Spears of Twilight: Life and Death in the Amazon Jungle

A Choice Outstanding Academic Book of 1997, The Spears of Twilight chronicles the experiences of Philippe Descola, student of Claude Lvi-Strauss, among the legendary Achuar Indians of South America. Combining ethnography, travelogue, and personal meditation, The Spears of Twilight is an engrossing account of the resilient and complex Achuar people, as well as an intimate and often poetic account of Descola's sojourn among them.

A trained ethnographer, you go tramping through the rain forest jungle in search of an isolated tribe. They welcome you, and you find that they live with an idealistic individualism and freedom only dreamed of by the staunchest Libertarian or Anarchist. They live in harmony with nature among the animated spirits of plants, streams, and prey. They also murder their friends, fear their neighbors, and cheat on their spouses. Philippe Descola transcribes the complex story of this people thoughtful, piquant prose reminiscent of the best in French literature.