Savages

Joe Kane. Random House, New York, 1996.

A book to break your heart. The Huaorani indians live in one of the remotest regions of the Ecuadorian Amazon, a fierce tribe far removed from modern civilization — until oil is discovered in their remote rainforest valley. Kane, a writer who gets a whiff of what is going on, leaves his comfortable California life and sets off to investigate. His trip into the wilds and first encounters with the Huaorani are hilarious, but you soon sober up as you come to understand what is going on. Avoiding alarming generalizations and presenting the complexities of the situation with restraint, Kane gains your trust, which makes the story he tells all the more riveting and poignant. He lets you decide for yourself who the savages really are.

Dr. George Johnson