Reviews (11)

Engaging!
I read Tropical Nature in preparation for a trip to Costa Rica. First, this is not a textbook or a feild guide. Rather, it is a collection of chapters so richly and interestingly written that I demanded my travel partner read it so that we could discuss its content on our trip. He loved it as well, and we continually reffered to it as our experience of tropical nature itself unfolded. He's thinking of assigning it to high school students. If you need something to get you 'hooked' on the wonders of neotropical ecosystems, this book will easily instill a desire to visit and learn more. If you have been to the tropics or study them and haven't read this book, I still recommend it highly.

Student Rating
This book is so "scientifically correct" that it was used in my ecology of the tropical rainforest class that went down to do research in Costa Rica. It was so enjoyable though that I've read it through 3 times since my completion of the class. This book brings the best of the tropics to you.

Pulitzer Price material
This was an absolutely wonderful book. It's very dense -- I think every paragraph may introduce a new idea -- but it's so well written that you tend not to notice just how much information is here.

The chapters are self-contained, and in fact you can read them in just about any order you want. Just browse and pick what you'd like to read. Plus they're fairly short, which is a good thing since as I mentioned the material is dense.

The book really does introduce you to many concepts as well as specifics. We went to the Amazon with a naturalist, and all the concepts as well as many of the specifics were familar to us from the book. Highly recommended!

Tropical Nature--an armchair guide to the rainforests.
Tropical Nature is a delightful discussion of the evolution, ecology and biodiversity of species in the Central and South American rainforests. It is written on a level that biologists can enjoy but is also highly readable for those planning a trip to these areas. The authors' discussion of evolutionary adaptations of species in the rainforests is written in plain language and would not overwhelm those outside the field. With so much emphasis on molecular biology now, it is great to read a book about natural history and the way species interact.

A great introduction to rain forest ecology
This was a great book. You can see the authors' passion for rain forests while you read it. The chapters are short and insightful. They don't cover any subject with a great amount of detil but if they did the book would be 2000 pages long. You don't need to be a specialist to appreciate this book. The concepts that are presented are explained by using stories from the authors' experiences in the rain forests. It is a super intorduction, if your planning trip to Costa Rica, Belize or any other tropical country to see rain forests, you would really enjoy your experience more after reading this book. Like the authors say, rain forests can seem a little dull because all you see is a tangle of green under a dark canopy. After reading this book you'll begin to see things that you normally would look for. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Richard Evans Schultes was arguably this century's foremost botanist and the father of ethnobotany--the study of plants and medicinal knowledge of indigenous peoples. He inadvertently inspired the 1960s drug culture with the publication of his scholarly journals on hallucinogenic plants. A meticulous scientist, his research on Columbia's rubber-producing hevea trees led to America's mass-production of rubber during World War II, which ultimately contributed to victory. Davis, one of Schultes's most devoted students, recounts the great botanist's life--from his research along hundreds of miles of forested rivers and his jungle treks while shattered by malaria to his intuitive gift with Amazon shamans and his relationship with such cult figures as Timothy Leary and William Burroughs. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Davis'portrayal of the Amazon is brilliant.
One River was one of the best books I have read in quite some time. As a Ph.D student in Botany, I was inspired by the accounts of Shultes, Plowman and Davis' journeys to the Amazon seeking tropical plants and learning from the people who have been using them for generations.. Davis has a rare ability to mix technical science writing with a deep knowledge of history, culture, and politics and make it flow into a coherent narrative. Any student of ecology, evolution, (especially of plants) will love this book as will people with an interest in the cultures and history of the Amazon basin.

Human & Ecological Diversity Fall Victim to the Modern World
"One River" will take you on a journey that you will never forget. It will introduce you to one of the twentieth century's most remarkable men--Richard Evans Schultes, as well as one of the world's most fascinating places--the Amazon.

The book is the story of the work of Schultes and two of his students, including the author Wade Davis. It will take you as close as you can ever be to lost cultures and lost ecosystems along with cultures and ecosystems that are very much endangered. Wade Davis is a champion of both human and ecological diversity. "One River" is probably the most eloquent testament to ethnic and biological diversity I've ever read.

As the modern world encroaches on every last nook and cranny of this beautiful earth, "One River" serves as a primer about what once was and about the price we pay as we lose one more species, or one more human culture forever.

This book is an adventure story. It is a story of incredible academic accomplishment. The term academic, with its connotations of being hopelessly removed from the real world does not apply here. Schultes and his students could not be more connected to the real world.

