When Jenny Dunfree, a graduate student in ornithology, is assigned to a birding project in a remote area of Panama, she is given one directive by her superior: don't piss anyone off. Almost immediately, Jenny encounters problems with this assignment.
While slogging on with her research, Jenny is required to attend weekly "town hall" meetings in the Kuna village. Jenny finds the native Kuna people to be a prickly lot, quick to take offense. But as the weeks pass, Jenny becomes acquainted with Pedro, a man cynical and detached from his own culture; Eulogio, the charismatic leader; Iris, who had married the previous ornithology student; the racially prejudiced Anselmo; and Ceferino, with whom Jenny shares a passion for the natural world. Jenny also encounters outsiders with their own agendas for the Kunas and the surrounding rainforest.
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"If you are interested in cultural anthropology, this is a great book. It starts a little slowly but the richness of the culture and descriptive language places you in the jungle with Jennie." — Joggingt (4 out of 5 stars)
"If you are interested in cultural anthropology, this is a great book. It starts a little slowly but the richness of the culture and descriptive language places you in the jungle with Jennie."
“Cassandra Campbell’s facility with accents helps to bring the characters to life and provides a contrast to the descriptive and reflective passages…Her smooth voice lends a sensual tone to this story of a young graduate student who falls under the spell of her tropical surroundings.”
“A beautiful, passionate, first novel set against a detailed and revealing portrayal of life in the jungles of this remote region. The language of this story reflects the extremely sensuous nature of this area of tropical jungle. The animals, the sea, the landscape, the heat, and the languorous flow of the narrative will draw listeners into the exotic, sensual environment. Cassandra Campbell, an actress and a commercial and documentary voice-over artist, does an excellent job with the native dialects of the Kuna people. She easily shifts from Jenny, to male and female Kunas, and to those with Spanish accents as well. This audiobook is recommended to an adult audience with an appreciation for the natural world, adventure stories, and reflective writing.”
" Fascinating story of one white woman's study of the Harpy eagle as a lone white person on a remote island off of Panama written in fiction format, excellent! "
" Good, but a little unbelievable. Very accepting of cultural differences. Some behavior if some characters not really believable. Nice story. Ending not well supported by story. "
" I won this book in the first reads giveaway! "
Louise Young has worked with the indigenous Kuna people of Panama since 1996 as a cultural guide and technical advisor to a women’s cooperative.
Cassandra Campbell has won multiple Audie Awards, Earphones Awards, and the prestigious Odyssey Award for narration. She was been named a “Best Voice” by AudioFile magazine and in 2018 was inducted in Audible’s inaugural Narrator Hall of Fame.
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