This book is about much that I love. Its about Africa and lions and George Adamson told through the eyes of a man who lived there in camp with him. Tony Fitzjohn is real, some what crazy and a wild man but real. He's a honest storyteller who is humble, self depricating with a good sense of humor. Oh how I would have loved to visit him and meet those lions at Kora or go to Mkomazi in Tanzania and see the rhino sanctuary, meet the wild dogs or Nina the elephant. But since I can't I am glad that I got to read such an interesting account of his man's in the wilds of Africa. ( )

While "Born Wild" won't fit in with the many animal memoirs hitting the shelves the last few years, I found it a great read. As a fan of Joy Adamson's books and Christian the lion's story, reading Tony's perspective added more depth. He worked with George Adamson and played a big role in Christian's return to the wild. There are some who may disagree with some of his opinions - other reviewers have covered them quite well - but Tony comes across as honest and open, confident in his beliefs.

Fitzjohn worked with George Adamson in Africa after George and Joy divorced. He has helped return a number of animals to the wild, including lions, leopards, African wild dogs, elephants, and rhinos. He never had an easy time - money was hard to come by (most came from charitable gifts held in trust) and the local governments really didn't want the preserves. They made more money from hunters.

The above should make the basis for an interesting memoir. Unfortunately, the book falls flat somehow. I never really felt connected to Fitzjohn - I felt he was describing his life instead of living it. Maybe I was expecting too much - I read and adored Born Free, Living Free, and Forever Free (about the lioness Elsa and Joy and George Adamson) when I was a teen - and this book is nothing like those. Perhaps because it's more concerned with the man than the animals he helped.

It's not a bad book, just not quite my cup of tea. ( )

Tommy Fitzjohn is, if nothing else, bluntly honest; about himself, about everyone he worked with, and about his work. His personality flows across the book, and you can tell the best times of his life was spending time with Lions, keeping the sanctuary running, and drinking. A lot. (Least surprising AA member ever). Fitzjohn and co-writer Miles Bredin's ability to invest the book's rambling prose with such a clear voice drive some wonderful passages - and some problems along with them.
For much of the book it's a joy to hear Fitzjohn's wanderings, in Africa and then around George Adamson's camp in Kora, Kenya. His relationships with the few people around him and the lions (and later leopards) rehabilitated there are great, even if the looseness around the timeline can be occasionally disorienting. But as the political situation in Kenya becomes inherently worse, the book also manages to reflect Fitzjohn's frustration all too well - it gets sidetracked and somewhat aimless. Some changes around camp just sort of happen and it's never clear when or why. As Fitzjohn is forced to flee Kenya under pressure from the corrupt government, he sets up shop in Tanzania - and the authors simply can't manage to make his largely administrative role there all that interesting, without the same level of focus on the animals and his relationships with them. Fitzjohn is also clearly bored by fundraisng, but that doesn't mean the authors should bore us when they talk about that part of his life.
The other main problem with the book is more a limitation - Fitzjohn has transitioned from an assistant to a wildlife rehabilitator to the head of a large conservation trust, but he seldom looks far beyond what's ahead of him. His anger at hunters and grazers who poach and poison the wildlife are valuable, as is his clear experience in relying on non-corrupt officials and police above all else. But even as the book touches on some contentious wildlife issues like whether hunting permits help, or whether wildlife and grazers can share land, it can't break out of Fitzjohn's viewpoint and stays narrow about it.
That all sounds more negative than I feel about the book. While the later passages are weak, they're still interesting for anyone involved in conservation, and the first half of the book is wonderful. ( )

Tony Fitzjohn recalls his early childhood and subsequent years in Africa working with wildlife. Part memoir, part social commentary, Fitzjohn has a knack for drawing readers into his vantage point. It's hard to disagree with the injustices that he calls attention to. That said, I can't imagine many people picking up a politically charged biography from a non-politician and enjoying it, especially with the feel good "love animals" vibe that the cover gives off. Perhaps if Fitzjohn had found a co-writer, a zoologist or another expert in the scientific community, he could have created a title more apt to what he's trying to do here. But mixing in his own life? Some of this information isn't just relevant, it pulls the narrative in too many different directions. Worth the read if you feel passionately about animal rights, but I can't see this book appealing to a broader general audience. ( )