Rating: 
Summary: 'science' over humanity
Review: American Anthropology Association El Dorado Task Force Preliminary Report:"We regard [Darkness in El Dorado] with profound ambivalence, finding the book deeply flawed, but nevertheless highlighting ethical issues that we must confront." Visit the American Anthropology Association web site for the complete report.
Rating: 
Summary: criminal behavior?
Review: Having read Darkness, and the reviews here and elsewhere, one aspect of this sorry affair seems to not to have been considered: namely, the possibility that, scientific ethics aside, Chagnon, et al, committed actual crimes against the Yanomamo and other peoples; and therefore, should criminal charges be brought against them? If, as happened recently, a man can be found guility of bombing a church 30+ years ago, certainly, possibly, charges of genocide, etc., could be pursued and investigated to the bitter end in this case, as has also happened with Nazi war criminals. Question is, by whom? Venezuelan government? US? Brazil? UN? Does anyone care enough about an "Indian" tribe to push a case that far? Who has the clout to try to bring Tierney's charges to a court of law? Obviously, hard evidence and witnesses would be difficult to procure. All journalistic sensationalism and academic backbiting aside, have crimes been "committed against humanity"? And shouldn't someone pay for these crimes? Just a thought. Buy this book, decide for yourself. Read everything available, but keep in mind: anthropologists, as with any other exclusive club, tend to support each other in public, even if they don't totally agree with their peer. It's how the game is played. Limited jobs, grants, publication opportunities all hinge on a narrow focus, if not blinders, to the often-times shoddy science and arrogant possessiveness of "field of expertise" of others. This is obviously a generalization, but overall, more stonewalling, obfuscation, and nepotism goes on than not. We need more investigators like Tierney to make ivory-tower academicians accountable for what they say and do, and how they spend our tax money. It's a matter of trust and responsibility, not just to personal reputation or academic venue, but to humanity as a whole. Whew. Sorry. I'm not really anti-science, or anti-scientists. I'm pro freedom of information, and the freedom to publish in mainstream publications any responsible questionings of scientific theory and field work. What do we know? And how do we know it? The "how" is often overlooked. Tierney's effort should be just a beginning.
Rating: 
Summary: Careless
Review: I don't believe that Tierney deliberately attempted to construct a work of deceptive character assassination. He's just a reporter who got in over his head. Tierney's criticism is largely misguided, especially regarding Neel's research. However, he does call attention to some of the issues that have been raised by anthropologists about Chagnon's work. The AAA report is definitely worth a look, as are the various critiques of that report by Sponsel, Turner, and Ferguson.
Rating:
Summary: Careless
Review: I don't believe that Tierney deliberately attempted to construct a work of deceptive character assassination. He's just a reporter who got in over his head. Tierney's criticism is largely misguided, especially regarding Neel's research. However, he does call attention to some of the issues that have been raised by anthropologists about Chagnon's work. The AAA report is definitely worth a look, as are the various critiques of that report by Sponsel, Turner, and Ferguson.
Rating:
Summary: 'science' over humanity
Review: im glad this book was written for the sole-fact that all these reviews are so concentrated on supporting the name of Anthropology and "Science" that they dont focus on the cultures people have destroyed in the name of science, "progress", profit, grants, warfare, etc, etc, etc. "all of Chagnon's work is taken in vain." so are a lot of peoples livlihoods so he gets his paycheck. you can balance what you think its more important... a man coming back to his roots to observe for the rest of us or letting the people live autonomously.
