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The Burning Season: The Murder Of Chico Mendes^

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"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. PLEASE NOTE: This Audio version is unabridged and contains the entire book on audio cassettes.