I struggled with this book. I didn't think the writing was that good and I got tired of the author talking about her husband. I would not recommend this to my library's patrons.

Kerriann McGoogan falls in love with primates, lemurs to be exact. What's not to love? They are cute, intelligent, and a lot like us. Lemurs live in Madagascar. They are critically endangered. This book is about Keriann's experience as a grad student setting up a project to study lemurs in a section of the Madagascar rainforest and the challenges the team she was part of faced.
I love these books because I am not a good traveler but I was to know about these far-flung parts of the world and the people who live in them. However, once I start to sweat and a bug bites me it is all over. I don't do discomfort well. I never wish I lived in another time. I like being comfortable with AC and indoor plumbing. That said I admire people who can cope with hot humid weather and bugs and write about with humor as Keriann does. I truly admire her pluck hiking in the jungle, wading through rivers, braving so-called primitive roads in jeeps, going to cities where you don't speak the language or understand the customs, eat the food and make your own drinking water, brave hostile natives, make your hiking trails with a machete, absolutely no modern conveniences, separated from those you love for months at a time, all for conservation efforts 70% of the world don't even care about. One thing I did learn, well I learned a lot actually about fieldwork, was the more research available about an animal the less likely the extinction if the animal. Did I say I loved this book? Read it in a day. Thank you to all the Kerrianns out there who do this kind of work. The maps and photos are excellent also. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Prometheus Books for my digital copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

I have loved lemurs for awhile now so when I saw a book with the word lemur in the title, I had to read the synopsis about it. When I saw that it was a nonfiction book about a girl on a field study, I wasn't 100% sure about it but I still decided to go forth and give it a shot. I had heard of lemurs before I worked at a zoo for a year back in 2015 but I really had only known there were ring tailed lemurs because that is all you ever see in the movies. Working at the zoo, I quickly learned to love them and the shop I worked at had two senior lemurs right next to it. A black and white lemur and a red lemur...they were too old to be with the others, I guess, and the others were mean to them. So each day I learned a little bit more and I talked to them and when I left the zoo to move to another state, I cared more about leaving those two lemurs than I ever thought possible. I think I actually cried. Come to think of it, as I type this review, I still have a photo of the red one hanging on my bulletin board. :) Anyway, the book starts out with Keriann getting ready to go to a remote part of Madagascar and do a field study. We are with her as she does her shopping and we are with her as she gets to Madagascar and reality hits her that she is the only woman in the group and the only white woman around, which the others are quick to notice as well. We are with her when she gets food poisoning also. She is a very strong woman who had a goal and tried her best to reach it. I loved learning about everything that went into this study but there is no way I would actually be able to do what she did. The language barrier, the deadly mosquitos, the only woman thing...nope, not a chance. But I did like hearing her story. Every time she talked about a new lemur, I would take the time to look it up and see how cute it was. Every time she talked about a new city, I would look it up too. I learned more in the book than I ever thought I was going to. It was almost like reading a fiction book except for what happened was actually true and obviously, there had to be some statistics thrown in :) Also, when she talks about the noise they make, I actually KNOW that noise because it scared me to death the first time I heard it. I thought for sure an animal was getting attacked.

This was such an educational and enjoyable read for me. In one of my alternative lives I’d be a wildlife biologist. At the very least I’d visit Africa, not just for the traditional safari tour but for as many wildlife experiences as I could manage, especially in hotspots like Madagascar. In Chasing Lemurs, based on a trip made for the author’s PhD research, I got a realistic insider’s look at all that can be involved in fieldwork - language and cultural barriers, the special difficulties women can face, the fairly primitive living conditions, homesickness, not to mention the logistical issues. How exactly do you transport all the food and equipment required for three months in a remote location - especially when at the last minute officials require you take extra people for safety reasons? The answer is with great difficulty and a lot of hard, physical effort. Then there are the life and death decisions that have to be made when a crucial member of the research team becomes very ill with what is probably malaria. Field work in remote places is clearly not for the faint of heart or body - probably best I don’t pursue that alternative life after all! Although it certainly has its rewards. The author’s joy at observing lemurs shines through as does her belief in the importance of research and the role it plays in conservation.

Apart from an insider’s look at the reality of field work, I loved learning about lemurs, the conservation challenges faced by Madagascar, plus a more about the country and it’s people through the eyes of a vazaha (foreigner).

This is an engaging read perfect for nature lovers or anyone in need of an armchair adventure.

3.5 Prior to reading this book, the only information I knew about Madagascar was from watching the Disney movie. This book is chock full of the culture of this country, of the different types of lemurs found there, and how much work it takes to plan an expedition, as well as all the things that can go wrong.

For her PhD thesis, Kerriann, decides to study the lemurs in Kasijy. They have the most diverse species of lemurs of anywhere in the world. She hopes to attain enough data and information if the various species, but almost from the beginning things don't go as planned.

Madagascar is a very poor country, and losing more of their forest areas quickly. The reason why and why this is important is. discussed, as is their language and culture. We also get to know some of Kerrianns backstory and previous projects. Much is covered in this comparatively short book.

I found this a fascinating book, although I can't imagine myself in her place. The mouse lemur, small enough to fit in a teacup, was my favorite. Yes, I looked them up, though some pictures and maps were included in the book.

ARC from Netgalley

This was an unexpectedly straightforward read for a non-fiction title. Usually, it takes me a while to plod through even the most simple of stories like these because I am more of a quick fiction reader. Either I am learning to read other types of titles, or this was written for people like me, and at this point, I am heavily leaning towards the latter.

There are some petty reasons why I am not giving this a full five stars. If possible, I would have given it a 4.5, but that’s not an option anywhere. The first is the lack of photos. The vivid descriptions had me hankering for pictures, and I was only given a couple in the middle. If the sightings of the lemurs were even provided with caricatures, I would have loved it more. The second reason is that I wanted more of the story. This is the tale of a small, tiring but pivotal moment in the life of the author but despite being given enough of a backstory and an update as to where she is now, it is still a too-brief narrative. I felt like I was just starting to get invested when the book wrapped up. It has some genuine discussions, and the highlight of it has to be the constant tussle in the author’s mind as she considers her status as a conservationist in a country (Madagascar) versus the needs of a growing population of humans with innumerable troubles. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in the complicated life of a passionate field researcher.

It is a well-written and exciting narrative, and I enjoyed the way Keriann managed to use the instructions her advisor had given in a sort-of booklet form.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the entire review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This was a fun adventure to read about, as we follow Keriann McGoogan's first trip to Madagascar to study Lemurs
The story takes place in a time when the author was a graduate student, traveling into a remote area in the northwest of the country, working to later be able to return to do her research for her PhD in biological anthropology.
In the beginning she is accompanied by her thesis advisor, who soon after they arrive in the area where they want to set up camp, needs to head back home, leaving her as the only female and with only two local students who spoke some English. This was a challenge as things beyond her control began to happen, and she was the only one in charge to solve these problems.
This whole story is full of wonderful descriptions of the country and the diversity of lemurs in the area, but it also explains all of the hard work just to be able to set up a camp, and the hardships and scares that come along with being in such a remote area.
I look forward to more stories of her adventures.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Rowman & Littlefield for the copy of this book.