My Ishmael

My Ishmael is a 1997 novel by Daniel Quinn: a sequel (though for the most part a sidequel) to Ishmael. With its time frame largely the same as Ishmael, it precedes the events of its 1996 spiritual successor, The Story of B, also by Daniel Quinn. Like Ishmael, My Ishmael largely revolves around a Socratic dialogue between the sapient gorilla, Ishmael, and a student, involving his philosophy regarding tribal society. The plot of My Ishmael, however, involves a twelve-year-old female protagonist, Julie Gerchak, as Ishmael's pupil, and details not only her visits to Ishmael but also her journey to Africa in order to prepare Ishmael's return to the African wilderness.