"One River" is the story of man and nature and how the two interact, each forever changing the other. Read this book and then tell your friends about it. While it is hard to make such a claim (there are so many good books), I'd have to say this is my favorite book.

Even Deeper in the Wonder
This will be a very short review on a book that has long been with me. While working on a reproductive biology macaw research project climbing into the canopy of the Amazon each day for 3 months i found ONE RIVER one night piled amongst the research literature. Even though i had the Amazon literally ground into my bones after so many days of hard labor i could not put this book down each night reading by candle. Could one gourge on steak then still enjoy reading about cattle? This is simply a fascinating, and most well written book on arguably the most complex wonderful ecosystem as experienced by a most hard working curiously gifted individual. Do your soul a favor and read this book 5 times!!!

Wade Davis opens up the amazon and ethno-botany
I have read this book fully three times over five years. I am still amazed at the wealth of detail, yet the subtle humor in Davis' descriptions of the plants and peoples of the Amazon basin. The book is so detailed that I think many people glaze over in trying to read it. I would say it helps to read it before and then after you visit any rainforest. It also gives you a whole different approach to medicine and healing. The shaman empathizes with a patient, and uses native plants on HIMSELF to approach the healing process. Then, illuminated regarding what course to follow, provides the patient with a very specific course of healing, often using other plant materials. Often dismissed in our American culture as superstition, these practices are fascinating to read about from an author who has travelled, observed, and done what we can only imagine, and who seems to believe otherwise.

River of Life
One River reads like an adventure story, a character sketch, a history, and a PhD dissertation. How Davis is able to hold so many disparate strands together so well is a true marvel. That he is an excellent writer surely helped but so did his choice of topics-all quite fascinating.

Rarely does one pick up a book, especially non-fiction, that cannot be set aside. This book glues itself to your hands and you won't be able to shake it until you've finished. Then you'll wish there were more.

In the broadest terms, One River is a biography of Davis's mentor, Richard Evans Schultes. I had become familiar with Schultes's work when researching hallucinogens. Well-known in that particular field, he is renowned generally as the godfather of ethnobotany. Tracing any strand in modern botany you'll find him again and again. He was incredibly prolific and a born adventurer. Many species of plants are named after him because his colleagues so highly respected him.

Davis recounts his personal experiences under Schultes-the strange days at Harvard, the mission Schultes sent him on to study cocaine in 1970s Columbia-and then proceeds to unravel his hero's own story. One needs to read the book to appreciate the twists and turns of this plot but let's just say Schultes has taken all drugs, lived with all new world tribes, and regularly voted for Queen Elizabeth II in presidential elections. In spite of his noted eccentricities few scientists could claim such respect or accomplishment.

In the early 40s he was employed by U.S. government to find and/or cultivate a new world source of high quality rubber. A decade of work almost resulted in a better rubber that would enrich the people of Central America and ensure the U.S. a constant supply of this industrial mainstay. Please read almost... a single guffaw by some legislators destroyed all this work and left us in the lurch of depending on Southeast Asia for our rubber, a precarious situation to be sure.

Throughout the book, the main backdrop is the Amazon. One of the reasons I had trouble putting the book down was because it transported me to that exotic place. Though I was doing my same old routine, I could jump into the narrative and feel like I was on an intrepid vacation never sure what the next bend in the river would bring: menacing or friendly natives, a new species of orchid, other wanderers, a potently hallucinogenic plant?

For a thoughtful and engaging read one can do no better. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Jungles are mysterious and even threatening places, among the least explored landscapes on the earth--and just the sort of place, therefore, that you might expect to find the ever-intrepid wildlife photographer Frans Lanting. "The tropical forest may be a naturalist's paradise," he writes, "but for a photographer it can be a nightmare. Once you are inside it is all blood, sweat, and leeches. Whatever you take into the forest becomes part of the food chain, whether it is your equipment or yourself."

