The Last Forest: The Amazon in the Age of Globalization

Book Description

With a landmass larger than the continental U.S. west of the Mississippi and the richest diversity of plant and animal species on earth, the Amazon has always struck its explorers and would-be exploiters as infinite and largely impenetrable. For decades, anthropologists assumed that permanent human habitation was impossible–but they were wrong. Recently, proof of centuries-old Amazonian civilizations has been unearthed, shifting perceptions of the inhospitability of the rain forest–and providing a precedent for human occupation. Today, as developers and environmentalists clash over the region’s future, the seemingly endless forest is fast disappearing in fires, rampant mineral extraction, rogue logging operations, and encroaching urban sprawl.

Through a series of startling human encounters–interviews with government ministers and environmental crusaders, millionaire ranchers and disenfranchised slum dwellers–Mark London and Brian Kelly, longtime explorers and trailblazing chroniclers of the Amazon basin, trace the region’s transformation. Logging thousands of miles, London and Kelly take readers from the mushrooming shopping malls of Manaus to the pristine rain forest that still seems beyond the reach of civilization, from the ghostly ruins of abandoned factories and failed plantations to the thriving agribusinesses that one day may feed the entire world and change this landscape forever. Again and again, they collide with the same fundamental question: Is it too late to strike a balance in the Amazon between economic sustenance for the twenty-one million Brazilians who live there and protection for the world’s last great forest?

London and Brian Kelly have fashioned a complex, vibrant portrait of a region on the edge of crisis. At once a seductive journey and a searing account of political, environmental, and social tumult, The Last Forest is a masterpiece of contemporary reporting.

Customer Reviews:

A Thoughtful Book on the Amazon.......2007-09-17

The Last Forest is a well-balanced analysis and description of the current plight of the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. This is the second book the authors have produced on the Amazon; their first book on the Amazon was published over twenty-five years ago, when only three percent of the forest was deforested. Currently, twenty percent of the Amazon has been deforested. Their main thesis is that the idea that the Amazon should be left alone is a fallacy, considering some ten million people live there. The book is packed with case studies of lives, cities and towns, and businesses in the Amazon, which helps one begin to grasp the political, economic, and social realities of the region, and to understand why there is no easy solution to preserving the rainforest while at the same time promoting the well-being of those who live in it. The authors do an excellent job of presenting to the reader both the international and Brazilian views of the Amazon, which are often conflicting views. In addition, a good historical background is presented in order to help understand the region today. The book is well-written, which makes for an engaging read. This a very good introduction for anyone interested in the Amazon, and should be read by anyone who will be travelling to the region.

Amazonia in a nut shell.......2007-04-16

In a pithy, mostly engaging first-person account, the book provides an excellent synopsis of the various factors impacting Amazonia, especially Brazil, vis-a-vis economic and social development. The discussion is often framed within the context of protection of the environment and covers a gamut of issues - from political issues to impact of cattle. By largely using a first-person narrative, the book is able to provide a broad view of the different pertinent issues, though one cannot consider its treatment of any of the topics to be comprehensive. Regardless, the book is informative, provides an excellent background on previous research, and is for the most part annotated with excellent notes. One glaring disappointment is the lack of any photographs/plates in the book that could added impact to the narrations. The concluding chapter is fairly "decaf" with no real specific solutions cited to the problems raised. Perhaps thats the point of the book - the problems raised in the book is too complex to solve using traditional approaches. The struggles of a society (and state) as it "modernizes" is highlighted in an excellent manner using the various chapters which have a "stand-alone" feel to it. That lack of tight integration among the chapters adds to the broad view the book tries to paint. A good read.

GREAT ANALYSIS OF CURRENT SITUATION IN THE AMAZON.......2007-04-06

Mark London and Brian Kelly come back to the Amazon after having written about it back in the 1980s. They find a very different world, where they find development alongside with poverty and environmental degradation. The book is centered upon understanding the different regions (states) within the Amazon and the differing dynamics within them. The book will not give definitive answers to the region's problems, but rather paint the picture and suggest directions in which we should move.

A main and important conclusion is the realization that the Amazon is not a pristine jungle without people, but rather that people are an integral part of it, and that any solution needs to take into account the widespread presence of population -- the concept of sustainable development needs to include good living standards for people within the forest. The book also points to some successes in preservation, such as the establishment of the Manaus Free Trade Zone as a means of attracting people away from the interior and providing good living standards.

The book flows from a history of the Amazon as a portuguese colony, to a Brazilian outpost to the center of the rubber world, to present day. A few key players are highlighted, such as Blairo Maggi (governor of Mato Grosso and the largest soy farmer in the world) and Eduardo Braga (governor of Amazonas and responsible for the reduction of deforestation by 53% in the largest Amazon state). It is also a travel book, highlighting the many different places and realities seen by the authors, from the wealthy shopping malls of Manaus to the poor slums of Altamira.

Highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to get a good image of the current status of development in the Amazon and hoping to understand the direction in which the region is moving.

