10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A compelling, highly recommended autobiographical story, February 11, 2002
This review is from: The Gringo's Hawk (Hardcover)
The Gringo's Hawk is the personal memoir of a varied and remarkable life. Jon Maranon was an idealistic American who became a landowner on the southwest coast of Costa Rica. Maranon found himself confronted with one crisis after another ranging from chicken hawks, to termites, to adjudicating peasant disputes, to conflicts with other landlords who felt Maranon paid his peasants too much. He fervently battled with Costa Rican government to stop the slow degradation of the environment, and worked with scientists to understand more about the migration patterns of whales. The Gringo's Hawk is the compelling, highly recommended autobiographical story of a unique, candidly presented, and singularly fascinating life.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An enlightening work on change and growth in Costa Rica, December 11, 2001
This review is from: The Gringo's Hawk (Hardcover)
The Gringo's Hawk is a thoroughly enjoyable read by Jon Marañon (nom de plume). Marañon made the tropical paradise of Costa Rica his home some 30 years ago and documented the immense change he witnessed in the ensuing years in a charming erstwhile enlightening manner. He describes the socio-cultural and ecological conditions of a remote part of Costa Rica as he found them, and the changes and growing pains he suffered and shared with the local community during his years there.
Through his memoirs we share Marañon's joy, anger, and frustration in his dealings with inept beauracracies and cultural roadblocks. At times one is drawn into his dejection, his pain and sorrow; at other times we are taken by his joy and satisfaction. We feel his love and fascination for the rainforest, the flora and fauna, and the planet. The book is full of interesting cultural and ecological observations, yet is never pedantic.
As we follow the author while he eeks out an existence in the rainforest, we learn about a life without luxuries such as power and transportation. We witness the personal transformations he underwent from idealist, to realist, and ultimately to environmental activist and philanthropist.
The lessons learned in the Gringo's Hawk make it a must-read for anyone interested in the recent natural history and changing sociology of Costa Rica. From his unique perspective, Marañon has successfully documented the challenges, on personal, ecological and cultural levels, faced by Costa Rica and its citizens during its emergence as a modern, globalized nation.
Having lived in Costa Rica in recent times, often wondering how the country once was, I highly recommend The Gringo's Hawk.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great book, a must read for everyone, October 31, 2001
This review is from: The Gringo's Hawk (Hardcover)
Once in a while you come across a movie, a place, or a book that takes you in and makes you part of it. One can have this experience at so many levels, but the deeper you are taken the better the experience. A book that does this and at the same time it forces you see the world in a different way, or to think about the way you look at life... well, that's a GREAT book. I had only a few books create such an experience in my life. But none so exuberant as this master piece.
I hope that you have a chance to read this book and I hope that it creates an unique experience for you as it as for me.
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