But difficult conditions come with the work. In this oversized portfolio of 120 full-color images made over two decades on four continents, Lanting chronicles the life of the world's jungles, organizing the work by themes (water and light, color and camouflage, anarchy and order, form and evolution). As befits the jungle's manic pace, few of the images are static, as Lanting captures macaws and butterflies and even frogs in flight, orangutans brachiating their way from vine to vine, turkeys and snakes scrambling and slithering. Some of the images are nothing short of astonishing, among them views of an otherworldly cloudforest lobelia thicket in Hawaii and of treetop expanses that exhibit the phenomenon called "canopy shyness," an arboreal version of animal territoriality. Admirers of Lanting's previous books, such as Okavango and Eye to Eye, will prize his new collection, while rainforest devotees will find much to inspire them in the images he brings before us.--Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A Pictoral Essay: Please Save Our Jungles!
"I . . . show jungles in their natural spendor, and their animal inhabitants with the dignity they deserve." "I want to show what is at stake . . . ." "It is about the feeling of the forest rather than the science of it." -- Frans Lanting

This book contains some of the most stunning jungle photography that it has been my pleasure to see. The images contain amazing contrasts between breathtaking vistas and intricate close-ups. The contrasts continue with great use of both stillness and motion. In some cases, very fast exposures capture images that you could never see in real time with the human eye. In all these scenes, you will see incredible detail that will impress you with nature's richness.

Mr. Lanting's view is that only by knowing the jungle, can people want to save it. The whole book is designed to serve a conservationist's purpose.

You and I could spend a lifetime in the jungle and probably not see a quarter of the stunning images that are here. These photographs are the result of 20 years worth of work in trying conditions all around the world.

The photographs are grouped into four sections to emphasize elements of the jungle. "Water and Light" looks at the interplay of these elements with plant and animal life. "Color and Camouflage" looks at the contrasting needs to hide and desire to be seen for procreative purposes. "Anarchy and Order" surveys impressions of growth and movement. "Form and Evolution" shows many wonders of natural selection.

My favorites include the following:

Victoria's Crowned Pigeon

Raindrops on Leaf, Peru

Rainforest Sunrise, Borneo

Fern, Borneo

Waterfalls, Brazil

Swimming Snake, Madagascar

Palm Savannah, Brazil

Great Argus Pheasant Plumage

Nightjar, Belize

Lichen Katydid, Borneo

Scarlet Ibis Bathing

Urania Moth, Peru

Proboscis Monkey, Borneo

Mount Kinabalu, Borneo

Pitcher Plant Growth, Borneo

Chameleon, Madagascar

Tree Ferns, Australia

Butterflies on Sneaker, Peru

After you finish enjoying these marvelous color reveries of the natural world, I suggest you think about how you can help save the jungles. They offer practical benefits (like providing biological diversity, places where life-saving drugs can be found, and offsetting the carbon dioxide build-up) as well as aesthetic ones that we all should take seriously. If you can afford a donation, do that. If you can donate your time, do that. If you can help inform someone else to help, that's a wonderful thing to do as well.

Walk and act in beauty!

Fantastic and inspirational book!
Well,when I was 14-15 years old,I was mostly interested in underwater photography and therefore,I had only a few photo books. But later,my interest for other animals too,grew much larger and therefore,I received this book as a christmas gift from my mother. It was really not a bad book,and it made me love Lanting and buy two more books with his pictures later.
It is a huge book,weighing perhaps 1,5 kilograms and with dimensions "14" x "10". It contains 150 photographs of plants and animals living in jungles around the world. Among the animals included are a series of pictures of red macaws in Peru,
dancing lemurs of Madagascar,cute little frogs in giant flowers in Borneo,incredibly strang-looking insects of various jungles,bats fishing at night in South America,and the shining eyes of caimans in Brazil.
But don`t just look at the animal pictures. The part which I find most inspiring is the jungle habitats. Especially the morning light in Borneo and Peru,and the palm savannah of Brazil. They all look humid and there are fog clouds in the dawin. Very beautifull. The australian jungles look very exciting too. Many pictures,especially of birds,are very windy to make a real impression of the movements of the animals. Lanting`s capability of capturing details of animals has never been as well presented as in this book. Especially in this huge format and double-page photos in the half of the book.
Over all,this is a fantastic book recommended to anyone interested in jungles,animals,or just in beautifull natural photography. You`ll be amazed,whoever you are.

My favorite photographer thanks to this book
Frans Lanting is a god among nature photographers. This book's *gorgeous* imagery takes me to another world completey, and I can only hope to follow in his genius footsteps with my humble little SLR. For anyone who loves to look at up close and personal pictures of animals or of lush jungle vegetation/rivers, or anyone who loves nature photography, I highly recommend this book. No wildlife photographer's shelf should be void of it.

Stunning photography, but........
This is really an excellent portfolio with some stunning photography that really inspires one. I am a fan of Lanting's work and this book does not dissapoint.