Fair and balanced assessment of the current state of affairs in the Amazon........2007-03-07

More than a quarter century ago authors Mark London and Brian Kelly spent a considerable amount of time in the jungles of Brazil doing research for their 1983 book "Amazon". They wanted to meet the inhabitants of this strange and mysterious territory and discover for themselves just what was happening there. Now some 25 years later London and Kelly have returned to the Amazon to report on how this incredibly vast region and its people have fared during those intervening years. For all intents and purposes "The Last Forest" is a report card on the effectiveness of governmental policies at various levels and how wisely the land is being used by both the business community and the peoples who would call the Amazon home. "The Last Forest" is definitely not another doom and gloom book written by someone with an environmental ax to grind. Rather, this is a scholarly work that seeks to figure out which policies and approaches have been successful as well as those that may not have been. Mark London and Brian Kelly do yeoman work as reporters searching for the real story of the Amazon in 2007. I could detect no real political agendas here.
To most of the developed world the Amazon represents the last vast wilderness area on the planet. Environmentalists in both the United States and Europe are demanding that Brazil protect the rain forests from
significant development. But is this realistic? Those in both the public and private sectors in Brazil are quick to point out that neither the Europeans nor the Americans were willing to adhere to such stringent land use policies as their nations developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For the most part, London and Kelly found that the Brazilian government is really quite sensitive to environmental issues but that they must balance these concerns with the sobering reality that their citizens need to put food on the table and must have jobs to go to. And when one stops to consider just how vast an area the Amazon is are you begin to appreciate how difficult it must be for any government agency to control what goes on there. In "The Last Forest" you will meet some of the leaders in various governmental entities who are charged with managing these complicated problems. You will also be introduced to a number of important business people who will detail the difficult issues they face in trying to make a go of it in such a vast and remote area. Then you will meet some of the ordinary folk and learn about the way they live. Some of these people live in extremely remote areas along the riverways while others struggle to survive in the congested cities. Finally, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the indispensible map of South America that is included at the beginning of this book. I found myself referring to it again and again! When all is said and done you will definitely have a much clearer understanding of this largely misunderstood region of the world.
"The Last Forest" is a thoroughly engaging and highly informative book. While most of us would love to see the jungles of the Amazon remain untouched for perpetuity deep down we know this is simply not possible. The best we can hope for is that all of the interested parties in the region act responsibly and in moderation. I found "The Last Forest" to be great way to get up to speed on these fascinating and complicated issues. Highly recommended!

Average customer rating:

Amazing Read
A Fine Pressfield Novel
Clash of Culture, Not Character
Lost in a Dark Age!!!
A must-read

Last of the Amazons
Steven Pressfield
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0553382047
Release Date: 2003-07-01

Amazon.com

With an epic scope and keen sense of detail, Steven Pressfield has created an entertaining and vital reimagining of the Amazon legend with his historical novel, Last of the Amazons. Combining myth with history, Pressfield offers a conjectural account of the legendary female warrior tribe as it may have existed in the years leading up to its extinction. Following the Athenian-Amazon war in the fifth century B.C., Amazon warrior Selene is taken captive and placed as an unlikely governess to the two daughters of a high-ranking Greek. The three form a lasting bond, and when Selene eventually escapes to return to Amazonia, eldest daughter Europa follows her. The Athenians, including King Theseus, assemble a group to find them, eventually traveling to Amazonia. Here, those involved relate the story of the Amazon war to the men, and the book's action really begins. Narrators tell of Theseus's earlier voyage to Amazonia, where his weakened crew was given shelter by the Amazons; the love affair between Theseus and Amazon queen Antiope; and the terrible consequences of the queen's defection and the Amazonian invasion of Athens that it inspired.

Throughout, Pressfield instills Amazons with a grandiose sensibility, firmly modeling it after the Homeric epics of its time. Pressfield relishes in describing these events and their heroes with a divinely consequential spirit:

Antiope advanced…Clearly no few of the foe took her for a goddess, with such splendor did her armor gleam and by such brilliance did her aspect exceed the common measure of humanity. The hour was still early, the west-facing slope deep in shadow, so that the Amazon, seen from the besiegers' lines, advanced from gloom into flares of blinding dazzle.

Some clumsy dialogue and clichéd interactions hamper the book's emotional resonance, but the level of intricacy and constant action on display here keep the pages moving along. Amazon is ultimately an impressive, fun read that renders history spectacular in its speculation. --Ross Doll

Book Description

The author of the international bestsellers Gates of Fire and Tides of War delivers his most gripping and imaginative novel of the ancient world–a stunning epic of love and war that breathes life into the grand myth of the ferocious female warrior culture of the Amazons.

Steven Pressfield has gained a passionate worldwide following for his magnificent novels of ancient Greece, Gates of Fire and Tides of War. In Last of the Amazons, Pressfield has surpassed himself, re-creating a vanished world in a brilliant novel that will delight his loyal readers and bring legions more to his singular and powerful restoration of the past.

