Good-Bye, Obruni!: In Pursuit of Army Ants: An Entomologist’s Memoir of Life and Death in Africa

In this candid memoir, Gotwald shares the human side of his four field research visits to Ghana. His original quest: army ants! While he does, indeed, educate the reader of these denizens of the New- and Old-World tropics, subject in the common media to exaggeration and myth, he also introduces the reader to Ghanaian habitats and culture as he experienced them on his trips. His affection for the country and the people of Ghana shines through his writing. He allows the reader to accompany him through forests and savannahs, villages and cities. From Accra to the Akosombo Dam, readers will also enjoy the eclectic personalities of those who accompany him as he searches for the tiniest soldiers. Dr. Gotwald’s academic research career is centered on the behavior of army ants of the Old World tropics. These ants are infamous for their foraging prowess. His field research took him to the forests of several African countries, Malaysia, Borneo, and Australia. His work was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and resulted in over seventy publications, mostly research papers in scientific journals, magazine articles for the general reader, and three books and monographs.