And then there's the fact that the narrative itself is very choppy. Here's the near-death frayed rope experience as an example:

Here's an excerpt from one: "the show can't decide whether to treat Mayor as an expert, or as the title and location hint, a bit of a sex symbol." He then added, "But throughout the show she wears a wool cap and drab clothes that just beg us to take her seriously." This was in contrast to the observation of another critic, who wrote, "Explorers require rugged gear, the sort Indiana Jones girds himself in. Then there's Mireya Mayor, a sexy blond explorer. She fills out a tank top nicely." I can't win. If I wear tank tops, I'm vying for attention. If I cover up, it's only because I want to be taken seriously. Regardless, the first critic lost all credibility when he called my clothes drab. They were both hip and designer.The writing style bothered me, though. It was too conversational for my taste, the narration was disjointed, and everything seemed too rushed. Not long after an animal was introduced, the narration was rushing on to the next animal or next adventure. I wanted more closures rather than just glances. And the constant reminder that she was a cheerleader got to be a bit annoying. Mireya Mayor is an astonishing, inspirational woman who has done some amazing things in her adventures around the globe. She's a Fulbright scholar, she's a National Science Foundation Fellow, she has a Ph.D. from Stony Brook, she discovered a new species of mouse lemur and she even worked with the government in Madagascar to create a National Park to protect the mouse lemur's habitat. Impressive.

Of course, books like Bonobo Handshake and Pink Boots and a Machete aren't really like The Jungle Book at all, and that's a good thing. Not only do they contain a strong narrative and interesting characters, but science is central in these books (sometimes, science is even a character itself, in some ways). I was thrilled to receive a signed copy of this memoir by the author. The following is my honest review after reading the book.

Get great features with your free account

Dr. Taylor then asked me about my "other" life as a cheerleader, which had obviously intrigued or puzzled her for some time. As it turned out, Doc, as she soon let me call her, was a huge Dolphins fan. Despite her stern exterior, we shared another couple of interests: shopping and shoes. Time for another cheerleading fact: While Princeton was the first university to enjoy cheers from the stands, the University of Minnesota gets the credit for having the very first cheerleader who directed the crowd. In 1923, the Uniiversity of Minnesota also became the first university to allow women to participate in the sports. The Guy with Too Much Spirit I was surprised to find that the book really isn't about her metaphorical 'journey' from cheerleader to National Geographic explorer. It's much more about her actual journeys into jungles and rain forests and deserts. It touches briefly on being a cheerleader and then applying to go on an expedition. That's about it for the metaphorical journey.