Customer Reviews

The Desert Smells Like Rain: A Naturalist in Papago Indian Country

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nabhan has written a beautifully eloquent book about the Papago people of Arizona. The book focuses on the importance of rainfall to these desert dwellers and the way that it has become a key part of their culture and their celebrations. But this book is more than a simple study of desert climate and agriculture. It is an exploration of the beauty of the desert and of an ancient culture that is stuggling to live on their traditional lands in spite of the seperation from their families across the border in Mexico, and despite the lessened rainfall. In the desert the rain is a magical thing, and Nabhan has captured the feeling of the first raindrops after a long dry-spell. A beautiful work.

I worked out in the Sonora for a few years and learned to love its wide open, quiet spaces, the sizzle of a cicada and the smell right before thunder breaks and rain falls in big warm drops.

Living in Seattle, when I long for open grey-white land, the shade of the palo verde, the shuffle of a zebra-tail, I go down to the basement and find this book. Pure magic! Culture, nature and philosophy, this book has it all.

If you know how creosote smells after a desert rain, this book is for you. If you don't know, this book will help you to understand the appeal of the desert.

A nice look into the Papago lifestyle of the '80s, some history, some desert lore, some naturalist bent.

A nice read, recommended.

Wonderful! One of the most eloquent and insightful books ever written on deserts, Native Americans, agriculture, etc., etc. A treat for both the mind and the heart...