In the time before Homer, the legendary Theseus, King of Athens (an actual historical figure), set sail on a journey that brought him into the land of tal Kyrte, the “free people,” a nation of proud female warriors whom the Greeks called “Amazons.” The Amazons, bound to each other as lovers as well as fighters, distrusted the Greeks, with their boastful talk of “civilization.” So when the great war queen Antiope fell in love with Theseus and fled with the Greeks, the mighty Amazon nation rose up in rage.

Last of the Amazons is not merely a masterful tale of war and revenge. Pressfield has created a cast of extraordinarily vivid characters, from the unforgettable Selene, whose surrender to the Greeks does nothing to tame her; to her lover, Damon, an Athenian warrior who grows to cherish the wild Amazon ways; to the narrator, Bones, a young girl from a noble family who was nursed by Selene from birth and secretly taught the Amazon way; to the great Theseus, the tragic king; and to Antiope, the noble queen who betrayed tal Kyrte for the love of Theseus.

With astounding immediacy and extraordinary attention to military detail, Pressfield transports readers into the heat and terror of war. Equally impressive is his creation of the Amazon nation, its people, its rituals and myths, its greatness and savagery. Last of the Amazons is thrilling on every page, an epic tale of the clash between wildness and civilization, patriotism and love, man and woman.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

The author of the international bestsellers Gates of Fire and Tides of War delivers his most gripping and imaginative novel of the ancient world—a stunning epic of love and war that breathes life into the grand myth of the ferocious female warrior culture of the Amazons.

Steven Pressfield has gained a passionate worldwide following for his magnificent novels of ancient Greece, Gates of Fire and Tides of War. In Last of the Amazons, Pressfield has surpassed himself, re-creating a vanished world in a brilliant novel that will delight his loyal readers and bring legions more to his singular and powerful restoration of the past.

In the time before Homer, the legendary Theseus, King of Athens (an actual historical figure), set sail on a journey that brought him into the land of tal Kyrte, the "free people," a nation of proud female warriors whom the Greeks called "Amazons." The Amazons, bound to each other as lovers as well as fighters, distrusted the Greeks, with their boastful talk of "civilization." So when the great war queen Antiope fell in love with Theseus and fled with the Greeks, the mighty Amazon nation rose up in rage.

Last of the Amazons is not merely a masterful tale of war and revenge. Pressfield has created a cast of extraordinarily vivid characters, from the unforgettable Selene, whose surrender to the Greeks does nothing to tame her; to her lover, Damon, an Athenian warrior who grows to cherish the wild Amazon ways; to the narrator, Bones, a young girl from a noble family who was nursed by Selene from birth and secretly taught the Amazon way; to the great Theseus, the tragic king; and to Antiope, the noble queen who betrayed tal Kyrte for the love of Theseus.

With astounding immediacy and extraordinary attention to military detail, Pressfield transports readers into the heat and terror of war. Equally impressive is his creation of the Amazon nation, its people, its rituals and myths, its greatness and savagery. Last of the Amazons is thrilling on every page, an epic tale of the clash between wildness and civilization, patriotism and love, man and woman.

"Brutal, bloody, and thoroughly gripping—Pressfield has an amazing grasp of the savage mind, and the precarious nature of civilization."
    DIANA GABALDON

"Writing historical fiction that transports you to another time and place is no easy feat, but in Last of the Amazons, Steven Pressfield does just that. He makes the distant past seem real and immediate. This is historical fiction elevated to the status of myth."
    DANIEL SILVA, AUTHOR OF THE ENGLISH ASSASSIN

Customer Reviews:

Amazing Read.......2007-04-30

I really wasn't sure what to expect with this book. I know a little bit about the whole Amazon mythology but I didn't know where their lands were supposed to have been, I just knew they were on some island you see occaisonally in a movie. After reading this book you could believe that they had been a real people. I recommend this book to anyone in general but I think history buffs will really enjoy this. A must read!

A Fine Pressfield Novel.......2006-08-24

I confess that I was highly skeptical of Pressfield's ability to write from the point of view of a young woman, but "the Last of the Amazons" turned out to be little different than his other works (I mean in tone and style--it is not at all repetitious). The gender of the characters matters little--they are no more than vehicles of their cultures and the campagins they participate in. The romances between Greek and Amazon warriors should be viewed as such.
"Last of the Amazons" is set in the time before the Trojan war--early mythical Greece. Pressfield makes a fine attempt at depicting what such a time would be like, not out of myth, but in true history. The Amazon culture he creates seems plausible, though a little over the top. His gritty and realistic battle scenes, as always, bring period warfare to life. Character development, as always, plays a very minor role. The four or so narrators, from teenage girl to seasoned warrior, are pretty much interchangeable. The most dynamic character is the tragic Amazon queen Antiope, who elopes with Theseus, and even she is a symbol of her culture--a proud race, soon to fall.
I would recommend "Last of the Amazons" for anyone who has enjoyed other novels by Pressfield, is interested in alternate perspectives on Greek Mythology, or who likes bloody battle scenes.

