This is an amazing book. It brings up a very excellent question that very well may need to be considered by real life judges in the not too distant future: Do chimps, who share 99.9% of our DNA and who have been taught language and shown to have intelligence, deserve legal rights? The book throws us headlong into a dramatic court case over this very question. The characters are compelling and the chimps are very likeable. Well worth a read as well as serious consideration of the controversial issue it presents. ( )

This is the first time I have tried one of Dennis Meredith's novels and I have to say he has a new fan. I was enthralled with this novel right from the beginning. The main premise of the novel is simple. Do chimpanzees have the same legal rights as humans do considering that 99.9% of human and chimpanzee DNA is the same?
Dennis Meredith explores this thought provoking question in the form of Solomon, a very bright chimpanzee who has learned from a very young age to communicate by the use of computer images that symbolize language. The question arises when Solomon's owner mistakenly allows him to be sold to a millionaire who wants to harvest Solomon's heart for his own use. What follows is a fast paced and well thought out story that examines the ethical issue of whether our closest living relative deserves the same respect and dignity that humans have.
I found the novel brought to life this very important issue and I became so involved in the story that I had tears in my eyes after staying up to read it to the finish. Highly recommended. I received this novel for free in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley. ( )

I loved Solomon since the first chapter. The careful description of the character and how much the humans around him evolve to understand and protect him was captivating. I am very drawn towards legal dramas and that is why I requested this book for review. The legal part wasn't the strongest point of this drama, so if you are looking for a Grisham's style, this might not be for you. But if you want a compelling fiction story that keeps the heart on animal care and respect, then buy this book and you will enjoy it.
Abigail's father started to teach language to Solomon and she continued the labor. Solomon's communication skills are beyond what you will expect and I actually was eager to learn more about the way chimpanzee's can learn to communicate.
The lawyer William “Bobby” Colter takes you into a love/hate the character situation. The style of ride that not even the last sentence of the book was able to stop.
The billionaire Walter Drake is a revolting character yet so desperate and sad that you can decide whether to disconnect him or to understand that transplants are not a luxe and to stick to the human side.
Enjoy the story! ( )

I received a signed ARC copy of Solomons Freedom from the by Dennis Meredith in exchange for an honest review of this book- this is my honest opinion of his book. This book is so compelling and written so amazingly. It is so close to my heart, It has you seeing Solomon actually doing the sign language, the lab where they do the experiments on him. The scenes are so well described. The scientific parts of this book is so well defined that it makes one wonder if it actually happens now.
This being said let me take you on a ride with my friend Solomon and his freedom ride. The story starts out at as a young lady by the of Abigial Philips rushes up to an flamboyant trail lawyer by the name of R William"Bobby" Colter trying to hire for Solomon. She explains that they are going to kill him just to take his heart and that not right as he has a sole. See Solomon can has feelings and understands what is going on - he can communicate (talk).
The man that was and need the heart of Solomon is ailing Billionaire Walter Drake. He plans on harvesting the heart of Solomon.
This story is very moving an inspiring. I have not told you the out come on purpose as I want you to read this story. The way that Dennis Meredith has written is extremely excellent and you can tell he has done a lot of research. This book is os my opinion is so heart warming , moving & compelling !! You can feel the pain that Solomon is going thru and actually see him , and the scenes. This story is so believable it is remarkable. Therefore I give this book a rating of 30 out of 5 stars and recommend to all.It is available on at Amazon. SO GO GET YOUR COPY NOW!!!
But before you do . I asked the author a few questions and here are his answers.

How did you come up with the story of Solomon??
I began exploring research on chimp intelligence and saw the huge gap between what scientists knew about how advanced they are and the complete lack of that recognition in their legal standing. So, I began to think of a story that would dramatize that chasm. And I knew that, although it would be quite legal to use a chimp heart for a transplant, it was deeply immoral. So, that was the origin of the story.

The characters for solomon do they take after any one??
The character of Abigail Philips is modeled on dedicated chimp researchers like Jane Goodall and others who have found that the subjects of their research are in such great danger of extinction. In creating Bobby Colter, I wanted a character who had no interest at all in chimp rights, but finds himself taking up the cause when he learns the facts and gets to know chimps.

I had a chimp name sammy and I see alot of him in your chimp so did you use any characteristics of another chimp for solomon?
I based Solomon on some of the chimps I met when I hung out (pun intended) with the chimps at the Ohio State Animal Laboratory, where another dedicated researcher, Sally Boysen, was exploring their intelligence. The lab in the book was modeled after hers.

I should also point out that almost all the human characters in the book are named after her chimps. It is a sad irony that the chimp Bobby died after the book was written, while being transferred to a retirement facility.

From your bio I see you used to be a professor - so when did you know that you wanted to write?
When I was in high school I entered writing competitions, and I starting writing in earnest when I got to graduate school. I've been writing about science for some four decades, and during that time I also began writing novels.

Is there anything that you would like to tell your readers about this book or upcoming books??
Well, as you know, my next book, The Cerulean's Secret [www.ceruleanssecret.com] is also about animals, specifically genetically engineered ones. I'm excited about that novel because, besides being a cool sci fi adventure, it explores what genetic engineering might lead to in the next decades, in terms of treatment of animals.

Is there anything you would like to tell us about yourself??
I am a total science geek who loves to tell stories that get people excited about real science! ( )