Customer Reviews

Die If You Must: Brazilian Indians In The Twentieth Century (v. 3)

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I think it's been about 18 years since I bought 'Amazon Frontier' by John Hemming, the second book in his trilogy charting the history of contact between the indians of Brazil and the invaders from Europe. Since that day I've been eagerly awaiting the hoped for final book. In brief 'Die if You Must' does not disappoint at all. It is clearly well researched, factual with a strong dash of humanity and crammed with stories and information that thrilled me, saddened me, horrified me and ultimately left me with feelings of hope. The accounts of first contacts with hitherto unknown, understandably wary or hostile people are incredibly intense and I found it easy to imagine the mutual terror and excitement felt by both the indigenous nations and the people seeking to contact them. Stories of tribal revitalization and resistance in the face of seemingly unsurmountable opposition are great to hear. We hear tales of honour, shame, morality, courage, grief and guilt in the very personal accounts of people both indigenous and neo-Brazillian in the wider scope of the book. It's a shame that like so many other pages in history, that of the indigenous peoples of Brazil is one that is sadly neglected by the media and writers alike. Thankfully there are still people like John Hemming determined enough to bring their stories and histories to a wider audience. A fantastic book, detailed maps and information, I could go on and on. Best piece of non-fiction I've read in years. Incredible!