Monkeys Are Made of Mangos: Captivating, Colorful Costa Rica

by Jack Ewing

Following the popularity of his first book, Monkeys Are Made of Chocolate, Jack Ewing shares 40 new essays of his insights and observations into the interconnectedness of life in Costa Rica, a place of constant change. For over 50 years, author Jack Ewing has immersed himself in the ecology and restoration of this tropical environment. Read about the mango-throwing monkeys in the forest, a little screech owl found in his office, the battle with Africanized bees, challenges of snake bites, the ocelot ‘factory’ on Hacienda Baru, the King of the Jungle - a vulture, and strange, creeper cats found on their doorstep. Along the way, meet a few fascinating individuals, including the Goldwalker, Patrick O’Connell, and the first gringo in Dominical, Thomas J. Brower. In the final essay Jack shares a bit of wisdom he received back in the 1970s from an old-timer: wherever you go, take a flashlight and a roll of toilet paper and you’ll survive.

REVIEWS

"For many years now I have made his first book, Monkeys Are Made of Chocolate, required reading for my tropical ecology students. Once they start reading, they can’t put it down and it quickly becomes their favorite text. Jack’s new book, Monkeys Are Made of Mangos, picks up where his previous book left off, with more delightful short stories that highlight the beauty and intricacy of the natural world as well as the twists and turns of his own fascinating life in Costa Rica.”
-- Mike Mooring, Professor of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University

"Jack Ewing’s delightful new book, Monkeys Are Made of Mangos, is written in the tradition of his first book, Monkeys Are Made of Chocolate. Once more we are invited by Jack to share his magical world as we follow him through the Costa Rican rainforest. Who knows what we may discover in the next clearing.”
-- Pamela Herring, University of Texas at Brownsville

AT-A-GLANCE

A Collection of 40 Stories

1. Monkeys Are Made of Mangos

2. A Ball of Fluff Called Equinox

3. Unlikely Partners

4. Battling Africanized Bees

5. Cool Cats

6. The Goldwalker

7. Quest for the Silky Anteater

8. What On Earth Is a Chiropterologist?

9. Bird Watching Fever: Ecotourism at Its Best

10. The Spider Monkey and the Garlic Tree

11. If You’re Unfortunate Enough to Get a Snake Bite

12. Ocelots, Tayras and More Agoutis

13. The Bush Dog

14. King of the Jungle

15. A Passel of Jacks, Jills and Joeys

16. Chocolate Addiction: Not Just for Humans

17. Strange, Creeper Cats

18. Bugs, Bugs, Bugs

19. More About Snake Bite

20. We Certainly Didn’t Kill Any Orangutans

21. Locally Extinct Little Red Deer

22. Flittermouse?

23. The Mixed Feeding Flock

24. Killer Monkeys

25. Life Before and After Janet

26. Smarter Than We Think

27. Strange Behavior

28. Torture in the Rainforest

29. Big, Beautiful, Left-Handed Birds

30. Collared Peccary

31. The First Gringo in Dominical

32. Machetes

33. Bone Breakers

34. The Ocelot Factory

35. Feral Pigs

36. Hunting and Poaching

37. The Shell Game

38. You’ve Got To Be Tough To Be an Agouti

39. Going, Going…Gone

40. A Flashlight and a Roll of Toilet Paper

MEET THE AUTHOR

Jack Ewing’s love affair with the rainforest began in 1970 when, in search of new opportunities for plying his Bachelor of Science degree and his skills as a cattle rancher, he left his native Colorado and moved his wife, Diane, and their young family to the jungles of Costa Rica. His ever-growing fascination with the rainforest, however, soon prompted his transformation into environmentalist and naturalist.

A natural-born storyteller, Jack’s articles about life in the rainforest appear regularly in Costa Rican publications, and he often speaks to environmental, student and ecological traveler groups. He is currently president of the local environmental organization ASANA. His expertise on biological corridor projects is much sought after.

Other books by Jack Ewing:

Monkeys Are Made of Chocolate: Exotic and Unseen Costa Rica
Where Tapirs and Jaguars Once Roamed: Ever-Evolving Costa Rica

BOOK SPECS

ISBN 9781936555673

202 pages • 6 x 9 paperback

2024