The Lady and the Panda: The True Adventures of the First American Explorer to Bring Back China's Most Exotic Animal

By Vicki Constantine Croke

Book Overview

Here is the astonishing true story of Ruth Harkness, the Manhattan bohemian socialite who, against all but impossible odds, trekked to Tibet in 1936 to capture the most mysterious animal of the day: a bear that had for countless centuries lived in secret in the labyrinth of lonely cold mountains. In The Lady and the Panda, Vicki Constantine Croke gives us the remarkable account of Ruth Harkness and her extraordinary journey, and restores Harkness to her rightful place along with Sacajawea, Nellie Bly, and Amelia Earhart as one of the great woman adventurers of all time.

Ruth was the toast of 1930s New York, a dress designer newly married to a wealthy adventurer, Bill Harkness. Just weeks after their wedding, however, Bill decamped for China in hopes of becoming the first Westerner to capture a giant panda-an expedition on which many had embarked and failed miserably. Bill was also to fail in his quest, dying horribly alone in China and leaving his widow heartbroken and adrift. And so Ruth made the fateful decision to adopt her husband's dream as her own and set off on the adventure of a lifetime.

It was not easy. Indeed, everything was against Ruth Harkness. In decadent Shanghai, the exclusive fraternity of white male explorers patronized her, scorned her, and joked about her softness, her lack of experience and money. But Ruth ignored them, organizing, outfitting, and leading a bare-bones campaign into the majestic but treacherous hinterlands where China borders Tibet. As her partner she chose Quentin Young, a twenty-two-year-old Chinese explorer as unconventional as she was, who would join her in a romance as torrid as it was taboo.

Traveling across some of the toughest terrain in the world-nearly impenetrable bamboo forests, slick and perilous mountain slopes, and boulder-strewn passages-the team raced against a traitorous rival, and was constantly threatened by hordes of bandits and hostile natives. The voyage took months to complete and cost Ruth everything she had. But when, almost miraculously, she returned from her journey with a baby panda named Su Lin in her arms, the story became an international sensation and made the front pages of newspapers around the world. No animal in history had gotten such attention. And Ruth Harkness became a hero.

Drawing extensively on American and Chinese sources, including diaries, scores of interviews, and previously unseen intimate letters from Ruth Harkness, Vicki Constantine Croke has fashioned a captivating and richly textured narrative about a woman ahead of her time. Part Myrna Loy, part Jane Goodall, by turns wisecracking and poetic, practical and spiritual, Ruth Harkness is a trailblazing figure. And her story makes for an unforgettable, deeply moving adventure.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375759700
• ISBN13: 9780375759703
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

A poor representation!

Could have been a great rehash of the REAL original The Lady and the Panda, but unfortunately just a ripoff. Being the grandniece of Ruth Harkness I can tell you there were glaring discrepancies in this book!!!! Instead of highlighting the independence and strength of this woman - the author made her out to be "the little woman".

A woman adventurer

In the course of researching the genre of women adventurers and people who have worked with bears I found this book. This is only the second account I have come across of a woman dealing with bears in the wild and was thrilled that Ruth Harkness' adventure has been brought to light again for us all to enjoy and appreciate. Vickie Constantine Croke proves her worthiness as an author with her eloquent writing and her extensive research of Harkness' life and the current events of China in the 1930's. I was absorbed in the story and after finishing the book went on to read the original account written by Harkness, as well as her children's book "A Giant Baby Panda". Now I am into her South American adventure, "Pangoan Diary". If you are as piqued by the mysterious lady who did what no one had done before and who found pleasure and beauty in the primitive conditions of the wilds of China, then interlibrary loan her books. You will have a better understanding of the woman and some incredible remote areas of the 1930's world.

Adventure with a conscience

God, what a book! I saved this great adventure for vacation and just couldn't put it down. Croke manages to incorporate what is clearly years of research into a breathtaking adventure. Shanghai, the wilds of China near the Tibetan border, the turmoil as war gathered over Asia... it's all there. She's got a compelling heroine in Harkness, a self-made woman who learned to put on a brave face and do what was necessary. And she manages to show Harkness's growth, as well, as she sees what her panda success is beginning to do to the species. Her response -- which I won't give away -- brought me to tears, and shows why Croke, a gifted writer and wildlife advocate, chose to tell her story. This is a thrilling book, with a flawed but admirable heroine. A wonderful adventure between the covers!!

Another Depression Era Success Story

In the 1930's America was much in need of heroes. The Great Depression had settled over the United States, and poor out-of-work people were everywhere. The election of President Franklin Roosevelt boosted the nation's collective morale, along with Seabiscuit, the champion racehorse, with his owner, trainer and jockey Red Pollard of course. Then came the now all-but-forgotten Ruth Hardness, who is 1936, accomplished the impossible by bringing back to the United States the first ever live panda from the dangerous territry where China borders Tibet. Vickie Constantine Croke in THE LADY AND THE PANDA recounts this wonderful saga of a determined New York socialite, who after the death of her young husband on a similar mission in China, takes up where he left off, invests her entire inheritance on her quest and surprises practically everyone when she brings back Su-Lin for all the world to see and adore. The panda takes up residence in Chicago's Brookfield Zoo where, the author says in her "Preface" that he drew "more than 53,000 visitors when first displayed at the Brookfield--a single-day tally the zoo has never again matched." Such famous people as Helen Keller, Shirley Temple, Sophie Tucker and the Dionne quintuplets fell under Su-Lin's spell. He was insured by Lloyd's of London. Ms. Harkness is a bigger than life character. The author tells us that though short in height, Harkness always appeared to be much taller than she was. She is quoted as saying that the two things she hated most were going to bed at night and getting up in the morning. In addition to her passion for pandas, she was besotted with beautiful clothes--she was a dressmaker by profession-- cigarettes, alcohol, fine food and late-night parties. More importantly, she showed no racial prejudice and treated the Chinese as equals-- a rare quality for Americans during this period-- fell in love with both China and its people and even had a brief affair with a young Quentin Young, her Chinese expedition partner. In this extremely well-written book that reads like a novel-- although the author assures the reader that every word is true-- Ms. Harkness meets other fascinating people in addition to Quentin Young: E. A. Cavalier, her good friend and helper Dan Reib of Standard Oil, Her nemesis and rival Floyd Tangier Smith and her cook and friend Wang. Many of the passages here read like a travelogue, particularly the descriptions of Shanghai. Both Ms. Croke and Ms. Harkness are fine writers. Ms. Croke had access to hundreds of Harkness' letters as well as the 1938 book she wrote with the same title as this one. This book has extensive notes, along with many good photographs of Ms. Harkness and her beloved pandas. (In some of the photos she is wearing real furs, a no-no of course in these different times.) This book should delight animals lovers as well as the rest of the world. A very, very fine read.

Animal Appeal and Human Intrigue

I started to read this fantastic book with expectations of a great animal story, and ended up enjoying it just as much for the revealing biography of Ruth Harkness. The love, loss, friendship, despair and high adventure experienced by the woman explorer in the pages of this historically accurate book will likely grip any reader, animal lover or not. If you're a sucker for fuzzy baby animals, or an advocate for endangered species preservation, then you can have your cake and eat it too! HIGHLY recommended reading.

Great Summer Read!

This book is fabulous. It has everything, adventure, exotic location, cute animals, love and interesting characters. Best of all its true. I found the subject matter fasinating and the time period an exciting one (just before world war II). But beware, once started it was hard to put down. I really loved it.