2019 Book Review #17: UNSPOKEN

What if you could talk to...and with...the animals?

This book is considered "Christian fiction" and was actually quite believable and not as sappy as some of the books in this same genre.

STORY SUMMARY

Glee Granger is a single woman who is also a research scientist/anthropologist. She is working on her dissertation for her doctorate and for the last eight years, her work has centered around a young gorilla named Sema.  Sema lives with her, eats with her, sometimes sleeps with her.  They play together and talk together via American Sign Language with some adaptations.

Sema is like the daughter Glee hasn't had.  Sema is 8 years old and was rescued by Glee from Thousand Oaks Zoo in Florida after Sema's mother rejected her.  She's been under Glee's care ever since but she actually belongs to the zoo and now the current zoo director, Ken Matthews, wants her back. However, Matthews is more concerned about exploiting Sema and the other gorillas than he is about the actual care and communication of these mammals.

Glee re-joins the zoo staff where she works with Brad Fielding, her former supervisor and boyfriend.  An intern named Claire also works in the gorilla pavilion.

Glee and Sema quickly adapt to life at the zoo and then one day something happens which changes everything Glee thought she knew about science....and religion. Glee is at best an agnostic...she stopped really believing in God when her parents drowned in an ocean accident.  She and her brother Rob were then raised by their grandmother whom everyone calls Nana.  Nana is a Christian and is praying for Glee.  

Glee has taught Sema to communicate.....to talk  with signs and to recognize sight words.

But will Glee now learn to listen to Sema??  What will Sema teach Glee about the Creator?  And who is "Shiny Man?"

MY THOUGHTS

This book is based on research with gorillas, chimps and sign language.

Real-life scientists Dian Fossey and her work in Rwanda with the mountain gorillas which the movie "Gorillas in the Mist' was based on,  and Penny Patterson and her gorilla Koko, are mentioned often throughout the story and in the author's interview in the back of the book.

I was drawn to the book first by the cover art and secondly by the fact that gorillas and chimps can learn sign language.  (I use sign language all day long with the prek children who have special needs and in fact, used it when my own girls were babies and toddlers to facilitate their language skills).

The book is full of drama and lovable characters.  You will fall in love with Sema.

You will be amazed at how the author ties in God and science/creation.  I loved this aspect!

There are frustrating moments, happy moments, and very sad moments in this book.  There's a small bit of romance but it isn't too sappy.  The ending is somewhat predictable but is well done.

There are a couple of good quotes I liked in this book, the first appearing before Chapter 1 and taken from the book of Job in the Old Testament:

"Ask the animals and they will teach you.  Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.  Speak to the earth and it will instruct you.  Let the fish of the sea speak to you.  They all know that the Lord has done this.  For the life of every living thing is in His hand, and the breath of all humanity." ~Job 12:7-10~

"Evil is not a tangible creation....it is a consequence; it is the negation of good. Our Creator endowed us with a great gift---the freedom to obey God, who is goodness---or to reject God, which is sin."......"and sin results in evil."...."Yes.  Free will is a good thing, but it can result in bad decisions and dire consequences. For thousands of years men have paid dearly for their freedom of choice.  Because they are so closely linked to us, the animals have paid dearly as well." (pg.292 Unspoken by Angela Hunt, c.2005)

This book would appeal to any animal lover, teacher especially speech and language teachers, and people interested in God's design for animals and humans as well as Naturalists.

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older.

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest I rate this a 10.