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The Wayfinders
- Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
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The Serpent and the Rainbow
- A Harvard Scientist's Astonishing Journey into the Secret Societies of Haitian Voodoo, Zombis, and Magic
- Written by: Wade Davis
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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In April 1982, ethnobotanist Wade Davis arrived in Haiti to investigate two documented cases of zombies - people who had reappeared in Haitian society years after they had been officially declared dead and had been buried. Drawn into a netherworld of rituals and celebrations, Davis penetrated the vodoun mystique deeply enough to place zombification in its proper context within vodoun culture. In the course of his investigation, Davis came to realize that the story of vodoun is the history of Haiti.
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An excellent book!
- By Diana Viola on 2022-11-28
Written by: Wade Davis
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Magdalena
- River of Dreams: A Story of Colombia
- Written by: Wade Davis
- Narrated by: Wade Davis, Xandra Uribe
- Length: 16 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Travelers often become enchanted with the first country that captures their hearts and gives them license to be free. For Wade Davis, it was Colombia. Now in a masterly new book, Davis tells of his travels on the mighty Magdalena, the river that made possible the nation. Along the way, he finds a people who have overcome years of conflict precisely because of their character, informed by an enduring spirit of place, and a deep love of a land that is home to the greatest ecological and geographical diversity on the planet.
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excellent
- By Hilda Smolash on 2021-07-20
Written by: Wade Davis
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The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
- Written by: Julian Jaynes
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 16 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
At the heart of this classic, seminal book is Julian Jaynes' still-controversial thesis that human consciousness did not begin far back in animal evolution but instead is a learned process that came about only 3,000 years ago and is still developing. The implications of this revolutionary scientific paradigm extend into virtually every aspect of our psychology, our history and culture, our religion - and indeed our future.
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An beautifully crafted theory from a genius
- By Anonymous User on 2018-09-18
Written by: Julian Jaynes
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Breaking the Spell
- Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
- Written by: Daniel C. Dennett
- Narrated by: Dennis Holland
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
For all the thousands of books that have been written about religion, few until this one have attempted to examine it scientifically: to ask why - and how - it has shaped so many lives so strongly. Is religion a product of blind evolutionary instinct or rational choice? Is it truly the best way to live a moral life? Ranging through biology, history, and psychology, Daniel C. Dennett charts religion’s evolution from “wild” folk belief to “domesticated” dogma.
Written by: Daniel C. Dennett
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Into the Silence
- The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest
- Written by: Wade Davis
- Narrated by: Enn Reitel
- Length: 28 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In this magisterial work of history and adventure, based on more than a decade of prodigious research in British, Canadian, and European archives, and months in the field in Nepal and Tibet, Wade Davis vividly re-creates British climbers’ epic attempts to scale Mount Everest in the early 1920s. With new access to letters and diaries, Davis recounts the heroic efforts of George Mallory and his fellow climbers to conquer the mountain in the face of treacherous terrain and furious weather.
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Historical intrigue
- By Monica on 2019-03-19
Written by: Wade Davis
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Apollo
- Written by: Charles Murray, Catherine Bly Cox
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 18 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Apollo is the behind-the-scenes story of an epic achievement. Based on exhaustive research that included many exclusive interviews, Apollo tells how America went from a standing start to a landing on the moon at a speed that now seems impossible. It describes the unprecedented engineering challenges that had to be overcome to create the mammoth Saturn V and the facilities to launch it. It takes you into the tragedy of the fire on Apollo 1, the first descent to the lunar surface, and the rescue of Apollo 13.
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Loved it
- By Sean on 2023-02-12
Written by: Charles Murray, and others
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The Serpent and the Rainbow
- A Harvard Scientist's Astonishing Journey into the Secret Societies of Haitian Voodoo, Zombis, and Magic
- Written by: Wade Davis
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In April 1982, ethnobotanist Wade Davis arrived in Haiti to investigate two documented cases of zombies - people who had reappeared in Haitian society years after they had been officially declared dead and had been buried. Drawn into a netherworld of rituals and celebrations, Davis penetrated the vodoun mystique deeply enough to place zombification in its proper context within vodoun culture. In the course of his investigation, Davis came to realize that the story of vodoun is the history of Haiti.
