Primates' Notes: The Extraordinary Life of a Scientist Among Baboons

This book is a memoir of more than twenty years of the renowned primatologist Robert Sapolsky's acquaintance with East Africa. As a young scientist, the author first arrived at the reserve in Kenya with the intention of testing his hypotheses about the nature of stress in humans on wild baboons, which is not surprising given how similar primates are to humans in their biological and psychological responses.
In fact, Sapolsky does not separate himself from his subjects—the animals he studies, which is evident from the very title of the book. This adds a special charm and power to the narrative.
Together with the author, who has given his beloved animals biblical names, we learn about their lives, sufferings, loves, rivalries, struggles for power, diseases, and deaths. No less vivid characters in the book are the locals: farmers, rangers, petty bosses, and ordinary workers.
Over two decades in Africa, Sapolsky experiences both his own dangerous adventures and the tragedies of friends, and changes in political regimes—and writes about it in such a way that you feel almost like a participant in the events.