Rating: 
Summary: fiction should be called fiction
Review: Patrick Tierney doesn't like anthropologist-legend Napoleon Chagnon, James Neel, or any number of other scientists, journalists, politicians, bureaucrats, perverts, and debutantes who have made reputations and money among and at the expense the Yanomami. This message is crystal clear. To Tierney's credit, his extensive, meticulous research and annotation, at times even distractive in its excruciating detail show just how serious he is about the pointed and refreshingly direct accusations he makes throughout his book. Tierney's argument is extensive and lengthy, clearly fueled by alternating rage and conviction. His knowledge of the area, its history, and the academic body surrounding the Yanomami is obvious. But, to my reading his narrative is poorly organized, even rambling. His detailed attacks against Chagnon, Neel, and others continue throughout the book, more or less chronologically, with detailed analyses and the debunking/disproving of Chagnon's studies and products continuing right to the very last paragraph on the very last page. It seems to me, however, that the discussion of the US Atomic Energy Commission's Project Sunshine, the radioactive injection programs, the mysterious bone collection program, the encroachment of miners and other agents of plunder into Yanomami areas, and the tales of official corruption all would serve to be the bookends, the hard bands around a core of clinical and precise dissection of Chagnon, both personally and professionally. But such was not the case. There are a great many issues going on here, and Tierney's need to address them all dilutes his overall work.... Tierney attacks constantly, without letting up, only rarely giving ground. To his credit, he does point out valid observations At the same time, he goes after the corrupt politicians and their cohorts, as well as the US Atomic Energy Commission, journalists, and any number of other individuals and organizations which he asserts have had impacts-all of them negative--upon the Yanomami. Many of these side stories are highly intriguing, worthy of additional research and publication, specifically the AEC's Project Sunshine and the bone collection program. Reading the book gave me some insight of my own. I'd argue that a better subtitle to the book would be "How Vanity and Commerce Devastated the Amazon." From the information provided here, what is clearly driving the academic exaggerations and falsifications, and the increasing, destructive contact with the Yanomami is the quest for personal glory and/or greed. The scientists saw and still see Yanomamiland as a massive laboratory in which to make a global reputation, the locals (politicians and entrepreneurs) see it as a resource-rich region for exploitation, and the journalists regard the area as a made-for-publication, story-rich environment, full of newspaper-selling, viewer-inducing drama. Unfortunately, all of this is true. What comes through clearly is that the Yanomami are absolutely powerless, ultimately doomed, unable to even conceive of let alone competently oppose the forces conspiring constantly to exploit them. In conclusion, the book serves three positive, educational purposes. First, it provides a detailed and accurate, albeit distorted slightly by Tierney's passion, history of the discovery and exploitation of the Yanomami. Second, it provides a cautionary tale on the nature of exploration and discovery, a real-world anthropological application of the Heisenberg Principle. And third, despite its rambling, unfocused message, it offers a textbook method for a point-by-point, meticulous refutation and indictment of apparently false ...scientific research. Tierney does not stoop to name-calling or insults; he retains the high ground yet ruthlessly, incessantly picks apart and destroys decades of Chagnon's and others' work, a lifetime of apparently wasted and falsified effort, all in the name of vanity.
Rating:
Summary: Crimes against Humanity?
Review: The book makes some very interesting points and is spellbinding to the end. However, I am not a trained anthropologist but rather a historian, and if the accusations in this book are true, they cry out for an International investigation into the role that Napoleon Chagnon and Dr. Neel played in the assault on these native people.
Rating:
Summary: Ridiculous and outrageous
Review: This book should be titled 'lies and deception'. Even extreme anthropological Marxists like Ferguson and Harris - whose ideas Tierney uses - have distanced themselves from this work. The book contains consistent rewritings of other writers' work and deceptive misquotings (used in one situation by one author, and then trimmed and applied to another situation). The allegations that scientists and the anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon used a bad measles vaccine to experiment on the Yanomamo was dismissed by an expert on vaccines in minutes. The only interesting question concerning this book is why Norton published it, and why they continue to sell it. Astonishing!
Rating:
Summary: A classic Leftist book of FICTION
Review: Tierney's book is a classic in the field of Lefty Books That Deny Reality. Do you want to know the Truth? Search the internet for scientific reviews of this book. The National Academy of Science, which is the top science organization in the US, has even written a review of this book. They basically say that this book is full of contradictions and falsehoods. Even the references Tierney lists dispute what he has to say. Universities and other science organisations also have joined in on the attack of this leftist attack on genuine science. All of the major attacks that Tierney charges in this book are nothing but distortions and falsehoods. Again, do a search on the web for the real truth. This book is useful for one reason-- to help understand the Leftist mental attitude. Lefties do not like any science that proves that their fantasies about human nature are wrong. Lefties WANT to believe that human action is dependant on the environment, unfortunately for Lefties, biology is finding that the nature of humans is more genetic than is genereally thought. This book should be cataloged in the fiction section.
Rating: 
Summary: Factual, but a bit bias
Review: With the long listed facts, this book gives a very detail description on the happenings in the Yanomami land since its discovery. The book blames the spoiled land was due to the anthropologists who were then awarded based on the field work within the Yanomami, who are friendly and should be protected intact as from the author's opinion. Though the anthropogists have the own accountabilities, there are authorities that could do something to prevent it from happening. However, it might be difficult as the Yanomami seems not as friendly as it was portrayed. From the kidnapping of a 12-year-old girl to the killings and wars just for more steel goods do not sound any "friendly" at all. That may be a reason for the anthropogists to treat them the way. Nevertheless, this is dedicated book that is worth to read.
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