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bjr2022's review against another edition
4.0
The opening line of the Foreword (by Simon McBurney) is "Why are you here?" And answering that question is a good reason to read the main story of this book. I read it after having twice seen the book-based Broadway production of The Encounter with Simon McBurney. (If any Goodreaders are in NYC or the vicinity and can make it to see the play before it closes January 8th and moves out of the country, you can probably get half-price tickets at TKTS booths.)
The main story of both this play and the book (written by Petru Popescue as if he witnessed things firsthand) is National Geographic photographer and explorer Loren McIntyre's search for and residence with an elusive Amazonian tribe called Mayoruna, or cat people; they have cat-like tattoos and whisker piercings because they believe they are related to jaguars. The main drama of this story is McIntyre's experience of telepathy (or the "Beaming" in the title) with headman Barnacle and McIntyre's changing understanding of man's relationship to time—and exactly what time is. Eventually his personal experience of beaming and his later quest for the source of the Amazon River become a quest for true Source.
I have no doubts about telepathy, but I was fascinated by the explanation for why some people experience it as a "first language" and others do not. (I won't divulge this because it would be a spoiler.) Another thing I found illuminating in the book (as opposed to the play) was learning that all the power-playing ego problems that plague civilizados have parallels in this indigenous tribe where there is female mutilation and abuse, prey animals treated like objects, there are rivalries, brutality, etc. There is no idealism of tribal culture. But the one thing that is different is the tribe's experience of time and also their respect for the headman's abilities and directions—although he has to struggle to maintain his leadership.
Whereas the play (based on only the Mayoruna story—the first part of this book) was so experiential that the story sometimes got fuzzy, the book is clear and detailed; however about 50 of the last 150 pages are history and geography that sometimes felt disorganized. It is such a detailed account of the Amazon River's history and exploration that it may appeal to travel, map, and geography aficionados and historians; I read it with a world atlas beside me and often felt like I was drowning in a swamp. (As an editor, I'd have cut most of it, and picked up the final search for the source of the Amazon as it relates to the Mayoruna adventure.)
One of the first Mayoruna telepathic messages in the book—also used in the play—is: "Some of us are friends."
I believe some of us are friends—those of us who feel each other's feelings—and I believe all of us can be friends in this way.
The play ended with McBurney's after-curtain chat wherein he told us that when he'd visited the Mayoruna and told them about his project, they responded, "Good. If you tell them this story, then they will know our story. Tell them that we exist."
Knowing that these people exist, that they know that we are all one and that the Amazon is a Source for all of us, having felt the Oneness that the play evoked and having learned a fuller story through this book—all of this is comforting.
The main story of both this play and the book (written by Petru Popescue as if he witnessed things firsthand) is National Geographic photographer and explorer Loren McIntyre's search for and residence with an elusive Amazonian tribe called Mayoruna, or cat people; they have cat-like tattoos and whisker piercings because they believe they are related to jaguars. The main drama of this story is McIntyre's experience of telepathy (or the "Beaming" in the title) with headman Barnacle and McIntyre's changing understanding of man's relationship to time—and exactly what time is. Eventually his personal experience of beaming and his later quest for the source of the Amazon River become a quest for true Source.
I have no doubts about telepathy, but I was fascinated by the explanation for why some people experience it as a "first language" and others do not. (I won't divulge this because it would be a spoiler.) Another thing I found illuminating in the book (as opposed to the play) was learning that all the power-playing ego problems that plague civilizados have parallels in this indigenous tribe where there is female mutilation and abuse, prey animals treated like objects, there are rivalries, brutality, etc. There is no idealism of tribal culture. But the one thing that is different is the tribe's experience of time and also their respect for the headman's abilities and directions—although he has to struggle to maintain his leadership.
Whereas the play (based on only the Mayoruna story—the first part of this book) was so experiential that the story sometimes got fuzzy, the book is clear and detailed; however about 50 of the last 150 pages are history and geography that sometimes felt disorganized. It is such a detailed account of the Amazon River's history and exploration that it may appeal to travel, map, and geography aficionados and historians; I read it with a world atlas beside me and often felt like I was drowning in a swamp. (As an editor, I'd have cut most of it, and picked up the final search for the source of the Amazon as it relates to the Mayoruna adventure.)
One of the first Mayoruna telepathic messages in the book—also used in the play—is: "Some of us are friends."
I believe some of us are friends—those of us who feel each other's feelings—and I believe all of us can be friends in this way.
The play ended with McBurney's after-curtain chat wherein he told us that when he'd visited the Mayoruna and told them about his project, they responded, "Good. If you tell them this story, then they will know our story. Tell them that we exist."
Knowing that these people exist, that they know that we are all one and that the Amazon is a Source for all of us, having felt the Oneness that the play evoked and having learned a fuller story through this book—all of this is comforting.
khakipantsofsex's review against another edition
4.0
I love this book, yet it still stared at me from my bookshelf, making me feel guilty for not finishing it for OVER A YEAR. I saw Complicite's production of it and STILL didn't finish it. I've used it in two different essays for uni without finishing it.
But I have now so HA SUCK IT BOOK.
The parts actually involving the Mayoruna tribe were definitely the most interesting and the easiest to read. The epilogue was definitely a satisfying place to leave McIntyre (Cambio!). 'The Source' section was the hardest to get through, still interesting but hard, and every time the Mayoruna were mentioned it made me miss them. Like, intensely.
Sidenote: the Complicite encounter is really good. Properly immersive and innovative. And Simon McBurney is bae.
But I have now so HA SUCK IT BOOK.
The parts actually involving the Mayoruna tribe were definitely the most interesting and the easiest to read. The epilogue was definitely a satisfying place to leave McIntyre (Cambio!). 'The Source' section was the hardest to get through, still interesting but hard, and every time the Mayoruna were mentioned it made me miss them. Like, intensely.
Sidenote: the Complicite encounter is really good. Properly immersive and innovative. And Simon McBurney is bae.
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