lives to doing all they can for our closest relatives in the animal world.
Just yesterday Debra wrote to tell me TCC had won first prize, a gold medal in the category of best anthology in the 2020 Independent Publishers Book Awards! “Taking first prize makes the thirteen years of my life that I devoted to the chimpanzees with this book so worth it! First place was a tie, so I share the honor with Thomas Voight's book, Stand in the Light: Native Voices Illuminated by Edward S. Curtis which is also a beautifully crafted book."
