Customer Reviews

Shabono: A Visit to a Remote and Magical World in the South American Rain Forest

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Having read many books on this subject, I am sure Florinda Donner has never been among the Yanomamo and this work of fiction is merely wishful thinking. For an accurate portrait of a Yanomamo woman's life I recommend "Yanoaama: the story of a woman abducted by Brazilian Indians" by Helena Valaro.

A walk through the emerald jungle.....A visit to a magical world!.....A wonderful jungle adventure! Makes me think I'm in my beloved Peruvian Amazon jungle, again, enjoying the enchantment of it all.

Florinda's books seem to have been written (or published) in the inverse order of the experiences that gave rise to them, if I understand correctly (there are a few references here and there to her past). In light of this, it's useful to know that she was hardly the "geeky anthropologist" (as another reviewer put it) that she appears to be.
This book could have been better if she'd been more open about her background. In all of her books she presents herself as being a little dumb or naive, likely in order to help the ordinary reader empathize with her character. I don't know if this is really necessary. Castaneda, likewise, always plays the idiot in his books, yet with him it's a transparent technique, whereas with her she never lets on...
I recommend reading all three of her books, in the opposite order that they were published in, starting with Being-in-Dreaming. They're not among the absolute best in this genre, but seem much more genuine than most of the others.

Although I found the book interesting and very readable, I was often reminded of Carlos Castaneda. I knew nothing about Ms. donner previously so I was surprised to find that she was acquainted with Mr. Castaneda. The book probably is fairly accurate as far as the cultural anthropology is concerned but there are many areas that are not believable. I would recommend this book as a light read about the Yanomamo.

Having read several books about the Yanomami, it was very refreshing to read this book, written so fascinating and pure by Florinda. It has given me a better idea of the feminine point of view in Yanomami society. As an addition to the 'pure' anthroplogical books on the Yanomami I would like to recommend this book.

A badly written hoax by someone who never actually lived with the Yanomami, this book features the convoluted adventures of a woman who decides to live in a community of Brazilian Indians. To those familiar with the Yanomami (I lived with them for 5 years) this is obvious fakery, although my edition of the book did not claim that the book was "a true story" or "nonfiction". Among other clues: she describes a Yanomami wedding ceremony--when in fact no such ceremony exists among the Yanomami, a fact you might know if you had read one or two of the many ethnographies on this tribe.

This is a touching and heartfelt account of a woman's journey into the South American Rain Forest. Living for a time with the natives, she learns about them, herself, the forest, and about magic! Beautiful imagery. You will likely be moved...

A masterful portrait of a people profoundly different from modern human.
Gorgeously lucid. An anthropological document that is a pleasure to read.
Florinda sets a benchmark that cannot be exceeded in precision and insight,
allowing the people of an isolated Shabona to express themselves.
Succinctly distils out the essence of character and perspective.

A very captivating story. As I was reading I could almost feel like I was there with her in the jungle living what's like to be completely fusing with the nature without any necessity of the "civilized word"
Serene

HOnestly, I enjoyed this book. It was just that I read it when I was about 16 years old. It was fun, yes. Yet I got the strange feeling that I could have written that book after just my intro to anthropology course in my freshman year in college. I could excuse myself to the readers that I was not going to use orthodox anthropological methods, and then let my imagination run wild. So much for the power and luck idea. All tough CAstaneda readers like myself might find themselves a bit disappointed. The Yanomamo is indeed one of the best studied groups in the world! You could watch an educational video and write a review with some made up moments with a similar result true for this book that it was made through dreaming. So, all teens, go buy the book. Some cool sex with the natives. Some drugs. THat is all. Dn't fall in love with it:)Hey, I am not arguing that the information is false, just the way it is presented looks kinda phoney... well, the gal did a good job, but could have been better, she is a sorcerer after all! But I guess they do not make the witches the way they used to anymore.