The Girl With No Name: The Incredible Story of a Child Raised by Monkeys

I only read non fiction, but wasn't sure if I wanted to read this. I'm glad I did. What an amazing story, a real page turner, and while almost unbelievable it is actually so believable. Truly amazing how she survived those childhood years. Would have been great to have an epilogue, what happened in Bogota, how she got to Britain and started a family, what happened to her helpers, a map of her journey as much as she knows it would have been good, etc. But quite a read of an amazing young lady.

"The Girl with No Name" is a very interesting read. It speaks to the human spirit and fight for survival. I expected this book to contain more psychoanalytic information about Marina Chapman and her experiences. Rather, it read more as an autobiography with anecdotes and her thoughts, opinions and retrospective insights about her experiences. It not only talks about her years of surviving and living in the Colombian/Venezuelan jungle with a troop of monkeys as a child, but also her experiences after that, when she was found and taken to "civilization," only to find that human civilization can be evil and harsh--more so than the jungle itself. Her post-jungle experiences will hopefully inspire some sympathy in the readers, and motivate them to reflect on the state of our society.The story ends when she is sent away to a better life, and it seems from the afterword from the ghostwriter that the story had been cut in half. I would love to read the next part--the part of her life that got better, where she went to live with kind, generous people who did not abuse her, who taught her to become a part of the human race, and perhaps how she got to leave South America and move to Britain (where she is now) and raise a family of her own.

What a pleasure it is to write the first Amazon review of this book. I finished it in just over a day because, among its many strong points, The Girl With No Name reads like a novel. The further I got into it, the more impatient I was to find out what happened next.I've always enjoyed stories that involve a clash of cultures. When people of different classes, religions, or countries are thrown together and faced with the challenge of living together despite their differences, the door opens to all sorts of insights, humor, and character development.And this account--whose truth I don't doubt for a moment--takes that plot device to the max, because it's not just about the meeting of two cultures, but two species.Marina Chapman was abandoned in the jungles of Colombia as a four-year-old, and forced to survive for the next five years without the help or companionship of other humans. As the title suggests, she did so by taking up with a troop of capuchin monkeys.And the culture clash to which I refer happens not just once, but twice in the course of the story--once as she learns to live as a member of her new-found monkey family, and then five years later, as she tries to adjust to living in civilization, having long ago forgotten how to be human.As you can imagine, there's a tragic side to this tale. Many of her relationships--those with other people, that is--were filled with cruelty and abuse.But there's also joy, great strength, and tenderness to be found here.I've long been intrigued by how humans relate to animals. It seems to me that we have a sense of superiority that's unwarranted. How can one species say that it is fundamentally better than another?How can I claim to know, for example, that my inner life is richer and more satisfying than a fish's or a dog's?So one of the rewards of this book is getting some hints as to how it might feel to live the life of a non-human species. For Marina Chapman not only got to know monkeys as intimately as any person can, but actually lived their lifestyle.And as you might have guessed from my personal bias, I was not surprised to learn of the joy the author found in her jungle life. She says, "For a period, at least, I ceased to even see humans as my own species, because the older I got, the more I felt the love of my monkey family and learned to cherish them all as individuals."Of course this is not to say that her life with the monkeys was able to satisfy all her human needs. Which is why she chose, ultimately, to leave the jungle and live with her own kind, while still cherishing, to this day, memories of a way of life you and I can only struggle to comprehend.This is a unique biography and a compelling tale, one that ended much too soon. I look forward to the sequel (which is promised in the book) so I can learn the rest of the story!

This very well could be one of the most important books of the century. This story is significant, not just as a story, but as a testament to human nature and the relationship we share with animals. It is rare that such detail is available from someone who has not only shared in the experience of animals but has become one herself. Jane Goodall spent hundreds of hours with monkeys, but fell short to her divided nature, captive to her own humanity. Marina became one of the animals demonstrating a dramatic evolution from early human childhood socialization to jungle animal with no recollection of her human upbringing. It raises questions about Darwin's theory as to whether the natural evolution of mankind is away from monkeys, or towards them. In our own arrogance, we have always assumed that mankind is the most evolved species on earth. However, after reading this story and capturing a glimpse into the horrors of the human race, I really can't help but wonder if we are truly the more evolved species.Millions of babies are killed each year in America through abortion when the mother of a baby monkey is known to fall down dead in her tracks after losing her baby. Growing numbers of Americans suffer from depression and anxiety due to the lack of nurturing from their own families while monkeys spend their lives in close supportive proximity to one another, keeping each other safe and attending to each others needs. When monkeys get old, they become patriarchs in their clan while human siblings plot ways to take over their parents fortune and disgard them like dirty rags even before they are dead.Marina has experienced what every human would like to experience; perfect freedom and unbridaled love and acceptance; a vibrant testimony of what is wrong with human culture. We can all learn from her story...I have no reason to believe it isn't true.

Couldn’t put it down. Well written, interesting story. My only complaint is that I don’t seem to see a second book!

We saw Marina Chapman’s daughter Vanessa on TV with Ben Fogle and were intrigued by her mum’s story of being kidnapped and left in the Colombian jungle to survive alone at the age of not quite five years of age. It took years for Vanessa to get the information out of her unusual tree-climbing mum and then write a story trail through it all, with the essential help of a ghost writer. I read an Amazon review that said this is not great literature. My goodness! This story is amazing and gripping and a great testimony to Marina’s strength of character. The kindness of monkeys in comparison to the cruelty of human beings is shockingly jolting. Marina, we love you and we love your story. Your parents, whom you can’t even remember, must have brought you up so incredibly well for those first five years of your life, for you to have survived such privations, cruelties and difficulties. Bless you.I understand the original publisher no longer exists and the book is currently undergoing a reprint…

This book moved me in a way I cannot describe. For some reason, though I am happy that she has a good home and a family, I miss the monkeys she grew up with. It's as if... The monkeys miss her too and have no idea where she is. They deserve to know.Also I am curious to know how she met her husband and how her life was after she was adopted. Do write a sequel

What an incredible childhood, such a strong person to overcome so much. This book is beautifully written, an amazing narrative, an insight into so many worlds. A must read.

O papel das folhas internas possui qualidade inferior e isto não ficou informado de forma clara.Logo, sinto-me prejudicado com a compra.