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Title: Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice: An Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest by Mark J. Plotkin ISBN: 0-14-012991-X Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: August, 1994 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.65 (23 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A Phenomenal Book
Comment: I agree wholeheartedly with the rave reviews for this book and it has become one of my favorites (I even sent it to an ethnobotanist in Yap as a must read). Not only is it wonderfully well-written, and not only does it address crucial ecological concerns, but it is an exciting account of Plotkin's effort to identify and explore the medical possibilities of Amazonian plants, while preserving the indigineous lore about their uses, both medicinal and spiritual; the discovery and adoption of plants by Europeans and North Americans, and Plotkin's own adventures. I found some it so fascinating on so many levels I'd read it to my family (okay, I know that may be obnoxious, but I couldn't restrain myself). It's thought-provoking, important and absolutely fascinating. Can't recommend it highly enough!!
Rating: 5
Summary: amazing
Comment: This is an absolutely amazing book. Basic story: autobiographical accounts of an enthnobotanist looking for medicinal plants in the Amazon rainforest.
Daniel Quinn talks about 'The Great Forgetting' in the Story of B. But this books really hammers home how great a Forgetting it has been, and how much of a loss it will be when tribal cultures have been totally wiped out.
Whereas our cultures may date back several thousands of years at most, the cultures of these people have been distilled over so much longer a period.
I remember when reading 'Roots' I was stricken and moved by the oral traditions of the tribes (preserving their ancestoral history by word of mouth). I got a similar feeling here as well.. In one part the author talks about the tribe telling of ancestors who 'crossed through great cold, wrapping themselves in animal skins..'. Apparently it is generally accepted that the Indians of South America crossed over from Asia during the last Ice Age. Can you imagine a culture rich enough to preserve stories dating back twenty+ thousand years?
The book's focus is definitely on the author's search for the flora (and sometimes fauna) of the jungle. However, there is a lot more to take away from it.
Highly recommended reading.
Rating: 4
Summary: Brendan's Review of the Book
Comment: (...)
The Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice is riveting, nonfiction, adventure that takes place in the Amazonian rainforest. In 1974, the author, Mark Plotkin decided how he would spend his life, after attending a lecture at Harvard University given by Richard Evans Schultes, a world authority on ethnobotany. In 1979 Plotkin began the first of his travels to the Amazonian rain forests. His travels would take him to French Guiana, Brazil, Suriname, and Venezuela. He became an apprentice to the master shamans of the Tirio and Wayana tribes. In return he recorded what he learned so the information could be passed on to future generations. As the author notes, "Every time a shaman dies, it is as if a library burned down." The book also portrays invaluable information about botany, medicine, ecosystems, zoology, sociology, and history. It reminds us all that the rainforest and its people are all part of a fragile environment that could easily be lost forever. The author demonstrates through his writing the value of the rainforest plants to modern medicine and the importance of the survival of the people who are indigenous to the area.
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Title: Medicine Quest: In Search of Nature's Healing Secrets by Mark J. Plotkin ISBN: 0140262105 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 27 November, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Shaman's Apprentice: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest by Lynne Cherry, Mark J. Plotkin ISBN: 0152024867 Publisher: Voyager Books Pub. Date: April, 2001 List Price(USD): $6.00 |
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Title: The Natural History of Medicinal Plants by Judith Sumner, Mark J. Plotkin, Judith Summer ISBN: 0881924830 Publisher: Timber Pr Pub. Date: October, 2000 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: A Neotropical Companion by John Kricher ISBN: 0691009740 Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr Pub. Date: 16 August, 1999 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Plants, People, and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany by Michael J. Balick, Paul Alan Cox ISBN: 0716760274 Publisher: W H Freeman & Co. Pub. Date: September, 1997 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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