-
-
An excellent book!
- By Diana Viola on 2022-11-28
Written by: Wade Davis
-
Magdalena
- River of Dreams: A Story of Colombia
- Written by: Wade Davis
- Narrated by: Wade Davis, Xandra Uribe
- Length: 16 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Travelers often become enchanted with the first country that captures their hearts and gives them license to be free. For Wade Davis, it was Colombia. Now in a masterly new book, Davis tells of his travels on the mighty Magdalena, the river that made possible the nation. Along the way, he finds a people who have overcome years of conflict precisely because of their character, informed by an enduring spirit of place, and a deep love of a land that is home to the greatest ecological and geographical diversity on the planet.
-
-
excellent
- By Hilda Smolash on 2021-07-20
Written by: Wade Davis
-
The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
- Written by: Julian Jaynes
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 16 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the heart of this classic, seminal book is Julian Jaynes' still-controversial thesis that human consciousness did not begin far back in animal evolution but instead is a learned process that came about only 3,000 years ago and is still developing. The implications of this revolutionary scientific paradigm extend into virtually every aspect of our psychology, our history and culture, our religion - and indeed our future.
-
-
An beautifully crafted theory from a genius
- By Anonymous User on 2018-09-18
Written by: Julian Jaynes
-
Breaking the Spell
- Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
- Written by: Daniel C. Dennett
- Narrated by: Dennis Holland
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For all the thousands of books that have been written about religion, few until this one have attempted to examine it scientifically: to ask why - and how - it has shaped so many lives so strongly. Is religion a product of blind evolutionary instinct or rational choice? Is it truly the best way to live a moral life? Ranging through biology, history, and psychology, Daniel C. Dennett charts religion’s evolution from “wild” folk belief to “domesticated” dogma.
Written by: Daniel C. Dennett
-
Into the Silence
- The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest
- Written by: Wade Davis
- Narrated by: Enn Reitel
- Length: 28 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this magisterial work of history and adventure, based on more than a decade of prodigious research in British, Canadian, and European archives, and months in the field in Nepal and Tibet, Wade Davis vividly re-creates British climbers’ epic attempts to scale Mount Everest in the early 1920s. With new access to letters and diaries, Davis recounts the heroic efforts of George Mallory and his fellow climbers to conquer the mountain in the face of treacherous terrain and furious weather.
-
-
Historical intrigue
- By Monica on 2019-03-19
Written by: Wade Davis
-
Apollo
- Written by: Charles Murray, Catherine Bly Cox
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 18 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Apollo is the behind-the-scenes story of an epic achievement. Based on exhaustive research that included many exclusive interviews, Apollo tells how America went from a standing start to a landing on the moon at a speed that now seems impossible. It describes the unprecedented engineering challenges that had to be overcome to create the mammoth Saturn V and the facilities to launch it. It takes you into the tragedy of the fire on Apollo 1, the first descent to the lunar surface, and the rescue of Apollo 13.
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Loved it
- By Sean on 2023-02-12
Written by: Charles Murray, and others
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Imagination
- Understanding Our Mind's Greatest Power
- Written by: Jim Davies
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
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This overview discusses how important imagination is and the major effect it has on our lives, including the role it plays in hallucinations, moods, and creativity.
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Must read!
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Written by: Jim Davies
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Get Well Soon
- History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them
- Written by: Jennifer Wright
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
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In 1518, in a small town in Alsace, Frau Troffea began dancing and didn't stop. She danced until she was carried away six days later, and soon 34 more villagers joined her. Then more. In a month more than 400 people had been stricken by the mysterious dancing plague. In late-19th-century England an eccentric gentleman founded the No Nose Club in his gracious townhome - a social club for those who had lost their noses, and other body parts, to the plague of syphilis for which there was then no cure.
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interesting!
