Silent Thunder: In the Presence of Elephants by Payne Katy (1999-09-01) Paperback

by Katy Payne

Naturalist and bioacoustics researcher Katy Payne stood near an elephant cage at a zoo and felt a strange "throb and flutter" in the air. When she later realized that the feeling was very like that caused by the lowest notes of a pipe organ, she embarked on a journey of scientific and personal discovery that took her to Africa to study how the huge mammals communicate. For years, she lived close to the elephants she loved, getting to know individuals and describing their long-distance infrasound "conversations." After her fifth such expedition, one third of the elephant population she was studying was killed in a planned cull by the Zimbabwean government. Whether or not you accept Payne's hypothesis that elephants are extraordinarily intelligent and capable of communicating with each other and with other species (including humans), you will find her descriptions of the animals compelling and compassionate. Her grief at the loss of her elephant friends is palpable, and she uses it to utmost effect in decrying not only the ivory trade, but the way in which humans have decided to live on the planet. --Therese Littleton

Genres: Nonfiction, Africa, Animals, Science, Nature, Biography, Natural History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I waffled between two and three stars for this book-- I did like it (mostly) but there were definitely parts of it I could have done without, and, to be honest, I was skimming more than reading toward the end. So it got three stars for being about elephants, though it probably only deserved two.

I was hoping to read about Katy Payne's discovery (along with others) of how elephants use infrasonic sounds to communicate over long distances. I did learn about that, a little. But there were a few too many humans in the book and a few too few elephants. The science took a back seat to the story of how Payne discovered the science, which is the opposite of what I was hoping for. I heard too much about Katy's dreams (as in literal dreams-while-sleeping), relationships, and correspondence and not enough about the elephants. The science that was there was fascinating--there just wasn't enough of it.

I've always respected Katy Payne, and I still do. However,there was too much navel-gazing in this book, and too much assuming she was the only one who felt close to the elephants and the Africans. I'm sure she does have a special relationship with each, but I do not believe she is the only one who is emotionally connected, at a very deep and fundamental level, to this subject.

I'm glad I read the book, if only so I could know what's in it. I was disappointed that I didn't learn more about the science.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this lovely book in partnership with listening (or re- listening ) to Katy Payne's interview on Krista Tippet's On Being show. She's a delightful person to listen to and her stories about the elephants are amazing -- heartbreaking in some areas, delightful in others. I then read her book and devoured it. The chapter about the cull was very hard to read but rather than lashing out in anger, Ms. Payne takes great effort to explain the difficulty of poor nations trying to combat poaching and also about balancing the rights and needs of human and elephant populations. I appreciated her sensitivity in presenting the difficult problem without hiding her own opinion and heartbreak. I appreciate her hard work in the areas of whales and elephants and I have a better understanding of the difficulty of the work they do but I most appreciated the humility Ms. Payne has in describing what she learned and experienced when working with local people. I thank her for introducing me to an amazing species and I pray that we as a people can find a way to protect these magnificent creatures while assisting local populations to live fruitful lives.

[Dnicebear · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have had a lifelong love affair with a fairy tale called "The White Snake," in which the king eats a piece of the snake and can understand what the animals are saying. So, I love this book by a Quaker acoustic biologist who listens to animals over a long period of time, in person and then through 'data,' especially elephants and whales and then interacts with the data as well as dreams involving the animals. The message of cultivating our more subtle listening senses comes through clearly, beginning with the first chapter called "A Throbbing in the Air," when some people hear the elephant's throbbing and others don't until the 'throbbing' was played back on infrasound. This book inspires me to listen even more carefully to the starlings and hummingbirds around me.

[Eileen Iaconangelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katy Payne recorded the callings of whales during the 70s and now writes about her research with elephants; both animals use infrasonic vocalizations to communicate over vast distances. This is low frequency callings that we feel rather than hear. The science I learned in this book is fascinating. The story is the elephants' and stays focused on their unique qualities and perilous future. Great book but heavy on science and research methodology in sections.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was not like I expected at all, but at the same time, I had listened to her speak in a podcast so I was also aware of how she thought. If you love animals and also the philosophy behind conservation, then I would suggest reading this book. However, the philosophical aspect is a HUGE component of her narration. It reads more like her reflections on her research and is not her research in itself. I mean, this should make sense because if you want to read about her research, then you should read her published scientific papers. With that said, the book is a surprisingly quick read because of the lack of scientific jargon.

One of the things that I loved the most about this book is that she is not afraid to publish every opinion she holds about her research, and especially about current wildlife management practices. It is a very transparent book that contains some fantastic imagery and stories from her life. Honestly, as a budding zoologist myself, I am extremely jealous of the amazing encounters she has had with the natural world.

All in all, this woman is an admirable scientist and person and her book is just as worthy of admiration despite its flaws and my personal disagreements.

