Tales of a Shaman's ApprenticeForeword
Chapter 1: Through the Emerald Door
Chapter 2: The Search for the Black Caiman
Chapter 3: Among the Maroons
Chapter 4: Under the Double Rainbow
Chapter 5: A Recipe for Poison
Chapter 6: Across the Savannas of the Sipaliwini
Chapter 7: Witch Doctor of the Wayanas
Chapter 8: The Semen of the Sun
Chapter 9: Return to Kwamala
Recommended Reading
Plant Glossary
Index
Mark J. Plotkin, Ph.D., was born and raised in New Orleans and educated at Harvard, Yale, and Tufts. Trained as an ethnobotanist, he has done extensive research throughout the lowlands of tropical South America. He is a co-founder of the Amazon Conservation Team, where he currently serves as president. Dr. Plotkin has previously served as a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution and at the Botanical Museum of Harvard University, the director of plant conservation at the World Wildlife Fund, and the vice president of Conservation International. His research has been featured inLife, Newsweek, Smithsonian, Time, andThe New York Timesas well as PBS'sNovaand the Academy Award-winning documentary Amazon.
Praise for Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice:
“Colorful and intriguing . . . Gives us a clear sense of how field
scientists work and make the discoveries upon which modern medicine
depends.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“Fascinating . . . [Plotkin] expresses a very proper awe for the
charismatic and mysterious powers of the shamans . . . He has a
gift for evoking a sense of place, and the characters he meets come
alive on the page.”
—Los Angeles Times
“Intriguing, engaging, exciting, and disturbing—a rare
accomplishment in a botanical work . . . In their richness and
diversity, these pages recall Amazonia itself.”
—American Horticulturist
“Thrilling . . . A first-rate travel and adventure tale in
which scientific lore, passionate advocacy of conservation and
literary gifts are combined.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Plotkin’s tales permit the reader who has never ventured into any
rain forest . . . to experience almost firsthand the hazards, as
well as the pleasures, of studies with witch doctors. His accounts
of hacking his way through lianas thick and thin, of being soaked
in sweat and rain, of avoiding large crocodilians, and of being
bitten by vampire bats, are the stuff of adventure movies.”
—Natural History magazine
“This is a lot more than ethnobotany—it’s an adventure story. . . .
Plotkin is not just some fashionable rain forest Angst meister;
he’s been there and knows whereof he speaks.”
—Men’s Journal
“A compelling, insightful narrative that whisks the reader into a
time and place where plants, animals, and indigenous societies
coexist . . . A skillful blend of travel adventure, botanical and
cultural history, and Amazonian research.”
—Library Journal
“Plotkin reminds us often of the intimate connections we still have
with the rainforest. . . . This book will help save the forest and
hopefully the children of the forest, as it reminds us why we
should become involved.”
—Audubon
“Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice combines high adventure, scientific
insight, and a treasure trove of fascinating information.”
—Zoogoer magazine
“Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice teaches a great deal, while reading
like a marvelously exotic travelogue. Most importantly, it
re-excites our sense of wonder.”
—Juliet Wittman, editor of Discovery
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