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Summary: Amazing
Review: I had the pleasure of taking a rafting trip down the Taku river in British Columbia with Wade Davis, his family, National Geographic, and The River Leage in July 2001. He told some of the stories in this book around the campfire and it was great to learn he feels just as passionately about them in real life as it came across in his books.
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Summary: Wade Davis opens up the amazon and ethno-botany
Review: I have read this book fully three times over five years. I am still amazed at the wealth of detail, yet the subtle humor in Davis' descriptions of the plants and peoples of the Amazon basin. The book is so detailed that I think many people glaze over in trying to read it. I would say it helps to read it before and then after you visit any rainforest. It also gives you a whole different approach to medicine and healing. The shaman empathizes with a patient, and uses native plants on HIMSELF to approach the healing process. Then, illuminated regarding what course to follow, provides the patient with a very specific course of healing, often using other plant materials. Often dismissed in our American culture as superstition, these practices are fascinating to read about from an author who has travelled, observed, and done what we can only imagine, and who seems to believe otherwise.
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Summary: Davis graduated from my school.....
Review: I haven't read this book, as I don't want to shell out 30 bucks for a hardcover. But Wade Davis is a graduate of one of my now ex-school. At one point he came to the school to give a lecture about his book and the rubbers trees. From what his lecture said, I think that the book should be magnificent. Buy it and you won't regret it!
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Summary: Great adventure story, but with a higher purpose. AMAZING!
Review: I know nothing about ethnobotany, but am a fan of adventure and sociology narratives about people and places. Davis merges these two themes with history, biography and writing that is so lyrical and heartfelt that his passion for his subject comes across on every page. Documenting his own explorations and those of his mentor, the famous ethnobotanist Richard SChultes, DAvis depicts the beauty and mystery that is the Amazon, and does it in an era when the area was yet to be despoiled by man and his pursuit of resources. I love adventure travel, but reading about real-life adventures that are done not for mere thrill seeking but have legitimate scientific, cultural and other values is always much more rewarding than reading adventure for its own sake. I have read this book three times and anticipate its appeal again drawing me back to its pages. Quite simply, this is one of the great books in the genre, and Davis is a great writer in any genre.
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Summary: Inspiring! A laymans read, well written
Review: I love books showing how the individual can contribute much more than he/she ever thought possible.
This book is for readers, not "ethnobotanists" the way Iacocca appealed to everyone. (I also suggest "Discovering Lifes Trails" by Tom Dennard)This book is for readers, tree huggers, Dead Heads, scientists, travelers and fans of Biography. Check it out of a library if you must, but I bet you will want to share with your friends.
MikeHoran@Worker.com
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Summary: I wanna go there, too..
Review: I never heard from the author or the book before I bought it, but it surely wasn't a bad choice to buy. It is so vividly written, that I felt at times like another companion of Davis, traversing with him the Rainforest of Amazonia. It is a must have for everyone who is at least a little bit interested in tropical nature and a very important piece to teach people how beautiful and worth to save the plants and wildlife in this part of the earth is.
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Summary: A truly amazing book!
Review: I purchased this book because I have travelled to the Amazon area before, and I am quite interested in the area, including the flora. I was pleasantly surprised by the book, as it is full of really interesting information about the area. Because of the book, I am seriously considering pursuing studies in Ethnobotany.
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Summary: An Amazing Journey
Review: I wasn't sure what to expect when I started to read this book, having never read anything about ethnobotany, but I was hooked from the first page. Davis writes like a poet and takes the reader on a fantastic journey through South America. The book has certainly made me question our country's drug policies. The use of drugs by the various tribes/cultures (as opposed to abuse of drugs) was such an eye-opener - we are so used to being pounded over the head with the idea that drugs are bad or evil; a scourge on society. One River will give you a whole new perspective on drug use to enhance life and promote cultural and spiritual well-being.
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Summary: An outstanding adventure, real-life, drama.
Review: It takes the text book terminolgy and translates it into real life adventures that take place in parts of the world unkown. Amazing.
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Summary: Missing from this excellent compelling story are maps.
Review: Loved the book. Learned so much of an important relevant area of the world we live in. But I have to say that in order to follow the adventure one needs to have a good set of maps. This should be included in the next printing. Or it could be a companion piece. Would make the vision of the trek of the red Hotel that much more interesting
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