No comments about Patagonia.

No comments about ACROSS UNKNOWN SOUTH AMERICA - KINDLE EDITION [ENG].

No comments about South America Map by ITMB.

5 comments about Witch-Doctor's Apprentice: Hunting for Medicinal Plants in the Amazon (Library of the Mystic Arts).

1. An excellent book on the amazing Amazon jungle written by atrue "worldly treasure," Nicole Maxwell. END



2. I am a big fan of ethnobotany and Amazon stories but this is pathetic. She gets nearly no medicines on her journey, ends up chasing Indians around becuase she never meets them, and has racial slurs (published in 1961 originally) about how suprised she is that the Indians are not savages and unpolite ,etc.. She actually says that one Indian was the 'best looking male animal she has seen' Insane. Not a good book.



3. The book Witch Doctor's Apprentice is a personal narrative about Nicole Maxell's Journey into the Amazon. On her quest to find medicinal plants of the Amazon she is forced to overcome many obstacles. The book appealed to me as a nature enthusiast and an aspiring physician. I expected to learn about tropical plants and their uses in modern medicine. Instead it was a boring journey where she spent most of her time wandering around.

   Maxell did do a good job using sensory detail. For instance, "She changes her distinction on every new fashion she follows. She changes the length of her hemline, the shape of her hate, the way she does her hair without altering her own strikingly individual personality." That description of a chic woman was used in a comparison with the town of Lima in Peru. The purpose of the book was informative, but it was nice when she did include the detail. Details helped move the story along and let us relate to the people/characters. She included a few travel troubles but instead of allowing the reader to find humor in them she made her dilemmas into catastrophies. In a similar book, Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams, he is looking for nearly extinct animals. That book was much more enjoyable because he was able to include humor. His book also included photographs. Often Maxwell would attempt to describe a complex plant and a photo would have been useful. She tried to include every detail of her trip, which made it boring. If she could have focused more on a few major events the book would have flowed better. Some chapters were extremely dull.

   I liked how this non-fiction story included character evolution. Maxwell started out almost naïve about the Amazon and ended up far wiser. If she had done more research it would have cut out half of the story, which was made up of her messing around. Throughout the book Maxwell insults the indigenous people many times. At one point she states that, the Indian is the 'best looking male animal she has seen.' She is also surprised that the Indians are not savages. I hope her stereotypes can be attributed to the fact that she set out on her journey in 1958. She seems to think she is better than the people instead of treating them as equals. If she had valued the information they gave her, perhaps she would have had a more successful journey.

   In my own writing I would like to use better imagery. She was able to describe things I've never seen before exceptionally well. I learned from her how difficult it could be to write a personal narrative. There are always ways to improve and she definitely had some improvements to make. The language she used made the time period clear and also showed how inexperienced the people were. This book was interesting but it was an un-enjoyable slow read.




4. This was a great read for me back in '94 when it was presented as a gift and I have often recommended it. Nicole shares her life story when she is in her 80s. One needs to keep in mind the prevalence of ethnocentricity of our society back in the 50's and 60's. And to her credit she tells the WHOLE story, including all her fumbling bumblings of an imperfect human. As one who has ventured a little into the Bolivian and Belizian jungle her misadventures are only to be expected and provide great humor and reading. An example of her humor is while she is deep in the amazon jungle she relates that she wasn't all that concerned because what self respecting warrior would want a meazly female head for a trophy. Nicole was way ahead of her time in two areas: collecting ethnobotanical information and plants, and fighting multinational corporations in the pharmaceutical industry by bringing information directly to the people. I wonder if anyone has ever discovered what that one plant was that given one tbsp a woman was sterile until given a tbsp of another plant and she was fertile again! One may only be able to realize what an adventuresome and hardy soul she is, if you have taken steps into the amazon jungle yourself.



