Ivan the Gorilla Wired for Creativity

“To every thing there is a season…”—Ecclesiastes

Ivan the Gorilla

“The One and Only Ivan,” is a book and a movie about Ivan the Gorilla, a beloved Silverback Western Lowland gorilla, who captured the hearts of everyone who met him. Ivan lived in isolation in a 40-by-40 concrete enclosure for twenty-seven years in a shopping mall in Tacoma, Washington; didn’t go outside for all this time, touch grass, nor see another gorilla. But, in spite of these bleak circumstances, Ivan continued to delight children and families with his daily antics. He loved to play games, teased his zoo keepers, and was always full of surprises. Ivan especially loved having books read to him.