Savages

Starred review from September 4, 1995
Savages is a hilarious and deeply moving account of what happens when two disparate civilizations clash. The Huaorani, a small nation of nomadic Amazonian warriors, reside amid some of Ecuador's richest oil fields. The Ecuadorian government and the world's multinational oil companies want to extract that oil and, apparently, don't care what becomes of either the Huaorani people or the land on which they live. Kane (Running the Amazon) befriends many of the Huaorani leaders and spends a good deal of time with them, living and traveling deep within the jungle. His is a firsthand account of cultural destruction and rampant environmental devastation with a great many villains. The oil companies act disgracefully; the government abandons its citizens; the Christian missionaries work to undermine the indigenous culture; environmental groups use the Huaorani as pawns in a global battle; and many of the Huaorani themselves are unable to resist the bribes set before them. Savages is every bit as lively and enjoyable as a good picaresque novel, with Kane wonderfully mixing the serious and the absurd. Photos not seen by PW. 40,000 first printing; author tour.