Oh, also, I must warn you that she has some very unique (some may say odd) beliefs which are carried over into her book, so I would keep an open mind and be prepared to find yourself in a very pensive frame of mind after reading :)

[Jennifer W · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, but I couldn't figure out what it was trying to be. It felt like the author expected the reader to know some of her story already. She bounced around from her life in Ithaca to Africa to previous research on whales... I never felt like I knew what motivated her, why she studied the things she studied. Her writing got a little clearer towards the end when she became heavily invested in prohibiting the culling of elephants, but that wasn't supposed to be the point of the book. Or at least I didn't think it was. I would have preferred to watch the documentary version of this book, seeing the elephants interact, chase each other, make noises, and dig wells.

[CathyMW · Rating 2 out of 5]

For all of her talk about her research, I never really got a grasp of what her results were or what the implications were. Her writing was very disjointed and not that interesting - - I ended up speed reading / skimming the last half of the book.

In a nutshell: more elephants, less of the author and her emotional drama and dreams.

[Michale · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this book took me a very long time to read - so much intensity was crammed into each page that I had to put it down and recover before moving on. In contrast, I read the second half very quickly.

Katy Payne’s humanity and sensitivity is evident throughout: in her descriptions of her parents; the natural beauty of her childhood home and vistas in Africa; the scouts with whom she developed friendships based on mutual respect; the scientists with whom she agreed and disagreed; the horror of the culling...the list just goes on and on. I was astounded by her humility and ability to see others’ perspectives with grace.

“Though American and with the privilege of education, my parents were aware of survival. Neither was sure of the benevolence of the universe. What they had was each other and us, our farm and our books.”

“What is this distance, this vow of objectivity, that science permits in or exacts of the scientist? I should not be in science, I told myself as I struggled into sleep. ... in the middle of the night, I awoke. The moon had risen full and was flooding the meadow, leaving dark shadows under the palm trees on its border. A wave of sound was passing through those trees, a soft low purring. Slowly it became two waves moving down the trees on either side of the clearing, waxing and waning. Close to my tent, a third wave was beginning. Elephants were all around me, calling and answering.”

[Devon-Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me weep...but it is a very poignant story of one womans journey with a species not her own and what she learned from them.

[Mariah Landry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering this was a book I found on a free shelf at the Midlothian library - I really enjoyed this book! It is one of my favorite woman written science and nature books… I thought that she was reflective of her experience and the positive and negative impacts of her presence where she was doing her research in various African countries. The storyline in terms of conveying her research was a little bit unkempt. The book started describing her discoveries in the zoo but didn’t really wrap up that original discovery with the overall storyline. She did not well describe the outcome of her publications and final products of her research. Instead, the book meandered through various experiences (mainly emotional) she had in wildlife research and Africa which was still very enjoyable and enlightening. I appreciated her telling of the experience of the culling of the population she did research on in Zimbabwe. The roller coaster of grief she experienced was intense! Sometimes I did feel like as I was reading her story that her research group could have been more helpful and considerate to her indigenous colleagues in so far as improving their lived experience. It was sad to read about how the western researchers at Sengwa in Zimbabwe lived such more comfortable lifestyles then the native scouts. Fascinating information about elephants and how they communicate with the low frequency sound waves and the intricacy of their social structures and families. Also learning about the practice of digging wells by elephants was also very interesting. The book ended with a tragedy in the story of her colleagues crashing in a plane while working. It seemed unnecessary that they were making observations from planes, so I thought that was really sad. I would say I enjoyed this book more than Jane Goodall’s book and Dian Fossey’s book because I think Katy Payne was more respectful about the reality of being an outsider in Africa and the irony/injustice in Westerners directing wildlife research and conservation there . Also the story of her childhood in the US was interesting and enchanting and very different.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A natural history rich in observation of the animal world and how humans participate in it, Silent Thunder is also a passionate story of scientist Katy Payne's spiritual quest as she turns a keen eye on her role in this world. Starting with the story of her revolutionary discovery that elephants use infrasonic sounds--sounds below the range of human hearing--to communicate, Payne shares what she learned from her fascinating field research in Africa, research that reveals new insights into elephants' social lives. When five of the elephant families she studies are the victims of culling, Payne's approach to her research changes, as she fights valiantly to protect the elephants. The result of her research, and the touching insights gained from Africans she worked with and the elephants she studied, give a vivid impression of Payne's view from the front lines of the natural preservation effort. Like Peter Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard and the writings of Jane Goodall, Silent Thunder demonstrates how a commitment to all life can bring one's own into a new focus.

