Books
Update: This bittersweet and tragic tale has now reached a final and more heartbreaking conclusion. The Little Lemur Who Spoke will never be published. I regret to say that the world has changed too much in the years following Obi's death.
Extreme ideologies caged Obi and me. They destroyed my career and isolated the two of us from each other. Although I had hoped to delicately explore all of this, these insidious views have risen to a fanatical crescendo. They now flood social media and are baked into our news and entertainment.
Where once there were awakening minds, yearning for new ways of thinking, now only a quagmire of politics and civilized tribalism remains. People everywhere are blind to the propaganda that they've unwittingly embraced. Be it religious purity or social justice, the call to arms from both camps has undermined free speech and cast the specter of authoritarianism over every sphere of society.
People need to realize that civilization has been destroying humanity and the world for millennia. No gender, ethnicity, or religion deserves the blame. Civilization has always been fundamentally flawed. Our ideologies are the problem, not the solution. But if there was ever a chance to escape civilization's suicidal grip on our fate, I fear that window has closed.
In order to tell a story, a writer must be able to find common ground with readers and build from there. I can no longer do that. I see no hope in finding an audience that will listen and fairly consider my message. All I can do is leave the residue of this dead dream online as a reminder of what was lost in the insanity of our age.
If another author wishes to try their hand at this story, they may reach out to me. I have roughly 400 pages of text, down from the original 550 pages of the first draft. It won't be an easy task. Much still needs to be said and adapted as the world changes around us.
Originally, a single volume was planned. Due to its size, I considered breaking it into the two books listed below. I had always planned to make the books available for free.
I'm sorry, but I failed.
The Man Who Spoke Lemur
The first volume follows Alex’s years as a student trainer and his adventures with the zoo’s ring-tailed lemurs, Obi and Janga. Readers will discover the simplicity and relative serenity of lemur life, contrasted with our human world’s frustrating complexity. When Obi proves far more intelligent than science would predict, Alex learns to communicate with him. Inspired by their interactions, his independent research may reveal the origins of human tool use and possibly the nature of consciousness itself. Follow along as Alex pursues his dreams by learning about the lemurs he loves, all while struggling socially for reasons he has yet to understand.
Anticipated publication: cancelled
The Little Lemur Who Spoke
The second volume begins with Alex’s return to the zoo. Challenging times lie ahead for the lemur troop. Once again, both man and lemur must navigate the turbulent realm at the boundary between their two worlds. The story illustrates the unbreakable bonds of love while also shedding light on the destructive reality people have woven for themselves and inflict upon the biosphere. It offers hope to a world filled with strife and division by providing an alternative vision of humanity and its future.
Anticipated publication: cancelled
