Mother of God

Starred review from January 27, 2014
A young explorer finds his soul amid the trackless jungle in this rousing eco-adventure. Rosolie, a naturalist who runs (and subtly plugs) an eco-tourism outfit, recounts his exploits from the age of 18 when he escaped New Jersey and lit out for the Madre de Dios region of the Peruvian Amazon basin, a paradise of primeval forest and riotous wildlife. Mentored by an Indian family, then graduating to solo treks to remote uninhabited areas, he wrestles with giant anacondas, faces down crocodiles, tenderly parents an orphaned anteater, feels the presence of jaguars panting over him in the night, and edges towards an encounter with possibly murderous tribesmen. Along the way he battles poachers and sounds the alarm against civilized encroachments that are obliterating the world’s wildernesses. This is old-school nature writing, unabashedly romantic and free of alienation; the author foregrounds his drama of elemental self-discovery—“along the river-bank I ran, screaming at the storm to give me its worst, in adrenaline-induced madness”—and is forever gazing into the gorgeous eyes, and tragic spirits, of the critters he meets. Rosolie’s powers of description are so vivid and engrossing that readers will be swept along in his passion. Photos.

June 15, 2014

The Madre de Dios, or Mother of God, is a vast, largely unexplored region of the Amazon rain forest in southeastern Peru and one of the most untamed places left on earth. As a biological research station volunteer there, 21-year-old Rosolie explored this hostile and exhilarating area armed only with machete, headlamp, compass, and pack raft. His adventures in the remotest reaches of the Amazon include catching anacondas (extremely large snakes), surviving a nasty outbreak of MRSA (flesh-eating bacteria), mothering an orphaned giant anteater, and encountering jaguars, river otters, and black caimans (crocodiles) up close. Eventually, he channels his adventure lust into conservation efforts to protect the forest from inevitable degradation by farmers, poachers, and loggers. Vivid descriptions of exotic rain forest flora and fauna abound but, oddly, not a single photograph. Maps would have been helpful also, as this region is unfamiliar to most people. VERDICT While trekking solo in the uncharted Amazon is ill-advised for many reasons, this gripping adventure narrative will appeal to fans of Ed Stafford's Walking the Amazon and David Grann's The Lost City of Z. [See Prepub Alert, 10/28/13.]--Cynthia Lee Knight, formerly with Hunterdon Cty. Lib., Flemington, NJ

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