My only issue is not with Lanting, but rather with Taschen (the publisher). The book is really very poorly bound and the glue just does'nt seem to hold the book together. This is not just an isolated case with my copy. I found that most of the copies (even those on the bookstore shelves) that I handled has this problem. I must say that this is quite dissapointing work from Taschen.

A vision of paradise
JUNGLES takes you to a world you are not likely to visit in person. From Africa, to Australia, to Central and South America, you are afforded a view usually reserved for exotic and otherworldy animals, vegetation, and even insects (some such alien-like beings are pictured here). Such beautiful creations!

My favorite portion of JUNGLES is the depiction of the beautiful Makaws of the Amazon jungle. In one shot, you see at least thirty of these magnificent creatures sitting on the side of a cliff, gathered there to eat the chalky red clay-like rock that provides them with the necessary calcium. These photographs had previously been published - in fact, were the cover story - of an edition of "National Geographic" magazine, which should give you an indication of the quality of photography you will be treated to in JUNGLES. ... Read more

Book Description

This new edition of Whitmore's classic introduction to tropical rain forests has been comprehensively revised and updated, reflecting the changes which have taken place since it was first published in 1990. The sections on human impact have been extended to include a new global assessment of deforestation as well as details of new research on biodiversity and conservation. Discussion of the future of the rain forests and priorities for action is incorporated. The book remains unique in linking rain forest biology and ecology with silviculture, and with concerns over sustainable resource utilization and the future of the tropical rain forests. It includes sections on the diverse animal and plant life forms which are found in the rain forest, and the interconnections between them. Nutrient cycles and forest dynamics are fully explained, with new data on ecophysiology and forest microclimates. The geologic and climatic history of rain forests, and the wide-spread canopy disturbances now understood to have occurred in the past, are explored. Accessibly written, and illustrated throughout with line-drawings and photographs, this is a must for biology and geography students, and anyone else who seeks to know more about the nature and importance of the world's tropical rain forests. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

this book was very enriching and enlightening, spiritual
It was a book that helped me gain knowledge but it also made me want to go out and explore it, it was fabulous Icould hardly put it down and it helped a lot with my research paper. Thanks ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (3)

You can't go without it.
This book, referred to by many other authors, is THE guide for this group of Mammals. I found it indispensible for use in the rainforest, even if most mammals are very hard to see. The perfect illustrations, combined with the thorough descriptions and clear distribution maps, make it easy to determine what kind of animal you've seen. Very helpful to understand the local guides are the translations of the names in many tongues.

It's a very practical and well illustrated fieldguide
It's the most usefull book I own related with the mammalfauna proyects ( inventories, education, management ) we are doing in Central and Western Colombia. Every aspect of the text and illustrations has proven to be very usefull and practical. The taxonomical descriptions are generaly good enough to clasify the bigger species in the field, and the habit and habitat descriptions coincide mostly with our own experiences. The distributionmaps included in the text are also very usefull. The illustrations are sometime a little small, but have proven to be easily recognized by the local habitants, what is extremely usefull during quick inventaries. The relation price-quality is outstanding

wonderful
Adorei este livro, à muito tempo não vejo um livro sobre mamíferos neotropicais com este. A primeira vez que o li foi na universidade onde eu estudo. Sou aluno de veterinária e pretendo trabalhar com animais silvestres, por isso gostaria de ter este livro. Gostaria de saber mais sobre trabalhos ou livros publicados por estes autores. Um abraço, Adriano Carneiro (Pernambuco- Brasil). ... Read more

