The Elephant Whisperer

July 27, 2009
The Thompson submachine gun is one of the weapons that define the 20th century. In the hands of soldiers and insurgents, police and criminals, it has made its mark from American cities to the jungles of Africa. The Thompson remains a feature of movies, novels and songs. Yenne (Superfortress
), a well-known writer on military subjects, presents the Tommy gun's technical and social history from its genesis during WWI—designed by Gen. John Taliaferro Thompson—as a projected “trench broom” through its spectacular career as a gangster weapon during Prohibition. Yenne explains the business and technical dynamics that refined the Thompson's design and made it marketable even to Depression-slashed military budgets. The Thompson saw widespread use during WWII as the British/American counterpart of the German Schmeisser and the Russian PPSH. In every theater of war, the Thompson's high rate of fire, the hitting power of its .45 cartridge and its relative accuracy more than compensated for its 10-pound weight and short range. Rendered officially obsolete by cheaper, simpler designs, the Thompson is “an American, an immortal icon,” says Yenne in this informative history. 45 b&w photos.

September 1, 2009
South African conservationist and Earth Organization founder Anthony spins the uplifting story of his wildlife reserve.

"In 1999, I was asked to accept a herd of troubled wild elephants on my game reserve," writes the author at the beginning of this robust portrait of Thula Thula, the game land he owns, in cooperation with a number of Zulu tribes, in Zululand—5,000 acres of raw landscape that is thought to have been part of the exclusive hunting grounds of the Zulu king. No longer, since Anthony now runs it as a conservationist lodge, but it continues to produce colorful tales of wild discovery. Most prominent are the many fascinating stories that surround his adoption of the elephants, an unruly bunch he endeavors to make at home on the reserve. With a combination of intuition and experience, the author intelligently discusses many aspects of elephant behavior. But Thula Thula is far more than an experiment in elephant reintroduction; it's a slice of primal Africa home to Cape buffalo, white rhinoceros, leopards, crocodile, deadly puff adders and massive pythons. This, of course, makes it a target for poachers, and Anthony displays a manly, hardened edge. But he also demonstrates sensitivity and nuance in his dealings with Zulu tribal politics, especially when it comes to the cattle ranchers who want to take control of his land. Though the prose occasionally becomes mawkish—as in his"born-free adolescence," remembered"as vividly as a lovelorn youth recalling his first heart-thudding kiss"—Anthony's bone-deep mission is bracing and his courage is inspiring.

Energetic firsthand reportage from the heart of the African wild.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

November 1, 2009
Anthony, writing with editor and journalist Spence, is a conservationist who owns and manages extensive property in South Africa and has taken on the daunting task of serving as a buffer between native peoples and endangered species. The title is somewhat misleading: Anthony admits that his book has nothing to do with understanding elephant habits and behaviors. In 1999, the author somewhat reluctantly agreed to foster a herd of elephants that had a longstanding reputation for breaking out of protected reserves and running amuck in the countryside. To prevent the herd from being shot, Anthony took them in to his 5000-acre game reserve. VERDICT Despite Anthony's awards and recognition for his conservation efforts, this book falls short in terms of holding reader interest. The writing doesn't do justice to Anthony's efforts to save these animals. It is drawn out and lacks the spark and engagement that descriptive writing creates in the reader. A disappointment even for those who like memoirs and African wildlife. A marginal purchase. (Photos not seen.) [Library marketing campaign.]Edell M. Schaefer, Brookfield P.L., WI

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2009
Anthony, conservationist and author (Babylons Ark, 2007), owns a wildlife reserve in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. A former hunting preserve, rumored to be part of the legendary Shakas exclusive hunting territory, it has become a game reserve with a lodge for ecotourists. Home to Zululands full suite of wildlife, Thula Thula had everythingexcept elephants. When he was offered a herd from another game reserve Anthony accepted wholeheartedly, despite the fact that these elephants were known escape artists. During their first night at the park the traumatized elephants broke out, and after days on the run had been given a death sentence by the local wildlife authorities, only averted when the author pleaded for one more chance. The story of how Anthony saved his elephants by making friends with them, reversing their negative perceptions of humans and earning their trust, is both heartwarming and heartening. Life on a game reserve is never easy, particularly when elephants are added to the mix, but Anthonys enthusiasm and obvious love for the bush shine through in hair-raising, sad, and funny tales. This life with elephants is a real winner.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)