Rating: 
Summary: An amazing book full of philosphy and things to think about
Review: This book really touched me. I love to underline key passages in books that move me and my husband laughed at how much I was underlining here. Its all about connections with nature, the earth and how she is changing, gaining balance in one's life, living completeky and awake. There are so many wonderful messages told the through the story itself as well as through stories that are told within the story by the main characters. I took my time in reading his book because there is indeed so much here. There are parts that reminded me of Exupery's "The Little Prince" which is my all-time favorite book. Wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing book full of philosphy and things to think about
Review: This book really touched me. I love to underline key passages in books that move me and my husband laughed at how much I was underlining here. Its all about connections with nature, the earth and how she is changing, gaining balance in one's life, living completeky and awake. There are so many wonderful messages told the through the story itself as well as through stories that are told within the story by the main characters. I took my time in reading his book because there is indeed so much here. There are parts that reminded me of Exupery's "The Little Prince" which is my all-time favorite book. Wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: Initiation of a present-day shaman
Review: This book recounts the first steps in the making of a modern-day shaman. It appears to be the honest account of a woman trying to make sense of experiences that are not comprehensible to most people living in our present society. As such it is very useful to those wanting to know about shamanism and to those who contemplate traveling this path. I highly recommend it!
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: This book was more like reading a journal for someone who takes drugs regularly. It gave no practical information on journeying and I was really disappointed. If you are interested in reading someone's daydreamings, you might like it. I did not.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended for the spiritual seeker.
Review: This is a candid account of the experiences of a young mother and student who was chosen by two South American shamans to learn and carry the light of their teachings. The story feels deeply authentic, unlike several other shamanic experiential books I've read. This book speaks to the heart, the gut, the deep portions of one's being. Not in a sentimental way, but in a way that enkindles the spirit to grow. This is a book for the seeker, who'll come out more spiritually grounded than expected. I *highly* recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent instructional instrument. But ...
Review: To appreciate this book you MUST know what the author is talking about. Without such knowledge this book shall be a waste of time and money. I was planning to attend a workshop instructed by one of the author's foremost students and I was told to read this book, which I did. When I read it the first time, I seriously thought that it was one of the worst books I have ever come across and I decided not to attend the workshop. Through some odd twist of fate I changed my mind and actually attended the workshop. This has been my first practical experience in this field and I have no problem to state it has been an extremely rich one. Then I re-read the book and I realized that it's NOT a new agey, drug-inspired, empty sequence of words. On the contrary it's a down-to-business, very practical instructional instrument. It's almost like a cook-book. Again, as long as you know what it's talking about.
The book in itself is not written very well. It doesn't flow smoothly at all. The continuous quotations of the author's teachers make it a hard reading: after a while the "me-Tarzan-you-Jane" style gets on the nerves. In my opinion this book doesn't do the justice of this very fine lineage of shamanic pratictioners, instructors and healers. However, if you have been exposed to their instruction and need a text-book to go over their teachings, this is a must have.
Rating:
Summary: Not worthy of serious consideration
Review: To understand why I've rated this book as poor, consider its premise:A shaman couple from the Amazon study a heretofore unknown teaching. The origin of the teaching is unclear, but an "otherworldly" genesis is strongly suggested. This teaching is unknown by current scholars and anthropologists... The couple somehow know that they must search out the author of the book, so they learn Spanish, then English, then get a job and earn money (for the first time), move the the West coast of America, inhabiting a nice apartment overlooking the sea...all with no visible means of support... One of the shamans meets up with the author in a dramatic seaside storm, and a little while later begin teaching her a mishmash of lessons, with symbols drawn from everywhere from North American aboriginal thought to ancient Greece. Their command of English is astounding, even taking the author's disclaimer of "cleaning up the grammar" into account... She keeps these lessons secret -- telling not even her family -- for over a decade... I could go on, but I think my point is clear: this is a work of fiction (or is at least heavily fictionalized), but it is passed off as a factual account. Is Ms. Whitaker a charlatan, or was she taken in by charlatans? Did the Hetakas exist, or where they constructed from whole cloth? It is impossible to know the answers to these questions with any certainty, but even a casual reading should convince the reader that things are not what they seem. As fiction, the book reads poorly. Ms. Whitaker's character is wooden and lacking depth, constantly (and annoyingly) vacillating between incredulity, fear, and amazement. The character is obviously meant as device to aid in the exposition of the book's ideas, but in attempting to maintain the illusion that the events "really happened," Ms. Whitaker was too constrained and was unable develop the character interestingly. The Hetakas were unbelievable and slightly stereotyped. Given today's climate, shamanic thought deserves serious consideration: our very lives could ultimately depend upon it. This is one reason that the serious student of shamanism will find such clumsy attempts at sensationalism appalling. [In the spirit of full-disclosure, I have not finished this book yet. Given the above, I am finding the task very difficult.] For a serious study of shamanism, Eliade's classic text -- while dry -- is much deeper and useful. For those interested in first-hand accounts, the reader would be well served by reading Harner's works, or some of the more autobiographical works of McKenna. For well crafted story, Castaneda's works remain classics. And if you're interested in Ms. Whitaker's works, her CD of shamanic trance drumming is well crafted.
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