Book Description

ENTER THE GREAT BEAR RAINFORESTThe southern half of Canada's west coast is justly famous for its fabulous scenery and pitched battles to save remnants of its magnificent coniferous forest-but what about the northern half? Between Vancouver island and Alaska, the mainland BC coast winds through a 250-mile wonderland of forested islands and inlets every bit as enchanting as the southern half, but still very much as nature created it, a wonderfully complex and delicate rainforest masterpiece ten thousand years in the making. The area is one of the northern hemisphere's richest unprotected wildlife habitats, the home of Canada's largest grizzly bears as well as the rare all-white spirit or Kermode bear.Ian and Karen McAllister, both environmental campaigners, have spent over ten years exploring, photographing and researching this once-forgotten coast. The book contains over 150 stunning colour photographs, including some of the most extraordinary images of wild bears ever seen in print, lush river valleys where grizzly bears feast on salmon, dramatic Coast Range mountaintops, exotic plants of the ancient rainforest, and some of the most magnificent coastline in Canada. With these photographs, a personable, informative commentary by Ian and Karen and environmental writer Cameron Young, and full-colour maps and drawings, this book is the first to unveil the beauty and magnificence of this unique place.Since 1990, fourteen large rainforest valleys on the mainland coast of British Columbia have been lost to industrial logging. The publication of The Great Bear Rainforest aided Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, Ian and Karen McAllister's Raincoast Preservation Society and other environmental groups successfully lobby BC's provincial government for a moratorium on grizzly-bear hunting and the protection of a large portion of the area as parkland in 2001. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A Unique Journey AND A Desperate Plea
This book is written as a journal of a sailing voyage. Although the authors had previously visited the remarkable areas they photograph and describe six times before, the seventh visit is chronicled in these pages. Thus there is a great depth of knowledge and experience inherent to this work which transforms a simple if elegant journal into a powerful, somewhat doleful, environmental monograph.

This is a beautifully done book with many fascinating photographs of rainforest topography and the diverse life forms which abide therein. The accompanying text is well-written and consistently informative and interesting. But the overarching theme here is that pristine environments which are critical to the survival of untold species of flora and fauna are in jeopardy. Grave jeopardy. Moreover, the McAllisters take great pains to point out that the small islands of preserved and protected ecosystem created in compromise between commercial interests and environmentalists are insufficent to protect wildlife (bears, for example) that depend upon an interlinked vastness of unspoiled terrain in which to flourish.

So this book is as much an alarm and a plea for action as it is a wondrous presentation of its picturesque subject matter. As such, it is urgent reading for those of us concerned about the ravages unleashed when a society values short-term economic advantage (as when untouched river valleys are clear-cut by logging companies) over the work nature takes eons to complete.

A must of bear lovers, intersting facts, great photos
This is a wonderful book for both nature and bear lovers alike. It is packed with beautiful color photos. Many interesting facts about the wildlife & plants of the area are detailed in the captions.

The landscape photos feature vibrant wildflowers, ancient forests, & mountains. There are also many remarkable pictures of several bear types. I loved the close-up shot of a bear eating a fish & another of a sprit bear on a log.

Stunning photos of some other animals include a puffin close-up, a bald eagle mother with baby, & an elephant seal gathering. If you can tear yourself away from the pictures, the text is equally impressive.

The authors tell of their experiences while exploring the rainforest. They also discusses the environmental concerns of the area. Journal entries from the trip are scatted throughout the book.

Keep sacred places secret while we can
A powerful book on this special place. But, now she's discovered

Beautiful
The authors clearly love and are dedicated to their subject. The photographs are stunning, in both technique and subject.

Canada's forgotten coast no longer.
The pictures are awesome, powerful, profound and they make you feel you are there. The writing is very insightful. The journals put you there in a very personal way. The cause is just and vital. This is a powerful book that takes you to one of the last great places, not only in a geographical way but in a spiritual sense as well. Yes, bears need whole untouched ecosystems as well as old growth forests, as explained so beautifully in the book. One day the people of British Columbia and the Wolrd will realize that if the Great Spirit Bear Rainforest can survive, then so can humanity. THIS BOOK IS A KEEPER! ... Read more

Book Description

Rainforest Healing from Your Home and Garden

• Find alternatives to chemical anti-depressants and painkillers in your spice rack.
• Learn about natural anti-itch salves for insect bites.
• Soothe and relieve envy, grief, sadness, and fear the Maya way.
• Rid your house of negative energy with a Maya cleansing ritual.
• Try the easy-to-make bronchitis remedy.

Reviews (2)

Got woman problems?
This book has remedies for any ailment a woman could encounter. From wrinkles to cramps to irritable husbands. There's a great section on massage for children to fix anything from nail biting to colic. It also seems there is a tea recipie for anything you could ever suffer from.
My personal testamony: I have suffered from chronic menstral cramps for the past 5 years and no doctor could find the cause of the problem. This book helped me realize that my uterus is tilted back due to years of dacing and running on concrete. By massaging my abdomen using the arvigo method taught in this book, for 2-3 minutes a day, I'm able to control the cramping without drugs. You don't know how amazing that feels!
I'm not very experienced in natural healing, and I must admit it was a little overwhelming at first, but now I feel very confident in the subject.
This would make the perfect gift to anyone with or preparing to have children.

