New Travel Book: ‘Mean and Lowly Things’
Travel Blog • Frank Bures • 06.09.08 | 3:35 PM ET
Full title: “Mean and Lowly Things: Snakes, Science, and Survival in the Congo”
Author: Kate Jackson
Released: April 30, 2008
Travel genre: Science travel
Territory covered: Republic of Congo
Promo copy: “Culled from the mud-spattered pages of her journals, Mean and Lowly Things reads like a fast-paced adventure story. It is Jackson’s unvarnished account of her research on the front lines of the global biodiversity crisis—coping with interminable delays in obtaining permits, learning to outrun advancing army ants, subsisting on a diet of Spam and manioc, and ultimately falling in love with the strangely beautiful flooded forest. “
Critical verdict, Zagat-style: “[A] fascinating, adventure-filled memoir.” (Library Journal) “Herpetologist Jackson is candid, funny, and precise as she chronicles her demanding and illuminating experiences collecting snakes, frogs, and toads in the flooded forests of the Congo. ... Jackson is a dynamo, and her riveting, amusing, and revealing tales from the biodiversity front line awaken fresh appreciation for hands-on scientific inquiry and the wonders of nature.” (Booklist)
Profile: From NPR’s All Things Considered