An intriguing look at the life of Jim Williams, who started his career as a teak logger-cum-elephant whisperer in the remote jungles of early twentieth century Burma. When World War II broke out and Great Britain found itself at war with the Japanese, with a ferocious campaign for control of Burma, Williams enlisted himself and brought his unique talent as an elephant handler to the war effort.

I very much enjoyed the first half of the book, which delved into Williams’s career with the elephants who worked in the teak logging camps of colonial Burma. The book brings to life the many sensations of working with elephants, living in the jungle, and navigating the curious social mores of pre-war Burmese society in brilliant detail, through numerous vivid anecdotes. Though I like my creature comforts and non-malarial climate quite a bit, I found myself wishing that I could feel the rough texture of elephant skin, or watch a herd line up for role call in the morning.

However, the second half of the book, which deals with the British-Japanese conflict in Burma, was comparatively weak. There was simply not enough background information about the events unfolding around Williams, and what their implication was for the larger war effort. For example, at a critical point in the midst of the war, British forces decided to withdraw from northern Burma, leaving Williams and his elephant brigade surrounded by Japanese forces. Because it was nearly impossible to understand what good Williams could do under such circumstances, I found the whole episode rather confusing. It’s a bit of a shame, because the events in the Burmese theater are fairly obscure (at least, they were to me), and it would have been nice to learn a bit more about them.

All the same, I think the first half of the book is well worth it for the lovely description of what it’s like to live with elephants.