Another Dutch non-fiction I'm reviewing, let's have a look.
Dutch veterinarian Martine van Zijll Langhout talks about her many years of working in Africa with various wild animals. She tells us about the various projects she partook in and the years she worked as a veterinarian in South Africa.
Overall a pretty engaging read. I'm no longer as interested in veterinarian stories as I used to be (I followed a college course for being a paraveterinary worker for a few years, but that passion has since died down and I never ended up finishing it), but that said I did enjoy reading this book. I like reading about wildlife and helping wildlife, so that definitely made it seem more engaging to me than if this were to just be a book about a vet helping pets and livestock animals.
Van Zijll Langhout's writing style is very accessible and I liked reading her many stories and seeing her help so many animals. She also describes the struggles of her job, as it's not always easy and can be quite dangerous due to various factors. It's also a pretty informative books sometimes, which is always a nice bonus!
I was also glad to see that she really did manage to follow her dream. From a younger age she already wanted to help animals in Africa, and through some roundabout ways she did end up working there for various projects that help wildlife, so it was great that we got to see her dream come true. In the end, she does return to the Netherlands to continue her work as a vet for wild and zoo animals there, but I like that she really did get to live the dream and also knew when to draw a line for herself and to quit.
Not the most engaging non-fiction I've ever read, but I did enjoy seeing the author's journey a whole lot. The writing voice was fine and I learned several things about the wildlife of Africa and how they're being helped by people like Van Zijll Langhout.
Rating: 3.5/5
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