Customer Reviews

Tales of the Yanomami: Daily Life in the Venezuelan Forest (Canto original series)

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

 

 

I've read quite afew books on the Yanomami, but this was by far the most boring one I ever read...
Lizot writes as more of an observer than an opinionated human being. The result? One of the most scientific, and yet boring publications on the Yanomami to date...
One of the greatest things about the other books on the Yanomami is that they're written more like a novel or a diary than a scientific geneology/anthropology text book, but this one isn't the same... Lizot writes nothing of his personal experiences, thoughts, observations, or personal feelings about the Yanomami. Very nice, very scientific, but VERY boring... I only managed to read about half way through this book before stopping altogether...
If you're taking an anthropology class, or just interested in the subject like myself, then I recommend buying "Into the Heart" by Kenneth Good or one of Chagnon's many works. They're still written from a scentific stand point, but they're easier to read because the Authors write about their own personal experiences, which makes it alot more interesting and hard to put down like a good novel.
Besides, I feel that reading many books about the Yanomami, written by different authors from different perspectives makes for a greater learning experience.

Lizot's book, while highly scientific, lacks the drama, feeling, intricate perspective, suspense, and heart that other books based on the Author's field work had...

For an exciting and riveting account of one man's personal experiences, field work, heart ache, and adventure, read Kenneth Good's "Into the Heart: One Man's pursuit of Love and Knowledge Amoung the Yanomami Indians"
For a much better book written using a similar narrative complete with several professionally taken photographs, buy Valdir Cruz's "Faces of the Rainforest: the Yanomami"

Overall Rating: 2.3 stars

For me one of the best books on yanomami culture; from a prominent anthropologist, it gives a deep, inner view of yanomami's life and thought. It also renders in a magnificent way the mysteriousness and magical atmosphere that is so an essential part of the life of a yanomami village in the forest.

I've given a rating of 1 star for this book only because negative numbers are not an option. If you think this book is entertaining, you should read "Darkness in the Heart of El Dorado" by Patrick Teirney and find out the real story behind Lizot. This man should be in jail!

This book is an anthropological case study of a group of south american indians. Not only is it interesting from a scientific standpoint, it is also hilarious. The Yanomami are highly sexual. I had no idea there were so many creative activities a person could engage in with the penis (masterbation in the mouth of a river fish was a new one on me). They are also a fascinatingly brutal culture. For instance, its perfectly ok in the Yanomami culture to bonk someone over the head with a heavy club in an argument. Overall, a very entertaining read about a culture as foreign as one could imagine.