Raising a chimp as part of the family
Every week, The Thread checks in with booksellers around the country about their favorite books of the moment. For this week, we spoke with Amanda Sutton of Bookworks in Albuquerque, N.M.
"We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves" tells the story of an unusual family experiment: The Cookes adopt a chimpanzee to raise alongside their own young children.
The story is told from the perspective of a grown-up Rosemary Cooke, who spent her childhood with her chimp sister, Fern.
Fern, however, disappears after a few years of the experiment, and her absence plunges the family into a long-lasting grief. Rosemary is left to unravel the true story as she grows up.
"I've recommended this book to a lot of readers for the ways that it has made me ponder how we treat animals — and also fellow human beings," Sutton said.
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
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