rainforest remedies
I have had the pleasure of studing with Rosita, and visiting her in Belize. I had a chance to look this book over while waiting for it to be published. It is a wonderful book, filled with the wisdom of the Mayan traditions, healings, and spiritual practices, that Rosita knows so well having spent over 30 years working with the Mayan healers. This book is a treasure and should be followed by reading her first book, Sastun, my appreticeship with a Maya healer, which followers her journey to Belize and her delightful relationship with Don Elijio Panti, one of the last most respected healers of Belize. ... Read more

Book Description

Tropical habitats may contain more than a third of the world´s plant and animal species; Costa Rica alone is home to one of the highest levels of biodiversity per unit area in the world, and stands at center stage in worldwide conservation efforts. Within such regions, the use of state-of-the-art digital mapping technologies -sophisticated techniques that are relatively inexpensive and accessible -represents the future of conservation planning and policy. These methods, which employ satellites to obtain visual data on landscapes, allow environmental scientists to monitor encroachment on indigenous territories, trace park boundaries through unmarked wilderness, and identify wildlife habitats in regions where humans have limited access.
Focusing on the rich biodiversity of Costa Rica, the contributors demonstrate the use of geographic information systems (GIS) to enhance conservation efforts. They give an overview of the spatial nature of conservation and management and the current status of digital mapping in Costa Rica; a review of the basic principles behind digital mapping technologies; a series of case studies using these technologies at a variety of scales and for a range of conservation and management activities; and the results of the Costa Rican gap analysis project. GIS Methodologies for Developing Conservation Strategies provides powerful tools for those involved in decision-making about the natural environment, particularly in developing nations like Costa Rica where such technologies have not yet been widely adopted. For specialists in such areas as geography, conservation biology, and wildlife and natural resource management, the combination of conceptual background and case examples make the book a crucial addition to the literature. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

It is a photographic journal not a guide book
Mattias Klum is a very famous nature photographer, who has a unique style. He is not into just making portraits of animals and birds. Every photograph of his that I have seen communicates a whole story of the things he is taking pictures of. He has spent considerable time in rain forests, and communicates his experience very well.

Unfortunately, most of his books are printed only in Swedish, and he has not not got as much exposure outside here. You should check out other books by him too.

Mattias's work also exhibits a different nature photographic aesthetic from what most people in North America are used to seeing.

Artistic View of Borneo's Rain Forrest.
I purchased this book because I am planning a trip to Borneo and I wanted to learn more about the Borneo rain forest. The book is very well done. The photographs are very artistic and beautiful. Some of the creatures I have never seen before. However, I was disappointed that art took presidence over instruction. I did not learn as much about the plants and animals of the rain forest as I had hoped. If you are looking for an atlas or encyclopedic report keep looking. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Gem
This account of efforts to understand and deal with threatened exotic-caused extinctions on Guam is a gem. The paper back's blurbs focus on Jaffe's "ecological detective thriller." But it's the seamlessness of the book's widely-informed joined elements -- including biographical and political sketches of great pith, accessible population biology, and How Modern Science Works to try to save avian species -- that's most compelling. This deftness in weaving many individually fascinating threads recalled for me Neal Ascherson's astonishing "Black Sea."

The paperback's Index lists only passing references to DDT -- on pages 26, 27 and 72. Because the bad guy is not a chemical, not one of our products. No, he's one of us. And after the paucity and untimeliness of the legislative response to the Guamanian situation had sunk into my consciousness, it was ironic that in the end, an air force base on the island established the 50-acre "environmental reclamation experiment" Jaffe hopes could begin to turn it all around. Like the ending of William Golding's little masterpiece, with the navy warship rescuing the tribe of island-stranded boys from themselves.

silence of the birds
My God! You won't find any birds singing in this masterpiece! Rachel Carson has nothing on this guy! The DDT chapter broke my heart!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

This extraordinary saga moves from the Oval Office to theAmazon rain forests to show how Cold War intrigue linked a powerful American family, the U.S. government, and a missionary organizationin a forty-year campaign to conquer the Amazon.At the heart of this story are two intensely ambitious men:Nelson Rockefeller, scion ofthe liberal and immensely wealthy Standard Oil family, and William Cameron Townsend, founder of the ultraconservative Wycliffe Bible Translators.Although leaders of opposing camps, they found common cause in the struggle against fascism and then communism, with the result thathundreds of thousands of Amazonian tribespeople died or were displaced.The systematic campaign of colonization fathered by Rockefeller and Townsend was a chilling foreshadowing of American intervention in theThird World to secure valuable natural resources in the name of democracy. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A Terrible Book!
This is a highly distorted and poorly researched book written by liberals with an agenda. Readers should first see "Missionary Capitalist: Nelson Rockefeller in Venezuela"(2002).