Clash of Culture, Not Character.......2006-08-23

After reading M. Pressfield's outstanding work, Gates of Fire, I felt compelled to sample his other offerings. At its core, Last of the Amazons is a story about clash of cultures and the transition from nomadic to agrarian society. The story centers around three characters, Mother Bones, Selene the Amazon, and the Greek adventurer Damon; and three different timelines, the "present" (12th century BC) and periods approximately 20 and 40 years prior to that date.

M. Pressfield does an outstanding job in extrapolating a thriving, realistic Amazon society in the horselands of present-day Ukraine, north of the Black Sea, seamlessly integrating historical and archeological fact with inspired supposition. He convincingly creates the geopolitical and socio-economic structures that might have existed at the time, and brings them to life for the reader. Likewise, he regresses classical Athens to the days long before her intellectual dominance of the region, to a time "when history butted up against mythology."

These two societies are really characters unto themselves, and their conflict, rather than the clash between any of the other heroes of the tale (Theseus, Eleuthera, and others) forms the meat of the plot. This is the collision between the old - noble hunter/gatherer nomads - and the new - urban fortress-dwelling farmers, and cultures go to the grave no more peacefully than the warriors representing them. One cannot help but compare the situation to the arrival of the longbow-armed peasant in medieval Europe and the knightly orders of the time, or any other major paradigm shift in history.

Therein lies one of the weaknesses of the tale. Because so much has been invested in artfully breathing life into these cultures, the characters and their stories seem to take a back seat. The jumps in time and perspective as M. Pressfield sets up and then brings the two titans together are disorienting. It also takes so long to set the stage that the reader doesn't develop much empathy for the mortal characters of the work till more than halfway into the book.

However, even with these weaknesses, his writing does remind one, in a positive way, of the great oral "Homeric" tradition of the time, and could easily be mistaken for some of the best English translations of the Iliad or Odyssey by Richmond Lattimore or Robert Fagles. This alone will keep the attention of fans of that era. The description of the siege of Athens brings warfare of that age into vibrant, personal, and often bloody relief.

In short: those looking for excellence in plot or character development might be somewhat disappointed, but those looking for fascinating insights into a culture that "may have been" or fans of the Greek classics will thoroughly enjoy themselves.

Lost in a Dark Age!!!.......2006-03-25

Compared with the other two masterpieces of St.Pressfield, this one is exclusively based on "mythological" elements, that means stories that have not yet been "proved" archeologically, scientifically etc. Besides this fact, St.Pressfield manages to illustrate -in the best way he knows- the story and everyday life of the legendary Amazons, looking back at a very obscure and unknown era of human pre-history, a time before historical records: the Bronze Age (or even further back?) He does it in a very fascinating way, with vivid battle scenes and colourful depictions. After reading the book, the reader has been at least convinced that the Amazons might well have been a real nation and that mythology is history [or vice versa ;)]. "Matriarchy had really been a way of life before patriarchal attitudes started dominating the world, and the civilisation clash between female and male cultures must have been a real fact that took place thousands of years ago in a forgotten, mysterious and obscure age!" Well this is what I personally concluded from this book. Hopefully one day archeologists excavate more proof of our so-called matriarchal past. A really nice book!

A must-read.......2006-03-17

I picked this up on a whim, intrigued by the subject matter. I never thought it would be this good. The writing is great and I liked the blend of historical-fiction and fantasy. I will definitely look for other books by this author.

Spirit of the Shuar: Wisdom from the Last Unconquered People of the Amazon

Average customer rating:

Interesting and knowledgeable.......but?
THE "INSIDER" VIEW OF A REMARKABLE AMAZONIAN TRIBE
Boring
Spirit of the Shuar: An Incredible Read!
Ancient wisdom that can be applied to our lives today

Spirit of the Shuar: Wisdom from the Last Unconquered People of the Amazon
John Perkins , Shakaim Mariano Shakai Ijisam Chumpi , Ehud C. Sperling , and Mariano Shakai Ijisam Chumpi
Manufacturer: Destiny Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0892818654
Release Date: 2001-07-01

Amazon.com

What can we learn from a people who can't read, have no laws to speak of, who make a practice of shrinking the heads of their enemies, and let their children run around naked? In John Perkins's eyes, plenty. The Shuar of the Amazon rainforest have lived in harmony with their surroundings for countless ages. Perkins came into contact with them while on a Peace Corps stint in the 1960s, and has sought to spread their philosophy of simplicity and balance ever since. Spirit of the Shuar intertwines transcribed tape recordings of Shuar voices with Perkins's experiences. Unlike anthropological accounts, such as Philippe Descola's more eloquent but detached Spears of Twilight, Perkins's book is conversational and enthusiastic. He teaches us about a spirituality that arises from a deep connection with nature, one in which shamans use hallucinogens to go on spiritual journeys; the spirits of nature yield hidden knowledge about plants; and dreams can always be fulfilled. --Brian Bruya

Book Description

• Discover the thoughts, history, and customs of the Shuar of the Amazon, as told in their own words.

