Page 55 - Amazon River Cruise & Rain Forest
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$ % 9Pb =PaPWL_TZY^ ZQ _SP ,XP]TNL^ -PQZ]P .ZW`XM`^ by Charles C. Mann (History). Mann
portrays the richness of culture and history that already existed before the arrival of European
settlers. And contrary to popular belief, what he describes is not remote villages in a pristine
wilderness, but a series of populous, sophisticated societies stretching from South America,
through Mexico, and up the U.S. Mississippi Valley.
,_ ;WLd TY _SP 1TPWO^ ZQ _SP 7Z]O by Peter Matthiessen (Literature). A wild tale about the impact of
outsiders on an indigenous tribe, set in the Peruvian Amazon.
7TQP TY _SP ?]PP_Z[^% ,OaPY_`]P^ ZQ L BZXLY TY 1TPWO -TZWZRd by Margaret Lowman (Memoir).
The sprightly memoir of an ecologist who climbs, studies, and sleeps in trees for a living,
balancing multiple roles of scientist, wife, and mom. She continues her story in a second
memoir (written with her now-grown sons) entitled It’s a Jungle Up There, More Tales from
the Treetops.
Little Tiny Teeth by Aaron J. Elkins (Mystery). When a forensics professor joins an Amazon
riverboat expedition, he expects a vacation. But in a jungle full of predators, he realizes the
humans may be the deadliest of all. (We promise, this won’t happen to you.)
?LWP^ ZQ L >SLXLYɪ^ ,[[]PY_TNP by Mark Plotkin (Culture). An ethnobotanist recounts his work
documenting the use of medicinal plants among remote Amazon tribes.
?SP 0YNSLY_PO ,XLeZY =LTY 1Z]P^_% >_Z]TP^ Q]ZX L ALYT^STYR BZ]WO by Nigel J.H. Smith (Culture).
This is a fascinating introduction to the people, culture, and geography of the rainforest.
?SP 7Z^_ .T_d ZQ E% , _LWP ZQ /PLOWd :M^P^^TZY^ TY _SP ,XLeZY by David Grann (Biography/Memoir).
This riveting, real-life adventure tale bounces between a biography of Colonel Percy Harrison
1LbNP__ LYO _SP L`_SZ]ɪ^ ZbY \`P^_ _Z ʭYO Z`_ bSL_ SL[[PYPO _Z _SP R]PL_ Pc[WZ]P]
who disappeared in the Brazilian Amazon in 1925. (Although set in the Brazilian Amazon,
we’ve included this book because it gives a good sense of exploration in the mysterious
Amazon forest).
?SP 8L[XLVP]ɪ^ BTQP% , ?]`P ?LWP ZQ 7ZaP 8`]OP] LYO >`]aTaLW TY _SP ,XLeZY by Robert Whitaker
(History) Colonial politics, the travails of a cartographer, and a good old-fashioned murder all
add intrigue to this absorbing tale of 18th-century European exploration of the Amazon and
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?SP =TaP] ZQ /Z`M_% ?SPZOZ]P =ZZ^PaPW_ɪ^ /L]VP^_ 5Z`]YPd by Candice Millard (History/Biography).
A must-read account of a journey to the Amazon by Teddy Roosevelt late in his life—and one
that almost ended his life.
?SP ?S]PP 3LWaP^ ZQ 4YZ 8ZcZ% ?PLNSTYR^ ZQ _SP BTeL]O ZQ _SP @[[P] ,XLeZY by Cesar Calvo and
Kenneth A. Symington, Translator (Culture). A Peruvian author’s portrayal of the world of
Amazonian sorcerer Ino Moxo and the deep and complex folklore of the region. Explains
how this “green magician” continues ancient traditions including the use of plant medicines
and chanting.
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