The authors of "Thy Will Be Done" are examples of those described in "Guide to the Perfect Latin American Idiots" and "Useful Idiots: How Liberals Got it Wrong in the Cold War".

Thy will be done
This is one of the half dozen best books I have ever read. It answered a lot of questions as to how the power brokers operate. I found some answers to the Kennedy death.

A fantastic reference on who runs our world & how they do it
I agree with all the reviews above, especially the last writerwho said to buy it and keep it.

I would only add that the authorsof Thy Will Be Done did an outstanding job of illuminating the intense conflicts between the Kennedys and Rockefellers on almost every business and government issue. Each well-sourced fact paints a picture of how much Big Business, Big Oil and Big Banks hated the Kennedys.

Col. Fletcher Prouty (Man X in the JFK movie) and the makers of the movie Executive Action pointed to a cabal of Big Money as the group that set the JFK assassination machinery in motion. I have always thought this a plausible theory but it needed more facts to support it. Colby's book provides them, in bits and pieces, scattered througout its chapters without ever announcing any belief in a conspiracy to kill JFK.

Yet, when I finished the book, I had a much clearer picture of these Big Money fat cats sitting around, discussing matters of mutual interest, including the fate of the Kennedys. And, there, at the head of the table, sat the Rockefeller Brothers.

Anyone interested in finding out more should consider reading a book by Donald Gibson called Battling Wall Street: The Kennedy Presidency.

Insights on Elliotts and Saints
The Colby book is of particular interest to evangelical Christians who have loved and taken inspiration from the lives of Jim and Elizabeth Elliott and Rachel Saint. It adds some information not generally known about their working relationships with each other and the Summer Institute of Linguistics, a venerable and respected organization in evangelical circles, that makes them more human and accessible. (Unfortunately, some of the references to the Elliotts and the Saints are not very well documented, so the information should be treated cautiously.) Elizabeth Elliott has admitted in later editions of her book "The Savage My Kinsman," that there are things she prefers not to talk about now, particularly regarding her relationship with Rachel Saint, that Colby sheds some light on. Finally, the context with which the missionaries were working, that is, U.S. politics and commercial interests in South America, will be of interest to churches that need to see the big picture of their missionary work, including the cultural impact of sending whites into an indigenous area. What the book does not seem to do is actually make clear Rockefeller's involvement with the missionaries and SIL, something perhaps better extrapolated from another biography called "Rich Man in the Kingdom," about his father's interest in religious philanthropy.

This is a book to buy... not check out from library
The book title does not make full justice to its contents. It only touches on one among the many areas that are covered. The main story line follows the Rockefeller family (specially Nelson's) financial interests in the third world in parallel with the evangelizasion efforts in the same areas. However, it is difficult to imagine a wider coverage of those issues. Full account of the ties between the financial and religious interest is presented. Those range from fundraisers, political campaigns and economic interests at home to political, logistical and conspiratory collaboration abroad. Each facet is well documented so that the reader which can't possibly be well versed in all the different world areas understands the background. It took 18 years for the authors to complete the research. It may take me that long to fully appreciate all the different areas where both Rockefeller and the Evangelism movement had an impact. It is not enough to check out the book from the library... it has to be on the bookshelf of any person intereted in understanding the new type of collonialism. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

One Man's Ecological Odyssey
"The Burning Season" discusses the life and importance of Chico Mendes, the founder of Brazil's ecological movement to preserve and save the Amazon rainforest from the destruction by herders, miners, and other companies wanting to exploit the region's rich natural supplies.

Mendes, who led a movement from the small frontier town of Acre, became an international celebrity after he went on Brazilian television to fight the destruction of the Amazonian Rainforest. With the ban on Argentine beef, Brazilian farmers saw the Amazon as being an emerging area to raise cattle in order to meet the world demand for beef. Miners, who were moving onto Indian lands to mine for gold, copper, and other minerals were also effecting the rainforest's ecology.