- By Meredith on 2018-12-25
Written by: Jennifer Wright
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The Pleasure of Finding Things Out
- The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman
- Written by: Richard P. Feynman
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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The Pleasure of Finding Things Out is a magnificent treasury of the best short works of Richard P. Feynman, from interviews and speeches to lectures and printed articles. A sweeping, wide-ranging collection, it presents an intimate and fascinating view of a life in science - a life like no other. From his ruminations on science in our culture to his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, this book will delight anyone interested in the world of ideas.
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If you like finding things out
- By james on 2023-01-04
Written by: Richard P. Feynman
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Life on the Edge
- The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology
- Written by: Johnjoe McFadden, Jim Al-Khalili
- Narrated by: Pete Cross
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
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Life is the most extraordinary phenomenon in the known universe; but how did it come to be? Even in an age of cloning and artificial biology, the remarkable truth remains: Nobody has ever made anything living entirely out of dead material. Life remains the only way to make life. Are we still missing a vital ingredient in its creation?
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deep, clear and mind-blowing
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Written by: Johnjoe McFadden, and others
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The Secret Lives of Introverts
- Inside Our Hidden World
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- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
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Is there a hidden part of you that no one else sees? Do you have a vivid inner world of thoughts and emotions that your peers and loved ones can't seem to access? Have you ever been told you're too quiet, shy, boring, or awkward? Are your habits and comfort zones questioned by a society that doesn't seem to get you? If so, you might be an introvert. On behalf of those who have long been misunderstood, rejected, or ignored, fellow introvert Jenn Granneman writes a compassionate vindication.
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Very Insightful
- By Jerez Bain on 2023-03-30
Written by: Jenn Granneman
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Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth
- Written by: James Lovelock
- Narrated by: Gary Telles
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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In this classic work that continues to inspire its many fans, James Lovelock deftly explains his idea that life on Earth functions as a single organism. Written for the non-scientist, Gaia is a journey through time and space in search of evidence with which to support a new and radically different model of our planet. In contrast to conventional belief that living matter is passive in the face of threats to its existence, the book explores the hypothesis that the Earth's living matter - air, ocean, and land surfaces - forms a complex system that has the capacity to keep the Earth a fit place for life.
Written by: James Lovelock
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The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide
- Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys
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Called “America’s wisest and most respected authority on psychedelics and their use,” James Fadiman has been involved with psychedelic research since the 1960s. In this guide to the immediate and long-term effects of psychedelic use for spiritual (high dose), therapeutic (moderate dose), and problem-solving (low dose and microdose) purposes, Fadiman outlines best practices for safe, sacred entheogenic voyages learned through his more than 40 years of experience.
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A New World Begins
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The principles of the French Revolution remain the only possible basis for a just society - even if, after more than 200 years, they are more contested than ever before. In A New World Begins, Jeremy D. Popkin offers a riveting account of the revolution that puts the listener in the thick of the debates and the violence that led to the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of a new society.
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Wonderful
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wanted more
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Our Oriental Heritage
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- Written by: Will Durant
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The first volume of Will Durant's Pulitzer Prize-winning series, Our Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization, Volume I chronicles the early history of Egypt, the Middle East, and Asia.
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Came here from a Elon Musk's recommendation
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Great book
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Written by: Mary R. Burch, and others
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The Blind Watchmaker
- Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design
- Written by: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
- Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins
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The Blind Watchmaker, knowledgably narrated by author Richard Dawkins, is as prescient and timely a book as ever. The watchmaker belongs to the 18th-century theologian William Paley, who argued that just as a watch is too complicated and functional to have sprung into existence by accident, so too must all living things, with their far greater complexity, be purposefully designed. Charles Darwin's brilliant discovery challenged the creationist arguments; but only Richard Dawkins could have written this elegant riposte.
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Excellent Discussion
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Written by: Richard Dawkins
Publisher's Summary
Every culture is a unique answer to a fundamental question: What does it mean to be human and alive? In The Wayfinders, renowned anthropologist, winner of the prestigious Samuel Johnson Prize, and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Wade Davis leads us on a thrilling journey to celebrate the wisdom of the world's indigenous cultures.
