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Reviews of: Don't Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungleby Daniel Everett
Reviews not a book about God I bought this book as the little I had heard about it emphasised the fact that the author was a missionary and his experiences in the Amazon had changed his life and particulary his beliefs. This was what I was hoping to read about. However, the book is essentially scientific, with an emphasis on lingustics, some of it very technical. The main bits about the author's religious beliefs were relegated to the end of the book ,as a kind of " afterword" with just a smattering regarding creation myths in the body of the the work. I would recommend this book to someone who was academically interested in linguistics and maybe anthropology, but not to someone who is hoping for considerable insights into religion/ belief, missionary work or any kind of personal theological reflection on the part of the author. 2008-12-29 Fascinating I bought this book based solely on the review by Mr. Baxter and I must say I wasn't disappointed. Chronicling Dan Everett's brave decision to live with the Pirahas tribe deep in the Amazonian jungle and the everyday struggle to live and communicate with an extremely isolated and recalcitrant people. There are some amazing stories of survival contained within these pages and the determination of Everett in the face of such adversity is amazing. I suppose going out as a missionary and a linguist the task was going to be monumental but as he lived among these people Everett learned a lot about himself and questions of morality and beliefs abounded. I wont give the story away but there is a fascinating twist in the tale. Highly recommended. 2008-12-28 Never Read a Book so Quickly! I bought this book on Saturday. It's Monday now and I've just finished it, which for me is very fast indeed, and a reflection on what a fascinating and well written book it is. I heard the author talking about his travels and studies on BBC Radio 4 and thought his ideas about linguistics were interesting, but when I had a quick look at the book before I bought it I realised it was much more than an work about the theory of language. It's actually a rare combination of exciting adventure story, anthropology AND linguistics. The conclusions Everett reaches after 30 years of living amongst the Piraha people get right to the heart of what makes us who we are as human beings, and provide a fascinating insight into another way of life we would otherwise never have heard of, or at least would understand only superficially. The first half of the book focuses on the lives of the Piraha (and the experiences of Everett living with them), the second half focuses on the linguistics. This structure works really well and the book is a great fusion of entertainment and information throughout. 2008-11-10 |
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