• Tribe members explain their practices of shapeshifting and headhunting; the interdependence of humans and the environment; the role of ecstatic sex; their belief in war as a path to peace; and their faith in arutam, the life spirit.

The indomitable Shuar of the Amazon--reputed to be the only tribe in the Americas that has never been conquered--have lived as warriors, hunters, cultivators, and healers for generations. Even in today's acquisitive, often wasteful world they defend their rainforests and sustainable ways of life and offer their philosophy of love, joy, and hope.

More than three decades after first befriending members of the Shuar, author and environmentalist John Perkins and his publisher, Ehud Sperling, inspired Shakaim Mariano Chumpi-a young Shuar warrior who has fought in the jungle war between his native Ecuador and Peru-to travel among his people and record their thoughts, history, and customs. The result is Spirit of the Shuar.

Here, in their own words, the Shuar share their practices of shapeshifting, "dreaming the world," and ecstatic sex, including the role older women play in teaching uninitiated men how to please. They explain the interdependence of humans and the environment, their formula for peace and balance, and their faith in arutam, the life-giving spirit of nature that allows each of us to transform ourselves. And they describe how their ancient-and current-practice of shrinking heads fits into their cultural philosophy.

Whether exploring the mystery of shamanic shapeshifting, delving deeper into the powers of healing herbs and psychotropic plants, or finding new ways to live sustainably and sensitively in the face of encroaching development and environmental destruction, the Shuar have emerged as a strong people determined to preserve their identity and beliefs and share their teachings with a world in dire need of their wisdom.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Ayumpum Foundation to help the Shuar conserve their forests and spread their message.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting and knowledgeable.......but?.......2007-08-23

I feel I have learned a lot from this book. However the repeated comments that making love more frequently will increase your energy and well being just doesn't seem correct. If frequent love making (sex) was strengthening wouldn't prostitutes be the strongest and happiest of people?

THE "INSIDER" VIEW OF A REMARKABLE AMAZONIAN TRIBE.......2002-03-26

Just finished Spirit of the Shuar--- what a ripping good read! There are lots of books about the Amazon and indigenous peoples from anthropologists and scientists who describe the situation but rarely ( ever?) do you hear the voices themselves. What you get with Spirit of the Shuar is real, unromanticized people ( the Shuar) leading lives challenged by the onslaught of the industrial/technocratic juggernaut telling their story. How are they surviving? What do they believe in? How do they make a difference, especially with wise gringo help? One wise gringo is co-author John Perkins. Read this and the rest of his books. Heed his message.... while we have time!

Bill Pfeiffer

Boring.......2001-12-18

This book purpose is more to entertain than to make some deep impressions. What can I learn from a tribe which kills man when found in bed (jungle) with another woman, shrink heads of their enemies and similar. To me this book is more a commercialization of the Shuars then wisdom shearing. Maybe author is not in power to ask them real questions?
If you want to read a good book on amazon shamans (Shuars and others) and Ayahuasca (vine of the spirits) then rather try 'Cosmic Serpent : DNA and the Origins of Knowledge' by Jeremy Narby.

Spirit of the Shuar: An Incredible Read!.......2001-10-31

Deep within the mountainous rainforest of Ecuador, many days walk from the nearest road, lives a tribe that call themselves Shuar ("the people"). Their homeland is a place of wondrous beauty and yet great danger, where anaconda lurk in the rivers and jaguar prowl at night. Spirit of the Shuar is a book that tells their story, in their own words. After you have read it, you will know why Spirit of the Shuar has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

The Shuar are proud people who are perhaps the only tribe remaining in all of the Americas who have never surrendered to any would-be conquerors. Until recently, the Shuar lived in a shroud of secrecy, fiercely protecting their lands and privacy. Twenty years ago it would have been unimaginable that Shuar warriors, women, elders, and uwishin ("the ones who know") would willingly and openly share their traditions, mysteries, and life stories with outsiders. But these are new and challenging times for the Shuar. They are struggling to retain their traditions as well as their right to survive in the face of the insatiable hunger of oil companies and lumber conglomerates for their lands. And missionaries who seek to save their souls and rescue them from ways deemed uncivilized. Too many outsiders have in recent years come to them with the intent to teach and reform, but not to learn. And, as you will learn from reading Spirit of the Shuar, the Shuar have much wisdom to convey.

In this spirit Mariano Chumpi, a Shuar warrior and co-author of Spirit of the Shuar, agreed to record on cassette tape the stories and wisdom, the feelings and impressions, of his people. The resulting transcripts were put in book form by Mariano's long-time friend, John Perkins. This collaboration resulted in a masterpiece! Spirit of the Shuar combines the colorful spoken language of a peoples reliant upon oral tradition with the skilled written craftsmanship of author John Perkins who first became acquainted with the Shuar as a Peace Corps volunteer over 30 years ago. It is a sensitive and revealing portrayal of the traditions, way of life, and spiritual practices of a people who proudly stand against the pressures of modernism.

