Book: in the media
Booklist - American Library Association
Booklist (09/15/2010): Communicative and wise apes have appeared in novels over the years but never as frequently or as urgently as now. Following Sara Gruen's Ape House (2010) and Laurence Gonzales' Lucy (2010), Laxer also addresses with fascination and concern the fact that our genetics are nearly identical to that of apes, and that our close primate relatives are on the brink of extinction. Like Gonzales, Laxer creates a half-human, half-ape protagonist, Emmanuel, a religious college freshman who is devastated when he discovers his engineered genetic makeup. Nothing in the Bible suggests that such a creature as he can be a Christian. Determined to help him escape his genetic and spiritual isolation, his bold girlfriend, Lucy, decides to write a scientifically correct Bible in which biology and spirituality intersect, while the two make their way from Seattle to Senegal to volunteer at a chimp sanctuary. Laxers modern allegory, while lacking literary finesse, is funny, entertaining, informative, and accessible, a clever teaching story that gently raises crucial questions about religion, science, and how we treat not only apes but all of creation. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)
PBS TV Interview by Paul Larson
Click to view (The Monkey Bible segment starts after 9 1/2 minutes)
The Prague Review, June 2014
After the Cult: Mark E. Laxer on Healing, Writing, and Life After Fred Lenz
Gazette article on Eric Maring and The Line
The Line is the companion musical to The Monkey Bible
LIONS AND MEN BOOK REVIEW
Interview with Sharman Yarnell, Showtime, CJAD
“I so enjoyed the book...Do you see the book becoming a movie, Mark? Because I see Peter Jackson here...” --Sharman Yarnell, Showtime, CJAD
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
'Monkey' Project seeks views on science and religion
One of five ads appearing in the Sunday New York Times
Multiple ads are also appearing in National Geographic, Discover, NPR, Sierra Club, Outside, Tricycle, Mother Jones, Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus Review, Washington City Paper, Shelf Awareness, Media Bistro, SIBA, and Author Buzz.
SEVEN DAYS: Vermont's Independent Voice
Commonheartnet blog
The Big Blend, The Nature Connection Radio, September 17, between 1-2pm
Review, University of Nebraska, Omaha
'The Line' bridges the gap between evolution and creationism
Five Star Review, The Book Review Blog
The Monkey Bible by Mark Laxer
Recreating Eden: novelist Mary Soderstrom's blog
Mark Laxer's The Monkey Bible: A Hybrid Book about a Hybrid That's Worth Reading
Dear Reader
The Monkey Bible by Mark Laxer