For nineteen months, starting when she was twenty-five, Keriann McGoogan lived and worked in the wilds of Madagascar. She spent twelve-hour days following groups of lemurs through the northwestern dry forests. Previously, she had spent six months in Belize studying black howler monkeys. All this was in aid of  earning a PhD in biological anthropology and a master’s degree in primatology.
Keriann’s field research evolved into what her publisher describes as “an exotic adventure story, a surprise journey of self-discovery, and a deeply personal appreciation of a place that’s unlike any other.” Yes, the most anticipated book of the spring season is almost upon us — a 256-page memoir called Chasing Lemurs: My Journey into the Heart of Madagascar.
Despite careful planning, we read on the dustjacket, Keriann’s research trip into the remote northwest “spiraled out of control. Food poisoning, harrowing back-country roads, grueling hikes, challenging local politics, malaria, and an emergency evacuation would turn a simple reconnaissance into an epic adventure.”
While investigating the island-country’s extraordinary biodiversity, Keriann soon found herself “the lone woman amid a small band of local male assistants, diligently conducting research on the lemur population around the camp.” Then her right-hand man — the only Malagasy who spoke English or French — contracted a life-threatening strain of malaria and became delirious. Oh, hers is quite the story.
Last August, I revealed how I learned about the existence of this book.  Now I can tell you that Chasing Lemurs, published by Prometheus Books of New York, will hit bookstores on April 14. That is also the date when Keriann will surface in the Different Drummer Book and Author Series at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington. Meanwhile, it IS possible to pre-order the book at Amazon or Chapters-Indigo. Did I mention that Chasing Lemurs is The Book of the season?