The tales contained within Spirit of the Shuar are told in a direct and elegantly simple style. The pages come alive as the reader is given a glimpse into what it might feel like to live among the Shuar. Warriors share their experiences of participating in head-hunting wars. Shamans speak of all-night healing ceremonies during which both the uwishin and his patient typically consume a powerful medicine plant, ayahuasca. Later, the uwishin blows tsentsak, invisible darts, into the heart of his patient to aid him in seeing where the problem originates and how it must be healed. Women discuss how they prepare chicha, a fermented manioc beverage which serves as a primary food for the Shuar, which men are only permitted to touch with their lips. Intimacies about family living, courtship and sexual practices are openly discussed; such details are a natural part of living to the Shuar and there is no hint of embarrassment or withholding. Rosa Shakai, Mariano's mother, even explains how Shuar women "rein in their men" when they cut down too many trees or hunt more than need dictates.

Spirit of the Shuar also contains 12 pages of color photos of the peoples and places you read about. You will see people like Tukupi, the most famous of living Shuar warriors, who as a young man defeated and killed thirty-three enemies - mostly Achuar - in hand-to-hand combat. But now, as an elder, he is regarded as a great healer for Shuar and Achuar alike. You will see the Shuar dressed in their traditional clothes and in their missionary-approved attire. The intimacy of the words and pictures will make you will feel as if you have been invited into a Shuar home to share in a cup of chicha and animated conversation. I found delight as I was permitted a rare glimpse into the thinking and lifestyle of people who continue to live in much the same manner as did their ancestors hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years before. I think you will too.

But Spirit of the Shuar is so much more than a well-told rendition and exposé of a culture and peoples different from our own. It is an appeal by the Shuar for our help...not in monetary terms, but in attitude. These proud, formerly secluded people opened their hearts and lives because it is their belief that when their ways are understood, and their humanity is accepted as equal yet different from our own, that their traditions and right-to-exist unmolested will be acknowledged and supported. For make no mistake about it...the jungles are shrinking and indigenous peoples such as the Shuar are fast disappearing from the face of the planet. If these peoples are to survive, if the very lands upon which they live are to remain pristine and a haven for a multitude of species (many of which are not even yet known to scientists), as a culture we must "change our dream".

Those individuals who contributed their thoughts and intimacies in the Spirit of the Shuar are explicit in their hope that those of us from industrialized nations who participate in the dominion and exploitation of nature and resources will come to replace this value by more earth-friendly dreams. The Shuar - who have never known defeat and who live in harmony with the dangers inherent in jungle life - do not give up, they adapt. Proud warriors who in earlier times would have fought to the death to repel an outsider are now revealing their secrets, willingly and freely. In reading their words you will fall in love with the beauty of the jungle and perhaps come to feel, as I do, that the peoples and the land in which they live hold a beauty that is worthy of our respect and protection.

Ancient wisdom that can be applied to our lives today.......2001-10-26

The "Spirit of the Shuar's" powerful messages are most welcome at a time when we all need to feel a sense of strength, courage, healing, and love. While the book's vivid imagery invites us to experience the lush, tropical splendor of the Amazon Rain Forest, the real value lies in the rich wisdom imparted by the Shuar people.

We are taken on a magic carpet ride through the jungle, across the rivers, and into the heartbeat of Mother Earth, as members of the Shuar community introduce us to their fascinating beliefs, customs, and healing practices.

What is most striking is that we have the ability to apply the wisdom of the Shuar to our lives at a time when we need it most by simply "changing the dream."

Book Description

"àa rich and fitting tribute." -PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"With previously unpublished journal entries and letters, this volume captures the original mountain man's final trek." -OUTSIDE

"I am now writing up some notes, but when they will be ready for publication I do not know... It will be a long time before anything is arranged in book form." These words of John Muir, written in June 1912 to a friend, proved prophetic. The journals and notes to which the great naturalist and environmental figure was referring have languished, unpublished and virtually untouched, for nearly a century. Until now. Here edited and published for the first time, John Muir's travel journals from 1911-12, along with his associated correspondence, finally allow us to read in his own words the remarkable story of John Muir's last great journey.

Leaving from Brooklyn, New York, in August 1911, John Muir, at the age of seventy-three and traveling alone, embarked on an eight-month, 40,000-mile voyage to South America and Africa. The 1911-12 journals and correspondence reproduced in this volume allow us to travel with him up the great Amazon, into the jungles of southern Brazil, to snowline in the Andes, through southern and central Africa to the headwaters of the Nile, and across six oceans and seas in order to reach the rare forests he had so long wished to study. Although this epic journey has received almost no attention from the many commentators on Muir's work, Muir himself considered it among the most important of his life and the fulfillment of a decades-long dream.

John Muir's Last Journey provides a rare glimpse of a Muir whose interests as a naturalist, traveler, and conservationist extended well beyond the mountains of California. It also helps us to see John Muir as a different kind of hero, one whose endurance and intellectual curiosity carried him into far fields of adventure even as he aged, and as a private person and family man with genuine affections, ambitions, and fears, not just an iconic representative of American wilderness.

