LizzieMaine
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"The Lady and the Panda," written in 1937 by Ruth Harkness. If you've never heard of Mrs. H, you should be ashamed of yourself -- she's a quintessential Golden Era figure, a real-life cross between Myrna Loy and Indiana Jones. A hard-drinking New York fashion designer, she became obsessed after the death of her explorer husband with becoming the first person to bring a live giant panda back to the West. And despite having no experience in the wilds -- she'd never even been to Brooklyn, let alone the wilds of Szechuan Province in China -- she proceeded to do exactly that, leading an expedition deep into a mountain forest, where she found a six-week old baby panda whose mother had been slain by hunters. Despite having no training with animals besides her cats, she successfully hand-raised the cub, brought it back to the US, and became the toast of the nation. This book is her first-hand account of an adventure that the most brilliant screenwriter couldn't make up.
(A few years ago, a biography of Harkness came out, also called "The Lady And The Panda", and if you can't her original book, it's the next best thing.)
(A few years ago, a biography of Harkness came out, also called "The Lady And The Panda", and if you can't her original book, it's the next best thing.)