5. Nicole Maxwell was an amazing woman who devoted much of her life to collecting and studying jungle plants for medicinal purposes. I read the first edition twenty years ago before leaving for the same location she had been to in the late 1950's of the Peruvian Amazon. This third edition is also first class.
   After putting up with remote jungle river travel, wading through swamps knee deep, fighting off persistent insects, confronting the hot, humid climate and accommodations of isolated tropical living, plus other dangers and hazards of the rainforest too numerous to mention, she was snubbed by major pharmaceutical companies for the plant cures she discovered from local natives.
   She had found plants that cured arthritis, eye diseases, diabetes, forms of cancer and plants that enhanced healing. Along with plants used as contraceptives, she also located ones which increased fertility and some that assisted in childbirth. Plants for infections, intestinal parasites, tooth and gum disorders, etc. are a few more to mention. The list goes on.
   An extraordinary woman whose sole purpose in life was to benefit the well-being of humanity but unfortunately had it fall upon deaf ears.

No comments about Amusement Parks of Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.

2 comments about Parents' Survival Guide To I-75: Over 101 Fun Family Stops between Detroit & Orlando.

1. We just moved to Michigan and our family lives in Atlanta. This book provided excellent hints and tips on keeping our child entertained for the long trip. It is full of information for entertaining pit stops. Instead of searching for ways to distract our child, now we can take a quick look at this book and plan our trip easily.



2. In a former life, I supervised the compilation and editing of thousands of directory pages each year. So I know a bit about the problems and goals of such information-publishing. And this one delivers. Specific information, concentrating on its topic, consistently presented. Plus, a good portion of fun and advice. If you're hitting the road down that long stretch of I-75, this is a solid and worthy investment.

2 comments about Compass American Guides: Texas, 3rd Edition (Compass American Guides).

1. This is definately NOT the type of Fodor's guidebook I was expecting. Do not get this book if your expecting a Fodor's Gold Guide. I guess I'll donate the book to the local elementary school. There seems to be a paucity of guidebooks about Dallas. Maybe I should watch reruns of the show



2. This is the kind of book you should read if you're interested in learning more about Texas than just where to eat and sleep. It's beautifully illustrated with great photos and very good maps, including ones that detail the larger cities. It contains glimpses into the culture and history of the state, the information that help you understand what you'll be seeing once you're there. The front cover contains a quote by the highly esteemed travel writer, Jan Morris, who says of the Compass American Guides: "The most literate and elegant series of guides ever written about North America." I agree. It's worth reading even if you don't intend to visit Texas.

No comments about Entangled Edens: Visions of the Amazon.

4 comments about The Rough Guide to Argentina Map (Rough Guide Country/Region Map).

1. I drove through various counties in South America. Before leaving on this 16,000K trip I sought out the best maps. In comparison to other maps, this map of Argentina is a must have.
   
   I was trained by two gorillas with Tourette Syndrome on how to re-fold maps. My maps always look pristine on the first day, by the time I have arrived at my final destination the maps are beyond redemption, often consisting of segments and various pieces. This map holds up! The Rough Guide Maps are "Rip-Proof" & Waterproof because they are printed on a high grade sheet of plastic (kudos). Because of the plastic fabric it is easier to fold than paper maps.
   
   The roads (expressway, highway, secondary and other) are cleanly printed and in sharp detail making reading this map a breeze. The coloring and shading used allows for a good decimation of physical features, such as mountain ranges, valleys and peaks (Altitude noted). What is lacking is that the map is without any inset maps of major cities. This is a short coming but all-in-all this is an excellent road map of Argentina. Highly recommended. 4.5 Stars.



2. This reads very well, but the real test will come next month when I am actually using it in Argentina. Lots of good suggestions, hope they are realistic!



3. We are traveling to the Patagonian lakes region next week. I ordered four Argentina/Patagonia maps to compare them: ITM's Patagonia, Rutas de la Argentina, Rough Guide Map Argentina, and Map Guide Patagonia. I ended up keeping the Rutas de la Argentina and returning the others. This was the best English map of the lot. I found the road designations to be overly thick and difficult to distinguish. If you can handle the Spanish, Rutas is better.



4. I wouldn't purchase this again because it lacks a lot of the towns and cities on it.

1 comments about Argentina: The Bradt Travel Guide.

1. I went to Argentina in Nov 2006 and this book was very accurate and up to date. Well written and easy to use. My only complaint is that the maps could be better, but once I got to a city, the hotel usually had a better map I could use for free.