With an introduction that sets Muir's trip in the context of his life and work, along with chapter introductions and a wealth of explanatory notes, the book adds important dimensions to our appreciation of one of America's greatest environmentalists. John Muir's Last Journey will be must reading for students and scholars of environmental history, American literature, natural history, and related fields, as well as for naturalists and armchair travelers everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

Good.....but.......2006-11-03

Muir's journals were good but I didn't care for the introduction to the journals in each chapter by the author. The intro's went into way to much background detail. I would have been fine with less intro.

The Last Great Adventure of Sir Peter Blake: With Seamaster and blakexpeditions from Antarctica to the Amazon : Sir Peter Blake's Logbooks

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LOGBOOKS OF A GREAT ADVENTURER IN HIS LAST ADVENTURE
Plenty of factual information about the regions

The Last Great Adventure of Sir Peter Blake: With Seamaster and blakexpeditions from Antarctica to the Amazon : Sir Peter Blake's Logbooks
Peter Blake , and Alan Sefton
Manufacturer: Sheridan House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Boating | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

Essays & Travelogues | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Antarctica | Polar Regions | Travel | Subjects | Books

Ecotourism | Specialty Travel | Travel | Subjects | Books
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Sir Peter Blake: An Amazing Life

ASIN: 1574091905

Book Description

A large format hardcover book perfect for gift-giving. The book beautifully reflects Blake's sailing life and environmental concerns. This large-format hardcover follows the late Sir Peter Blake on his ill-fated final voyage aboard the polar exploration yacht Seamaster. As the world knows, Blake was tragically murdered by river pirates in December 2001 while exploring the Amazon. This book tracks that voyage and at the same time pays homage to this extraordinary man. The Seamaster voyage began in New Zealand and descended to 70° S in the icy waters of Antarctica, then headed north to the rain forests of the Amazon. The ship ultimately sailed approximately 1,000 miles up the Amazon River before Blake was murdered on the return journey. The text of the book is drawn from the logbooks kept by Blake and edited by Alan Sefton. The illustrations consist of stunning color images from the ship's photographers, many reproduced in full-page and even two-page format. There are also several paintings by Lady Pippa Blake, who was on board during part of the Amazon exploration. These fabulous pictures display the raw beauty of some of the earth's most remote and beautiful places and the unique wildlife encountered. Peter Blake was one of the best-known sailors of our time; he served as a Special Envoy of the United Nations Environment Program and took great interest in sustainable economic development. In a 30-year sailing career he won every significant bluewater race on the planet, including the America’s Cup and the Whitbread Around the World; and slashed the record for the fastest non-stop circumnavigation under sail. His murder in the Amazon made headlines worldwide.

Customer Reviews:

LOGBOOKS OF A GREAT ADVENTURER IN HIS LAST ADVENTURE.......2006-08-06

Sir Peter Blake was a great adventurer and seaman. He was part of the team that won the America's Cup in 1995 and lead the defense of the title in 2000 for New Zealand, where he is a national hero.

This book is a celebration of his long and successful career sailing the world. In this last expedition, he goes from Antarctica to the Amazon, going all the way up the Casiquiare, teh legendary canal discovered by Alexander von Humboldt that connects the Negro with the Orinoco rivers. Throughout the books provides a glimpse of local history, with a special emphasis on environmental issues, which were very much on Blake's agenda in this voyage. His journals show a very deep concern for the future of both Antarctica and the Amazon, as tremendously different but similarly delicate regions.

The book is in hard cover format and has lots of pictures taken throughout the trip, which provide the reader with a visula context of the logbook. It is a sad story because it ends up in Peter's demise, attacked by pirates at the mouth of the Amazon, yet it stands as a tribute to a great sportsman and environmental leader.

Plenty of factual information about the regions.......2004-11-08

If it's a large-size hardcover gift edition you seek celebrating adventure expeditions in general or the achievements of Sir Peter Blake in particular, make it Alan Sefton's editing of Blake's logbooks, The Last Great Adventure Of Sir Peter Blake. The text is drawn directly from Blake's logbooks as he journeys from the Antarctic to the Amazon, with fine color photos and paintings adding the visual delay which sets The Last Great Adventure apart from biographical memoirs alone. Plenty of factual information about the regions Blake explores, from animals to flora, make this an informational guide above and beyond its adventure biography theme.

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Attempted Amazon coup.
The Last Amazon

The Last Amazon
A. Bertram Chandler
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0879979364

Customer Reviews:

Attempted Amazon coup........2007-09-09

This novel is part of the "John Grimes" space adventure series. It takes place on Sparta, a planet that was originally colonized only by men. After several centuries, contact with other planets was restored and women came to the planet at last. Naturally, there are many men who wish the planet was still all male, and others who think women are well enough in their place. On the other hand, for many, actual females are compellingly attractive.