In Polynesia, we set sail with navigators whose ancestors settled the Pacific 10 centuries before Christ. In the Amazon, we meet the descendants of a true lost civilization, the Peoples of the Anaconda. In the Andes, we discover that the earth really is alive, while in Australia we experience Dreamtime, the all-embracing philosophy of the first humans to walk out of Africa. We then travel to Nepal, where we encounter a wisdom hero, a Bodhisattva, who emerges from 45 years of Buddhist retreat and solitude. And, finally, we settle in Borneo, where the last rain forest nomads struggle to survive.
Understanding the lessons of this journey will be our mission for the next century. For at risk is the human legacy - a vast archive of knowledge and expertise, a catalog of the imagination. Rediscovering a new appreciation for the diversity of the human spirit, as expressed by culture, is among the central challenges of our time.
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What listeners say about The Wayfinders
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- John
- 2022-10-31
Absolutely fascinating!
Wade Davis connects historical, anthropological, sociological, and cultural facts to bring to life the miraculous civilizations from past to present, and how they lived, died and functioned. He explains in clear and vibrant details things that make a huge difference in our understanding of their cultures and how misunderstood and wrong many modern interpretations are, and the colossal impact colonization, wars, and other elements have affected peoples around the world.
He is a lively narrator with an excellent sense of humor, and also is able to clearly deliver the message of why things went awry in many cases, and how our world is in peril due to misunderstandings of how others relate to their environments.
I wish every ambassador and politician listened to Prof. Davis to understand the impact of decisions they make on places they know nothing about, because of arrogance, false assumptions, ignorance, and greed. It is eye opening.
Puts many things in perspective with lots of "aha" moments.
Masterful.
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- BladeofLife
- 2020-10-04
Praise for the author
Wade Davis is a global treasure. His work should be celebrated for centuries. Highly recommended!
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- Darren Strydom
- 2019-12-11
An important dissection of how and why the modern culture fails to fulfill
Crucial information and stories were told to uncover the rot hidden behind the metallic shine of modern culture. My only issue is that without prior knowledge of and exposure to various worldly cultures, I felt like there was a lot of “educated” jargon that distorted the main messages. Some cultures and anecdotes were mentioned that seemed to confuse me more than clarify or lead to a conclusion. Overall amazing information and story telling!
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- Azura S
- 2018-10-26
A Shocking Tale Of The Demise Of Humanity
This is an incredible book and if the narration is a little dry, it is worth putting up with. It looks at the cost of human "progress" as more than half of the earth's languages will be shed in the next 2 decades. One is lost every fortnight! It's a well put together tale but lacks a narrative that returns to the "big picture" after it turns to specific case studies. I'd happily learn more if it was available. Highly recommended.
6 people found this helpful
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- Jeffery Culver
- 2018-10-03
Great content.
The content is great however I found the narration to be a bit stilted and stiff.
2 people found this helpful
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- Theresa Lindenau
- 2019-10-01
Powerful
I would recommend this book to anyone who feels trapped by modern culture. Wade Davis shares his survey of the ways of indigenous people all around the world and reveals the depth that the soul is capable of achieving when life is lived in harmony with the earth.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 2018-08-24
so much I didn't know!
I absolutely love it. it helps put life in perspective and encourages introspective thought. it's great for a short road trip.
1 person found this helpful
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- Julian Orr
- 2023-03-09
Powerful and mind changing
Great for challenging a lot of my own thinking or automated thinking. Would’ve been nice to have Wade himself reading the book.
This is probably an audiobook that I will go back and listen to you again in the future.
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- Mingster
- 2023-02-13
A critical part of our existence
It’s a short and very enjoyable book that we ought to all read.
It is depressing that we erased so much of our history because of ignorance, arrogance, selfishness, and I don’t know, evil?
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- Amazon Customer
- 2023-01-25
Perspective
Reading The Wayfinders provides a needed perspective of man’s place in the world and fragile claim on life and well-being. Many of our less civilized brethren on the planet, it would seem, have a more secure claim on peace and security than the “more prosperous” and “educated” inhabitants of modernity.
Read this book and open your eyes.
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- ThunderEagle
- 2022-12-30
Good
Great book. Relevant to current day cultural and climate issues. Good reader too. Two thumbs up