"The Monkey Bible is one of the most innovative books I have read in a long time. The subject is fascinating; the writing is fresh and wonderful. This is the work of a very creative thinker and writer."
--Patsy Sims, Director, Goucher College's MFA in Creative Nonfiction Program and author of Can Somebody Shout Amen: Inside the Tents and Tabernacles of American Revivalists
"Mark Laxer has taken on the challenge of bridging the huge gulf between creationists and Darwinians by writing an engaging and highly original novel - complete with wonderful music - to help each point of view accommodate the other. The message is deeply respectful, and the hope is that whilst books by Dan Dennett and Richard Dawkins may be dismissed by creationists, Mark Laxer's novel and music will be enjoyed by those who value their religious beliefs yet are seeking to understand our biological origins."
--Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen, Cambridge University
"The Monkey Bible is a fast-paced adventure that explores the edgy frontiers between primatology and philosophy through the enquiring mind of an unlikely young hero. I was impressed with the quality of the science and the passion for conservation was clear and effectively done. Mark Laxer's satirical take on what it means to be 98.6% chimpanzee brings Aldous Huxley into the genetic age."
--Dr. Richard Wrangham, Harvard University
The book highlights the importance of story for understanding our place in the world and invites readers to think about their unique storyline in the grand narrative of creation. Laxer moves questions of human origins blessedly away from a calcified argument of evolution vs creation; he shows instead that God-fearing humans can embrace their relatedness to all species and find grace in doing so. The book raises these issues in a simplified style that will especially appeal to younger audiences (high school, early college) who have just begun to question the relationship between humans and other species and find stereotypical religious answers leave them wanting. The Monkey Bible challenges the generalization that all Christian people have the same position regarding connections with other species and shows that faithful Christian communities can to take creative action to preserve important habitats.
For me, the accompanying music, The Line, is the real gem in this project. Maring’s musical sweep takes you from meditative guitar music to the chaos of jungle sounds, making the characters and ideas in The Monkey Bible come alive. His imaginative, playful, soulful style works perfectly with this material. A few days after seeing it performed live, I keep finding myself singing 'Sad, Tired, Beautiful World.' Surely a testament to that song's sticking power. It's a great one."
--Pastor Sarah Scherschligt, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
--Dr. Peter Singer, Princeton University
"The Monkey Bible is a fascinating exploration of what it means to be human. Readers are taken on a global trek that delves into the connections between apes, humans, and all living things. Storytelling like this has always played a central role in humans' understanding of nature. The Monkey Bible is the universal story of searching for one's place in the world. It's a story for everyone, ape and human alike."
--Andrew K. Johnston, Smithsonian Institution
“Are apes like us? Are we like apes? Does the Pope believe in evolution? Should cell phone users keep their voices down? These and other important questions are tackled in Mark Laxer's The Monkey Bible after an unfortunate discovery leads the protagonist, Emmanuel, to question his place in nature. Many literary heroes have waded through identity crises; Emmanuel suffers a species crisis: am I 98.6% ape or 98.6% human? Which side of the line am I on? After a fast-paced adventure across four continents, discovering that “the line” between humans and nature is fuzzier than he thought, Emmanuel faces an even tougher reality: humankind’s destructive tendencies, and how to preserve the 99.999999999% of species that are not human. Mark Laxer brings Emmanuel’s plight to life masterfully in this story which weaves together evolution, religion, ethics and adventure and leaves us questioning who we really are.”
--Dr. Mitchell Irwin, Primatologist, co-founder of Sadabe
