Keena Roberts

A novel twist on an old story of trying to fit in. Lots of great stories and descriptions.

> As the sun sank lower over the melapo, gigantic beetles cruised through the trees buzzing loudly, flocks of birds flew home to roost calling out to each other between the islands, and impala crept closer into camp, knowing that the smell of humans helped keep the lions away—most of the time.

> Botswana Keena wasn’t safe in America, and American Keena was disliked and lonely, so what was I supposed to do now? Go to college and remake myself again? … I still walk around with my head down. I’m not being unfriendly; I’m just looking for snakes. When a big truck comes around the corner, I still think it’s an elephant and my first reaction is to look for the nearest dumpster to hide behind. I don’t like being predictable; predictability in a daily schedule is how lions know where you’re likely to be when it’s dark outside and makes it easier for them to hunt you.

> I was more than halfway to the kill site when a young male lion exploded out of the bush and charged me. I knew it was a male because he had the start of a mane, and also because every single detail of that lion’s appearance seared itself into my brain in one moment of pure terror.

> I dream about lions almost every night: chasing me across the lacrosse field, stalking me during a final exam in graduate school, or lurking in my bedroom closet, twitching their tawny ears and growling so low and deep it makes my bones vibrate… (más)

Keena Roberts grew up as the daughter of two primatologists who studied vervet monkeys and baboons in Kenya and (mostly) Botswana, where they brought Keena and her sister Lucy along for the ride. Throughout Keena's childhood, the family spent six-month-plus spans of time each year in "Baboon Camp" in the Okavango Delta, monitoring and studying baboon behavior. The remainder of the year was spent in Philadelphia, where Keena's parents taught as professors and where Keena had to navigate life in an American private school--think Mean Girls, but with lots of fun nature facts.

It's a really funny memoir and a really interesting look at a truly unique childhood. More broadly, the book deals with themes of belonging and what constitutes "home," as Keena attempts to find her place between Botswana and Pennsylvania. I deeply enjoyed reading this book; Keena's story resonated with me in a number of ways, and I found the book well-written and a joy to read.… (más)

Keena spent her childhood with her parents and sister at camps in Kenya studying vervet monkeys and baboons in Botswana. She tells about living in Africa amongst the monkeys, buffaloes, lions, elephants, hippos, and crocodiles. She then talks of returning to the U. S. and going to private school in Philadelphia.

I found this interesting and exciting as she tells of her encounters with the wild animals in Africa. They were less mean than her classmates back in Philadelphia. The students were brutal with her when she returned. I liked how she divided herself into American Keena and Botswana Keena to navigate the school scene. Later she realizes that living in Baboon Camp was a privilege and gave her no idea what Botswana actually was like. I also liked that she went back to volunteer to help in Botswana with HIV/AIDS.

As she talks about the study her parents were doing with the baboons and how things changed through the years they spent there, I was enthralled. She is braver than me. A good read!… (más)