Monsieur Eek

by David Ives

Ok, another positive review. Ready? This book was hilarious. It’s set in the town of MacOongafoonsden (population 21) in the 17th century. When a shipwreck washes up on the beach with a chimpanzee on board, the townspeople follow logic that goes something like this: the chimp (who they think is just a funny-looking person) is obviously a foreigner; France is a foreign country, so the chimp is French. Also, things have been going missing in MacOongafoonsden, and since the French are obviously untrustworthy (they’re different from us), “Monsieur Eek” must be the thief. And a spy. So they lock him up.

If I ever teach a class, especially one about sociology but I’ll make it work for any subject, Monsieur Eek is going to be required reading.