A lower-class woman with her eye on the main chance manages to catch the eye of the planet's ruler and before he knows what hit him, he's married to her. He indulges her feminist schemes and her assembling of an Amazon army because he doesn't take either seriously and life is more peaceful if he just lets her do it, pretty much how feminists got a foothold here on Earth. Like the men of Earth, he doesn't realize the danger until it's too late. His wife arranges for him and several other powerful men to be kidnapped or killed so that she can seize power. She promptly institutes martial law, and soon any men who weren't misogynists are inspired to become so.

I doubt Chandler was being sexist; John Grimes is helped to rescue the ruler and restore legitimate government by four women: one spy, two martial arts experts, and a reporter.

The Last Amazon.......2003-09-25

Grimes winds up on New Sparta, waiting for his Sister Sue to make port. Revolution's in the air again, as are the tangled threads weaved by Rear Admiral Damien. The story takes place immediately after The Anarch Lords.

The Last Frontier: Fighting for Land in the Amazon (Third World books)

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The Last Frontier: Fighting for Land in the Amazon (Third World books)
Susan Branford , and Oriel Glock
Manufacturer: Zed Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0862323967

THE AMAZING AMAZON: The Story of the World's Last Great Frontier.

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THE AMAZING AMAZON: The Story of the World's Last Great Frontier.
Willard Price.
Manufacturer: NY: 1952 2nd prtg.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000CIBND

The Amazon: A Young Reader's Look at the Last Frontier

Average customer rating:

GOOD BOOK FOR THE YOUNG READER ON THE AMAZON
the amazon review
book review
MY SONS, 14 AND 12 LOVED READING THIS BOOK.
This Is The Best Book I Ever Seen

The Amazon: A Young Reader's Look at the Last Frontier
Peter Lourie , and Marcos Santilli
Manufacturer: Boyds Mills Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

Central & South America | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Travel | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1878093002

Customer Reviews:

GOOD BOOK FOR THE YOUNG READER ON THE AMAZON.......2005-11-24

This book is aimed at giving a brief picture of the Amazon to a young reader. It focuses on a few aspects, such as: the indians living in the Amazon, the gold rush around the southern Amazon, the river and its dolphins, and the rubber boom and the railroad built to transport rubber.

The book is written as a travelogue, describing the author's trip chronologically. It is simplistic, of course, as any book for children should be, but it provides some vivid pictures of the region. About half of the pictures are very good, the rest should have been reconsidered.

My main criticism is that he associates the colonists as being evil doers destroying the forest; it is hardly ever an evil vs good fight. Anyways, I would recommend it especially to a family with children planning a trip to the Amazon as a way to wet the appetite.

the amazon review.......2005-04-29

This book is a beautifully illustrated, fun, and interesting book. The pictures are so amazing and it feels like I am really there, (or wish that I was there). This book is a educational book because it has maps that show where the author, Peter Lourie, went when he was exploring. It tells what cities are there, and also where the bodies of water are. This is a fun book because the author, Peter Lourie, gives wonderful writing like this:
Now as we left the tribal outpost and headed back the way we had come, we glided down river with the soft, slow, ancient current.
An interesting part was when the Indians put the poison in the water where the fish would swim and it would be easier to catch the fish.

This is why this book is the best!

book review.......2005-04-29

This book was a very interesting book. I thought it was really sad when Peter Lourie passed by the river side and there were little kids learning and it was their school. The children were sick and skinny. Peter Lourie explained that their parents were very poor and they didn't have any money to buy clothes or food. I thought it was really cool when they followed the guy that collected the latex. I thought it was interesting when he cut a V into the tree and the latex dripped into a cup. When I read that the gold was found in the river I thought how did the gold form. I don't know how it did but it was a pretty amazing thing. When Peter Lourie went to the Indians I thought it was really interesting the way they caught their fish they poisoned the water so the fish would go to shore and they would pick them up. If they were still able to move they would spear the fish. This book really taught me a lot I really consider you to read one of Peter Lourie's books!

MY SONS, 14 AND 12 LOVED READING THIS BOOK........1998-12-02

I have two step-sons, ages 14 and 12. They are not avid readersbut were fascinated by this book. We are planning a trip to Brazil andamong the books I suggested for them was this one. I picked it up at on a recent trip to New York. My kids found it a great adventure book and motivated them even more to want to visit brazil.

This Is The Best Book I Ever Seen.......1998-05-20

This is a good book because it gives a lot of detail of what is going on in it.

IN SEARCH OF THE PRIMITIVE. AN INDEPENDENT EXPLORER'S LIFE WITH THE LAST OF THE EXOTIC PEOPLES OF AFRICA, THE ARCTIC, NEW GUINEA AND THE UPPER AMAZON.

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IN SEARCH OF THE PRIMITIVE. AN INDEPENDENT EXPLORER'S LIFE WITH THE LAST OF THE EXOTIC PEOPLES OF AFRICA, THE ARCTIC, NEW GUINEA AND THE UPPER AMAZON.
L. Cotlow
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WQ9E1I

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