Mendes, who was a "seringuiero," or "rubber-tapper," relied on the Amazon's vast supply of rubber trees in order to make a living. Seeing that his source of income was in peril with the elimination of trees in order to make room for miners and farmers, Mendes began a national movement to awaken the consciousness of the world about the obvious dangers that lurked nearby if the rainforest was cleared. However, his life will take a tragic turn when he was only starting to gain international awareness and support for his movement.

The first few chapters of the book discuss the importance the rainforest plays when it comes to the spectrum of life on earth. The rainforest's vast fauna, flora, and wildlife have allowed many native cultures to survive for centuries, before and after the arrival of the Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors. The Amazon's emergence as a battleground for the discovery and development of cures and vaccines for various diseases and maladies has become more important in recent years, especially as pharmaceutical companies search for an AIDS vaccine. The rest of the book discusses Chico's early life, his career, family, and activism, and all events of importance to his movement after his death, especially the trial that brought those responsible for his death to justice.

This is a must-read book for everyone. Chico Mendes' mission to educate the world of the immense importance that Brazil's rainforest is to world's climate control should not die in vain. This important, ethical book will awaken your awareness of what the Amazon's destruction and development will have on the world's population

Chico was a powerful man who helps his people and the forest
This book is very educational. It helps you learn about a man who strives for what he wants. He wanted the tree cutters to stop cutting down his people's trees. The trees were rubber trees. And the town people are rubber tappers. In order for the people to go on with their lives they all needed the trees. Chico was a very patonate man, and we all should be greatful that he risked his life for the forest. ... Read more

Book Description

This comprehensive review of the hydrological and physiological functioning of tropical rain forests covers the environmental impacts of their disturbance and conversion to other land uses, as well as optimum strategies for managing them. Specialists will find authenticated detail in chapters written by experts on a complete range of people-water-land use issues. ... Read more

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a very beautiful book that catch your heart completely
This book is not only have amazingly beautiful photographs of the Indonesian fauna, flora and native people, it also give you a very deep and insight story of each of them which bring you to realize how beautiful all the creatures on earth are. After reading this book, I have this giant urge in my body to buy a good camera and to go to these beautiful nature reserves in Indonesia to meet and to see and to take pictures of these animals , flowers, trees, people and listen to each story these people have for their unique creatures ... Read more

Book Description

More than half of the world's living species--from the hidden forests and exotic mammals of Madagascar to the multicolored birds and butterflies of Central America--are found almost exclusively within the rainforest canopy. Illustrated with 200 spectacular color photographs, Rainforest celebrates the diversity and beauty of the life in the world's rainforests. Each chapter covers a major rainforest region: Africa, Madagascar, India and Southeast Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines, Central America, the Caribbean, the Amazon (which has more plant and animal species than anywhere else on Earth), and Brazil, as well as the temperate rainforests in areas such as Tasmania and North America. The book details habitat, plants and animals, and threats to the precarious balance between humans and rainforests. The introduction provides an overview of the world's rainforests and a summary of current conservation issues. Reference material includes a color world map showing the major rainforests, suggested further reading, and useful addresses. ... Read more

Book Description

With detailed information available for perhaps only a few hundred of the many thousand of species that occur, our current knowledge of the ecology of tropical rainforest trees is limited. This book aims to summarize the contemporary understanding of the ecology of tropical rainforest trees. The emphasis is on comparative ecology, an approach that can help to identify possible adaptive trends and evolutionary constraints and that may also lead to a workable ecological classification for tree species, conceptually simplifying the rainforest community and making it more amenable to analysis. ... Read more

Book Description

Discover the mysterious and fascinating ways in which animals and plants—and people—interact with one another in the rainforests of Costa Rica.Author and naturalist Jack Ewing shares a wealth of observations and experiences, gathered from more than three decades of living in southwestern Costa Rica, home to some of the most prolific and diverse ecosystems on Earth. More than just a simple collection of essays, Monkeys are Made of Chocolate is a testament to the wonder of life in all its countless guises, as seen through the eyes of a man with a gift for subtle discernment and a natural flair for storytelling. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

For Costa Rica lovers!
As the author of Explore Costa Rica, a travel guide to Costa Rica, I've known Jack Ewing for more than ten years. Jack owns and runs Finca Hacienda Baru, one of Costa Rica's oldest eco-lodges. Jack has had many fascinating experiences during his years of residence, and he tells about them in this book. I learned a lot, and you will too! I recommend this book to anyone interested in tropical rainforests, ecology, Costa Rica, and animals. ... Read more