SAVAGES

"Are you still alive? I am still alive." This is the traditional greeting of the Huaorani, an Amazonian Indian tribe who are living on top of one of Ecuador's largest oil deposits. Joe Kane describes life among "the people" with whom he lived for two years, watching as the oil giants despoil the jungle and the Huaorani leapfrog into the twentieth century in an effort to preserve their homes and traditional way of life. Joe Kane is an excellent writer, and the story that he tells is riveting. The sympathetic pain that he feels is clear. Michael Russotto reads very well. He does imbue all of the speakers with distinctive voices, which, in the case of the Huaorani, must be a guess. However, the device serves to identify the speaker, keeps the listener on track and removes any barrier to being able to sink into this compelling book. The Huaorani call all other people "cannibals." We are the cannibals, and we come away with a new understanding of what our warm houses and fast cars mean. L.R.S. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 99]