THE LEAKEYS:  A Biography

Prometheus Books

ISBN: 978-1-59102-761-4

Ages 10 and up 

Does digging up the bones of prehistoric humans sound like fun? And suppose you find a skull! WOW! Wouldn’t that be simply amazing?

Three generations of the Leakey family have spent their lives scratching for bones in the desolate, baked soil of East Africa. Louis and Mary Leakey gained attention in 1948 when they found a skull about 18 million years old. In 1959, discovery of a skull Louis dubbed Zinj, which lived about 1.75 million years ago, brought them greater acclaim.  His own fossil finds made son Richard a celebrity. He then entered politics and lost both legs when his plane crashed—perhaps not an accident—but he saved the others on board. Richard has long fought for wildlife conservation, still his passion. Today, his wife Meave and daughter Louise carry on the family search to fill gaps in human history.

What have their lives been like, as members of the Leakey family have fought with other scientists and with each other while seeking to unearth fossil evidence of early humans? Read The Leakeys to find out.

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