[John Ulferts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exceptional book that will stick with me for a long time. I adore elephants. I've been blessed to be in their presence many times in Africa. Each time I leave a better person as a result. I refuse to live in a world without them. I was attracted to this book because of Payne's groundbreaking research in elephant infrasound. I expected to learn a lot about elephant communication which I did. But what I wasn't expecting was Payne's eloquent prose - her use of inspiring poems and her retelling of otherworldly African stories. Through it all, Payne's incredible compassion and wisdom trumpet through. The book is heartbreaking as Payne describes the cull which resulted in the murders of every single elephant she studied. How Payne survived that I do not know. Then, several of her researcher friends were killed in a plane crash. Payne's book is a gigantic trip to all of them, but most of all, to the amazingly intelligent, playful, protective, loving, courageous species she studied. Elephants!!!! Please, do all you can, to save them.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This recounts the research studies she conducted on the elephant populations of Amboseli Park in Kenya, Etosha and Damaraland in Namibia and Sengwa Wildlife Reserve Area in Zimbabwe.
I enjoyed this. It is interesting to think about how elephants communicate and their ability to find buried water. As with several other books, this has a section on the poaching and culling and the responses to this. Several of the elephants she studied were among the culled so there is a section on her memories of those families.

[Merz · Rating 5 out of 5]

My curiosity about elephants ,brought me to this book in 2012. Considered sacred in the Eastern Mythology , Elephants hold a very special place in my heart. I wanted to know more about their human like qualities specially emotions. They are vegetarian as well .This book certainly shed a lot of light.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is very interesting to think how far science has come in understanding elephants (and, really, all nature) from 1970's to today. It's also interesting to think how far we have to go. I enjoyed the stories of the research camps. It was one of my dreams to do that or a dig somewhere. The stories of the culling were very sad.

[Terry Earley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as enjoyable as "Elephant Company" or "The Elephant Whisperer". It got a little bogged down in detail, and jumped from story to story, I still enjoyed it and learned some important things about elephants from a true pioneer in elephant science.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love her writing style - vivid and passionate and energetic and raw. I’m thrilled to find a scientist who can write informatively as well as eloquently for a lay reader. And I was delighted and devastated to learn more about elephants.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book engrossed me at the beginning, but it took me a while to get through the end. 4 stars because Katy Payne does a nice job of describing interesting research she has conducted on elephants and weaves in nice narratives about researches she worked with and elephants as individuals.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much about elephants in this book. Although some of it is very sad, I believe this is an important read for anyone who cares about protecting elephants.

[Arjanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

See Brittany's review, exactly how I feel about the book.

[Kathy England · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read. It was as much about Katy Payne as it was about elephants. Still interesting.

[Diana Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this first hand account of a Scientist studying elephants. The author grew up and worked so close to where I take nature walks too.

[Malcolm · Rating 3 out of 5]

has some interesting observations but ultimately this book is too focused on the author's research. I lost the motivation to keep reading about halfway through.

[Mrs Reddy Mallender-Katzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Near the beginning of this book i gained some interesting facts but then it fell into personal details of someone's parents dying and some story about baboons and incest BORING irrelivant details i couldnt get on with the rest of the book once id gotten half way i was bored to tears and annoyed, maybe id have learnt something if id finished it but it seemed to be going nowhere so i gave up ... i believe the Elephant Whisperer is a far superior book and the best book in the world as far as im concerned that tells you about Elephants is An African Love Story i would reccommend those books over this one anytime

[Meli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book twice and would easily read it again. The authors connection with elephants is just beautiful, hard not to connect with them when they are such intelligent animals. How humans think they have the right to cull or play god just floors me. This book will make you weep but gives an extraordinary insight into these intelligent and social animals as well as the lives of the locals, their customs and knowledge of their surrounds.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I debated back and forth throughout this book. Portions of it were so fascinating I was counting the minutes until I could share the information with friends, and other parts of it dragged on so long I, I'll admit, skipped a few pages here and there... Wish there had been more about the animals and less about her personal life. It was well-written, but not my cup of tea.

[Debbie Ethell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought Katy Payne's work with whales was mesmerizing but compared to her work studying elephant communication - this blew me out of the water. I was sucked into the author's personal story almost immediately but combined with the science she literally discovers - I find few books can compare. This is a great read!

[Trice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was privileged to see the author speak when she did a talk at my college/uni a bunch of years ago (how time flies) and picked up a copy of the book to delve a bit deeper into her work - fascinating, and startlingly emotional.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The descriptions of elephant behavior was excellent, but the author rambled about other facets of her life. When an author goes on and on about other facets of her/his life (not relevant to the subject) I become too bored to read. I did not finish this book

[Saz Gee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this when I was in Namibia, studying elephants. Yeah just thought I'd throw that out there. I love the way that Katy Payne eloquently balances her musical expertise with her scientific abilities - somehow that mix is the perfect language for speaking about elephants.