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Summary: Entheogens: Professional Listing
Review: "Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy."
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Summary: Brendan's Review of the Book
Review: (...)The Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice is riveting, nonfiction, adventure that takes place in the Amazonian rainforest. In 1974, the author, Mark Plotkin decided how he would spend his life, after attending a lecture at Harvard University given by Richard Evans Schultes, a world authority on ethnobotany. In 1979 Plotkin began the first of his travels to the Amazonian rain forests. His travels would take him to French Guiana, Brazil, Suriname, and Venezuela. He became an apprentice to the master shamans of the Tirio and Wayana tribes. In return he recorded what he learned so the information could be passed on to future generations. As the author notes, "Every time a shaman dies, it is as if a library burned down." The book also portrays invaluable information about botany, medicine, ecosystems, zoology, sociology, and history. It reminds us all that the rainforest and its people are all part of a fragile environment that could easily be lost forever. The author demonstrates through his writing the value of the rainforest plants to modern medicine and the importance of the survival of the people who are indigenous to the area.
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Summary: Brendan's Review of the Book
Review: (...) The Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice is riveting, nonfiction, adventure that takes place in the Amazonian rainforest. In 1974, the author, Mark Plotkin decided how he would spend his life, after attending a lecture at Harvard University given by Richard Evans Schultes, a world authority on ethnobotany. In 1979 Plotkin began the first of his travels to the Amazonian rain forests. His travels would take him to French Guiana, Brazil, Suriname, and Venezuela. He became an apprentice to the master shamans of the Tirio and Wayana tribes. In return he recorded what he learned so the information could be passed on to future generations. As the author notes, "Every time a shaman dies, it is as if a library burned down." The book also portrays invaluable information about botany, medicine, ecosystems, zoology, sociology, and history. It reminds us all that the rainforest and its people are all part of a fragile environment that could easily be lost forever. The author demonstrates through his writing the value of the rainforest plants to modern medicine and the importance of the survival of the people who are indigenous to the area.
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Summary: Compelling; delightful; packed with fascinating information
Review: A great read! Plotkin's book should be required for anyone travelling to a rainforest or interested in conservation, biodiversity, the immense value of natural resources and indigenous knowledge. He is a master storyteller who shares his experiences among indigenous peoples while searching for ethnobotanical knowledge in a way that reveals his cultural sensitivity, humor, love of adventure, and scientific determination. This book made me want to pack my things and head for the Amazon
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Summary: There's magic in there
Review: After reading A Shaman's Apprentice I have an even greater respect for both the rainforest and the people trying to perserve it. The book is a fast read, to my surprise, unlike other environmental books that seem slow. This story is peppered with intersting discovers of medicinal plants, how the natives use them andamusing stories of a white man in a rainforest world. A book that will definately have you awed by the powers of plants and how science relies so critically on this huge medicine chest.
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Summary: Interesting way to view the Amazon
Review: Folks who have seen Sean Connery in the Medicine Man know that there are cures to be found in the jungle. Mark Plotkin writes a story of truth being stranger than fiction, as he recounts his stories in the Amazon jungle. Experiments with halucinagens go hand in hand with the identification of rich sources of vitamin C.
We are also handed a primer in ethnobotany, the search for scientific basis of folk medicine. Sometimes it's real, sometimes it's not, and just perhaps there's a spritual element too. (Or is that the halucinagens?) Either way, you're left with an appreciation for the decreasing pharmaceutical wealth of the Amazon.
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Summary: A Phenomenal Book
Review: I agree wholeheartedly with the rave reviews for this book and it has become one of my favorites (I even sent it to an ethnobotanist in Yap as a must read). Not only is it wonderfully well-written, and not only does it address crucial ecological concerns, but it is an exciting account of Plotkin's effort to identify and explore the medical possibilities of Amazonian plants, while preserving the indigineous lore about their uses, both medicinal and spiritual; the discovery and adoption of plants by Europeans and North Americans, and Plotkin's own adventures. I found some it so fascinating on so many levels I'd read it to my family (okay, I know that may be obnoxious, but I couldn't restrain myself). It's thought-provoking, important and absolutely fascinating. Can't recommend it highly enough!!
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Summary: A non-fiction page turner
Review: I bought this book several years ago at a book store going out of business, one of the very few books left, thus I liberated it from the shelf and paid a fraction of the cost. I read this book in one sitting, and re-read it again a year or so later. This book give insight that the natives of the jungles know how to live off the land and that medical science has yet to catch up to the past. This book will also bring you aware that if we keep destroying the environment we may loose the cure to a disease that could save many lives. He talks about his encounters with the natives and becomes one of them, by living with them. He brings you into the tribe as if you were his assistant helping out. It is a book you won't forget after reading. I highly recomend this book.
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Summary: Book that changed my life
Review: I just wanted to say that this book lead me in a new direction in life. i am a medical student with no direction and this helped me realize that there is so much of value out there that we have yet even to discover let alone understand. I am not saying that everyone should have this book, rather letting others know that this book is beautiful and rich. Easy reading and powerfully amazing. There are no bad trips, only experiences. Enjoy, John
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Summary: Great Book on Shamanism and the Jungle
Review: I read this book years ago, and still find myself thinking about, referring to it, etc. I can't tell you how much of an impact it has had on my thinking. Should be required reading for all med students.
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