Customer Reviews

A Year in Lapland: Guest of the Reindeer Herders

5 star:		(4)
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This is a well written account of a thoughtful outsider's experiences and observations of the Sami reindeer herders. Dr Beach participates in the culture and gains insights into Sami ways and the problems they encounter. A great story of the realities and hardships of a culture under great pressure to change their way of life. The author did his research in the field and it resulted in excellent data unobtainable through other methods. Very enjoyable reading, I recommend it highly to those interested in culture in the far north.

The author really took me there with him in his experiences. This is an older book, and I wish there were something more current like it. I know that things have changed since it was written. Also, being a woman, I would wish for something similar from a woman's cultural perspective and reality.

This book is wonderful -- it paints a vivid picture of modern Sampi, of both the landscape and the people. As well as the bugs and mice and smoke and wind. It is full of rich details and captivating anecdotes. It is never dull, never dry, but always beautiful and human. I loved every page.

I used this book as part of a comparative cultures class several years ago. It was a fantastic change of pace from the standard, and sometimes dry, academic ethnographies. The students and I both really enjoyed it. I highly recommend the book for anyone wanting to learn more about Saami culture, culture change and preservation, and/or a non-traditional ethnography.