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Antipode: Seasons with the Extraordinary Wildlife and Culture of Madagascar
 
 
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Antipode: Seasons with the Extraordinary Wildlife and Culture of Madagascar [Hardcover]

Heather E. Heying (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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From Library Journal

The subtitle of Heying's memoir of her field studies in Madagascar is slightly misleading. Instead of attempting a general overview of the wildlife of the island (as in Peter Tyson's The Eighth Continent), Heying offers a detailed account of her work and adventures primarily on Nosy Mangabe, a smaller island off the northwest coast of Madagascar. This tiny island, while devoid of carnivores, birds, most of Madagascar's famous lemurs, and even ants, abounds in frogs in particular the mantella, a colorful and toxic frog with interesting breeding behavior that Heying studied for insights into evolutionary biology. Heying relates her own "evolution," from her initial frustration and dismay over the slow pace and poverty of the island to a growing resourcefulness, respect, and fondness for the people who live there. Much of her actual research involved sitting perfectly still for hours, watching tagged (and even tattooed!) frogs go about their business. She does an excellent job of conveying both the rigors of field research in a remote location and the intellectual joy of "basic research" the kind of science that does not necessarily lead to direct benefits for humankind. While this is not a crucial title, many readers who liked Margaret Lowman's Life in the Treetops will also enjoy Heying's blend of science and travels far off the "beaten path." Beth Clewis Crim, Prince William P.L., VA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Antipode is defined as the opposite side of the world. Heying grew up in Santa Cruz, California, and the nearest landmass on the other side of the globe is Madagascar. A field biologist by training, the author made four trips to Madagascar between 1993 and 1999 to study the island's poisonous frogs. Heying recounts the adventure of studying little-known animals in a non-Western country. The insularity of Madagascar makes it a wonderful place to research evolution and endemic animals, but can also create problems for the still fairly rare foreigners that come to study these animals. Mixing stories of terrestrial leeches, lemur bites, and the petty bureaucracy of obtaining visas and permits with the wonder of observing maternal behavior in Mantella frogs or of watching an aye aye lemur at night, Heying conveys the difficulties--and the marvels that more than balance them--that keep naturalists coming back to learn the secrets of little-known areas. In her quiet, meditative prose, the author helps us to understand the lure of field research. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read, Dec 7 2003
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This review is from: Antipode: Seasons with the Extraordinary Wildlife and Culture of Madagascar (Hardcover)
Heying is a terrific writer and a keen observer of the world around her. She has traveled to Madagascar to research the behavior of tiny poisonous frogs but finds herself equally challenged by the strange behavior of the island's human inhabitants. The book is a thoughtful exploration of the predicament faced by forest creatures, the Malagasy people, and ultimately, the author herself. For those not lucky enough (or brave enough) to live in a remote tropical forest, this book provides a vivid portrait of the experience.
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Amazon.com: 4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read, Dec 7 2003
By George Davis - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Antipode: Seasons with the Extraordinary Wildlife and Culture of Madagascar (Hardcover)
Heying is a terrific writer and a keen observer of the world around her. She has traveled to Madagascar to research the behavior of tiny poisonous frogs but finds herself equally challenged by the strange behavior of the island's human inhabitants. The book is a thoughtful exploration of the predicament faced by forest creatures, the Malagasy people, and ultimately, the author herself. For those not lucky enough (or brave enough) to live in a remote tropical forest, this book provides a vivid portrait of the experience.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A great look at Malagasy culture from a western viewpoint., July 18 2005
By Melanie D. Typaldos - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Antipode: Seasons with the Extraordinary Wildlife and Culture of Madagascar (Hardcover)
This book is focuses on what it's like for a western biologist (herpetologist) to go to Madagascar to study frogs. Heather Heying has a wonderful way with words that creates vibrant images of what she saw, heard, and felt while living there. Most of the focus is on cultural issues, including her own culture shock. Wildlife is used as a means of conveying her experiences and the experiences of the Malagasy people, not as the thrust or purpose of the book. I highly recommend this if you are at all interested in the people of Madagascar. This is a very well-written, engaging account.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A very enjoyable insight into Madagascar, Oct 21 2007
By H. Cunningham - Published on Amazon.com
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This review is from: Antipode: Seasons with the Extraordinary Wildlife and Culture of Madagascar (Hardcover)
I read this when traveling to Madagascar to get a sense of what the place was like. I found this book to be very descriptive, informative and enjoyable. Heather is a frog researcher. I was a bit bothered by how frogs are marked and what I learned about frog research, but setting that aside the rest of the book was very good. Heather talks about the nitty gritty of travel - getting from point A to B, what there is (or isn't) in the way of facilities and food, etc. But, mostly, she focuses on her interactions with the local Malagasy people and her life on the isolated island of Nosy Mangabe. Although she was there in the late 1990's, she probably didn't begin to foresee that Nosy Mangabe would become such a tourist island. Today, it is easier to reach and well worth the trip if you get to Madagascar. I found reading this gave me a much deeper appreciation and perspective on my trip than I would otherwise have had.
› Go to Amazon.com to see all 4 reviews  4.8 out of 5 stars 
 
 
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