Lucy

I took a chance on this one. My first thought upon finding this was "A half human, half ape girl? I don't know about this.." But my curiosity was picqued enough that when I found it at my local library, I decided... "What the heck.. it's here already and doesn't require an ILL request.."

It was surprisingly good and had me on the edge of my seat. (Obviously! I devoured it a day!) Lucy is the result of a scientist that has lived 25 years in the Congo jungle studying bonobos. The scientist artificially inseminated a female bonobo with faint human genes (also of his creation) with his own seed and raised Lucy as both human and bonobos for 14 years. Lucy and her father's peaceful if strange jungle existence comes to an abrupt halt when show more civil war breaks out tho. Her entire family is dead and a fellow scientist, Jenny rescues her with no knowledge of Lucy's unique DNA.

Jenny takes Lucy to home with her to Chicago but the secret eventually comes out. When Jenny discovers she is adopting an ape girl, she vows to protect Lucy at all costs. Don't make promises you cannot keep!! Due to medical issues, Lucy's secret is discovered.

Soon everyone wants Lucy. The religious fanatics want her. The US government wants her. Scientists want her. The Nazis even want her. And most of them want her dead. With her posting her entire life on Youtube and showing up on Oprah and Good Morning America, it's only a matter of time before Lucy is captured by one of those groups. Will she get away? There's bound to bloodshed, but whose? And when it comes down to it, is Lucy more human or more ape?

I laughed when Lucy tosses a boy across the wrestling mat and chuckled when she watches YouTube and thinks of how drunk girls act like bonobos. I found the book rather insightful as well. It's an interesting look at human behavior from a non human POV. Makes you think.

Four stars because I thought Lucy's friend, Amanda needed to get her own life. I found her constant involvement in everything weird. show less

This is not your typical novel about a teenage girl who is an outsider. True, Lucy grew up in another culture and has trouble fitting into the modern American high school. She struggles to make friends, embarrasses herself in front of the popular crowd, doesn’t understand the latest slang, and is behind on technology. But there is also something uniquely foreign about Lucy. She is part ape.

Dr. Jenny Lowe is a scientist who has spent many years in Africa studying primates in an increasingly dangerous region; when the violence finally reaches her camp, she flees to the camp of a rival scientist, only to find that the terrorists have already destroyed it and killed everyone there — except for a young teenage girl who Jenny believes is show more the daughter of the lead scientist. Jenny and the girl, who is named Lucy, find their way to safety, and with the help of the American embassy and some diplomats, arrive in Chicago not long after. There Lucy must learn to live in a culture and society completely foreign to her. Jenny stands in as her adoptive mother, and although together they have decided that Lucy’s parentage must be kept secret, it is not long before the truth begins to reveal itself.

With the current rate of advance in genetics and technology, it makes you wonder how long until aspects of this particular novel become truth. Although it seems far-fetched now, the struggle that Lucy has between her humanity and her ape self brings light to the question, what is it to be human? How much should we meddle with the DNA of our own selves? The actions and reactions of the characters in this book have a reality about them — from the careless comments of the teenagers to the mob mentality of the American society. Although this is usually shelved in adult fiction, it would have appeal to teen fans of sci-fi and futuristic fiction. show less

Fascinating story of the first bonobo/human offspring is at once warm and heartbreaking. Lucy is a character that you won't forget. Her determination to fit into life as a "normal" teenager living in Chicago is filled with joy and frustration. And when her secret comes out she becomes the target and the hunted. This would make a wonderful film in the right hands. Although it's not being marketed as a teen book, it shouldn't be overlooked by that group.

Deep in the Congo, a renegade scientist alters the genetic makeup of a bonobo ape, with whom he then (artifically, I hope) inseminated with his own reproductive cells, to create Lucy. Jenny, who is also a scientist that studies bonobo, finds Lucy alone in the jungle; her mother and father have been shot by guerrilla warriors. Lucy looks human. She has faculty of her thumbs, language, and morality. But she also has strong nature intuitions and is physically super-strong; she later becomes a regional high-school wrestling champ. At first Jenny and Lucy try to keep Lucy's heritage a secret. But then of course they fail. People hate, fear, and chase Lucy.

Both Lucy and Jenny are written as extremely soulful and likeable characters. Even show more their respective best friends are cut of the same kindred cloth. So really, it's a book about how the rest of the world is all fucked up.

I recently learned of Nancy Pearl's four "Doors". There are four: Story, Character, Setting, and Language. This one is definitely a wide Story door. show less

Lucy is the story of a girl raised in the jungles of the Congo, who turns out to be far more complex than we -- or the public in the novel -- can imagine. Lucy is a wonderful, rich character, and the novel sheds light on many of our most troubling social and environmental issues -- both ones that exist, and ones on the horizon. For me, though, the level of the writing failed to live up to that complexity of the main character and the struggles of the issues, marring what could have been a phenomenal book with pedestrian dialogue and undergraduate writing workshop prose.

Lucy is a hybrid human - part human and part ape (bonobo). The story is an excellent one with a lot of believable happenings. It is at times heartwarming, and sometimes a little funny and sometimes quite scary. I found most of the characters to be richly developed and I came to care about them a lot during the reading of the story, none moreso than Lucy herself. Although the storytelling is mostly excellent, the writing itself is rather bland at times. I state this as an observation, not a criticism. The story is well told. I'd say the author does have a problem with teen dialogue, creating an odd mix of a 70's-80's-90's lingo. Tell me when was the last time you heard a teenager quote a line from a mid 70's Steve Martin skit for show more example. But still, the teen friendship central to part of the story felt honest and real. Other than Lucy's father, characters in the story are painted in black and white rather than shades of grey. That may bother some people. And if you are a fan of the Patriotic Act, you might want to avoid this one.

I'm glad I gave this book a chance and consider it an above average read. I think it might appeal mostly to late teens, but it covers issues of ethics and humanity that are relevant to readers of any age. show less

When I read the description on this book I wasn't at all sure that I would be able to enjoy it. A man genetically engineers an ape so that she can give birth to a half human child? How good can that be? Actually it was very well done.

Naturally there are a lot of questions raised by the story, mainly what is “human” and what is “animal.” It wasn't thrust on the reader in an unnatural way either. Sure there are some logistical parts where I thought it was obviously just easier to throw something down to hurry up the story than to work around the problem of a half-chimp not having a passport and other issues of the sort, but on the whole, it went very well story-wise. I enjoyed the flow and the look into society. I actually show more recommend this one. Don't be fooled by the sound of the summary, it's quite good. show less