One of the most unique, most brutal, and most worldview opening (and yet truth confirming) books I have ever read. I don't know how to describe it. When people ask me what my favorite books are, I will talk about this one.

The back quarter of the this book (the third edition) regard the controversy Jungleman's story and Shoefoot's testimony caused in the anthropology community. And I understand why. The book portrays both many anthropologists and several missionaries in an extremely bad light. To say their behavior was criminal is a gross understatement. Some also probably read the book as some sort of expose or slander of famous anthropological work among the Yanomamo. I am less interested in this debate, and have not read the literature on the subject. I give Jungleman and Shoefoot the benefit of the doubt. They believe what they are saying and reporting, and they were there.

This is the story of the Yanomamo of the Amazon, a gruesome, vengeful people who undertake a great spiritual journey and discover the Creator Spirit. Surprisingly, even miraculously (I don't think that's an overstatement), they transform into a gentle people of peace. Mark Andrew Ritchie offers a refreshingly straightforward and respectful retelling of a Yanonamo shaman's memories, who relives for us the horrific violence, the cycles of heartbreak and shame, the mystical visions, and the joy of redemption. Warriors, children, anthropologists, missionaries, and spirits of all kinds collide and either consume or forgive one another. Glimpse a world that is simultaneously stranger than fiction and also the real world, complete with the ring of Truth. This is not bed-time reading, but it is a must read.

Pretty graphic but not simply for the sake of sex and violence. My favorite part was the very end at the appendix when you actually heard the author's voice instead of the narrator Jungleman. I loved how Shoefoot said that he can think of no other way for his people to be free from the evil spirits except to believe in the great spirit. I 100% believe the truth of this story and how the half-truths of the evil spirits are used to control those that they possess. It was unintentionally a really good follow-up book about the reality of spiritual warfare after reading Peretti's "This Present Darkness.

Favorite quote:

"We want people who will really care about us, like the man who came into my village and put his arm around me when I was covered with dirt, sweat, saliva, and mucous. This man shared in our suffering. He cared about our children. He showed us something we knew nothing about--love" (243).

This is a tale any American knows all too well.

Thankfully it seems the author has created a way for the old ways of these people to remain intact after they were deceived and taken over by white men. Many will remark how this story is full or murder, rape and other horrible things. I find most horrible is the enormous lie many tribes and indigenous people have been told so that insecure Christians can further validate their delusion and make more of a profit out of others fears and uncertainty of life.

These people had wars and treated women horribly. They thought this new spirit was helping them become more of a good person somehow. But they were not told that this spirit had been used by these white men to control and manipulate entire populations of people against their will, that this spirits name was linked to more wars and deaths than they could ever know.

These men came into their world, raped and mistreated them, told them they were no good unless they followed their god. Unfortunately they succeeded, they took over the land and now the rainforest is dwindling by the minute.

It is so sad to me that modern society looks at these people living with nature the way they should be and tells them that is uncivilized, that lies and destruction are the only way to be truly human. This book tells one story that can be told with so many others of our disconnection with our roots, the story that tells of all of us and our downfall.

It's really interesting to hear the story of Yanamamo spirituality from the point of view of an actual Shaman (through the filter of the author), as opposed to the many anthropologists who idealize the Yanamamo way of life. Although the author is christian, he tries as hard as he can to be unbiased. This books hard to find, but one of the most fascinating non-fictions I've ever read.

A mentor recommended this book to me. It changed how I see the spiritual world. And keep in mind as you are reading this book…yes this is a true story.

The realness of warfare described in this book had me shook and scared, but also in awe is how mighty Yahweh is!! So good and eye opening to the war going on at all times.

this book was an amazing account of the true story behind the spiritual journey of the yanomamo people. i was floored by these people's ability to know what's going on in the spiritual realm, and their stories opened my eyes to the truth about what is going on. but more than that, i was in awe of God's desire and ability to reach these people's hearts. the yanomamo people have a history of being very violent, revenge-driven people... but meeting the one true God and learning about Jesus Christ changed all that. warning for those who have a weak stomach: there are some very graphicly described details of violent occurrences. but that's the reality of what happened in these people's lives. another large part of this story is the arrival of the white man within the yanomamo people's jungles, and the good and bad that goes along with their arrival. i am so glad that i read this book. it showed me more of God's character, and the power He has to change lives.

This is not a comfortable read, and certainly not one for the squeamish. There are parts of it that definitely will offend you, and should. The Yanomamö people of the Amazon rainforest are vicious and their lives are violent, so expect to be shocked. In the appendix, the author shares that many different groups of people have attacked the authenticity of the book, for widely varying reasons. Some anthropologists have called it missionary propaganda and believe these people should be left to their "perfect, unspoiled" lives, yet some missionaries have been deeply disturbed by accounts in this book and reject the story entirely. That's what, to me, gives it a ring of truth: no one really wants this book to be true. We don't want to believe that humans can be so cruel, so depraved, as the descriptions in this book. Unfortunately, I found it too believable. It has been proven many times that people who proclaim helpful intentions often end up exploiting native people, and that happens several times in this account. The natives are horrible, yet sometimes the "civilized" people are worse.

What was most interesting to me was to hear the stories from the perspective of the shaman himself. I found his descriptions of his spirit guides and the unrest and chaos within him fascinating. I suspect that those people have a better grasp of the spiritual world and its conflicts than we can even imagine. For most of us, the noise and bustle of our modern world shuts out any awareness of those things. To be aware of how driven and desperate these people actually feel is to realize that it is no kindness to leave them as they are. It also was revealing to hear their impression of being studied "like animals." It was exciting to think that this shaman was able to find a better life, but sad to realize that most of these people are still living in horrible conditions. A very enlightening if not exactly enjoyable book.

Highly recommend this book. If you read it, also read the books by Mike or Millie Dawson to understand similar events from a different point of view.



Difficult to put down the book and at the same time, hard to read about the difficulties the Yanomamo face (and still do).

When I first started reading this book, I was absolutely shocked by the violence and brutality. It can be a disturbing read for this reason. I read this as a senior in college and was an anthropology major, so I was able to read it with an open mind, but I think some readers would have a problem with ethnocenticism. I knew very little about the Yanomamo before reading this book, but now I feel like I have some good insight.

This book blows the lid off the idea of leaving all the indigenous people alone because they are happy and peaceful and don't need us. It's a first hand account of life in the rainforest as a Shaman. And it's not the romance story we've been told. Brace yourself for some true insight to the spirit realm. Wow.