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radwaashraf's review
3.0
English Review Below.
كتاب من الصعب تقييمه، لأنه لا توجد كتب كتيرة عن دولة بليز، وأغلب الكتب الموجودة شبه الكتب السياحية. بس أنا كنت عايزة قصة معبرة عن الدولة وثقافتها وتاريخها، ورغم أن الكاتبة مش من الدولة نفسها، لكنها عاشت فيها فترة معقولة، فقدرت أعتبره أقرب حاجة متاحة عشان أقرأ كتاب من دولة بليز. ده كتاب عن الطبيعة وكمان مذكرات عن روزيتا، الطبيبة الأمريكية اللي نقلت بليز مع جوزها وبنتها عشان تعيش حياة طبيعية وتعالج الناس هناك باستخدام علاجها الجسدي بالتدليك وباستخدام النباتات والأعشاب، وبتوثق رحلة تدريبها مع واحد من آخر المعالجين بطريقة المايا اللي بيتبع أسلوب علاجي يجمع بين الأعشاب والنباتات والصلوات اللي بتجمع بين المسيحية وثقافة المايا.
الكتاب مليء بالمعلومات ومفيد لمعرفة الكثير عن النباتات في تلك المنطقة، بس الأسلوب قديم وخصوصا لأنه كُتب في 1994 تقريبا وكمان حسيته كتاب أكاديمي شوية، يفتقر لحيوية الحكي عن موضوع شيق زي ده. أسلوب الكاتبة كمان فيه بعض التعالي الغربي ومعجبنيش جدا، كنت أتمنى أشوف فيه تركيز أكبر على البلد نفسها، لكن كان فيه تكرارية كتيرة للأسف. الكتاب مش سيئ لكنه مكنش اللي كنت بدور عليه بالضرورة.
This is a hard book to review and rate. First of all, there aren't that many books from and about Belize that aren't more like tourist guides. I wanted a story narrative that shows the true nature of that country, and while this isn't written by a native, it's the closest thing I could find.
It's nature writing/memoir of Rosita, American woman who moves to Belize with her husband and daughter to live with the nature and to heal people using the plants, and her journey as an apprentice to one of the last remaining (at that time) Mayan healers, who uses both plants and spirituality and prayers in hes healing. It's informative, you get to know a lot about the plants, but it's a bit dated since it was published 1995 I believe, the writing is very stiff despite the subject that could be made into an interesting book, and I didn't like the narrator's voice most of the time as she sounded like a typical westerner.
The book was sadly boring in parts, but I'm always intrigued by the Mayan civilisation, and I think I wanted more about the civilisation and the culture than what I got. It's not a bad book, but not exactly my cup of tea.
كتاب من الصعب تقييمه، لأنه لا توجد كتب كتيرة عن دولة بليز، وأغلب الكتب الموجودة شبه الكتب السياحية. بس أنا كنت عايزة قصة معبرة عن الدولة وثقافتها وتاريخها، ورغم أن الكاتبة مش من الدولة نفسها، لكنها عاشت فيها فترة معقولة، فقدرت أعتبره أقرب حاجة متاحة عشان أقرأ كتاب من دولة بليز. ده كتاب عن الطبيعة وكمان مذكرات عن روزيتا، الطبيبة الأمريكية اللي نقلت بليز مع جوزها وبنتها عشان تعيش حياة طبيعية وتعالج الناس هناك باستخدام علاجها الجسدي بالتدليك وباستخدام النباتات والأعشاب، وبتوثق رحلة تدريبها مع واحد من آخر المعالجين بطريقة المايا اللي بيتبع أسلوب علاجي يجمع بين الأعشاب والنباتات والصلوات اللي بتجمع بين المسيحية وثقافة المايا.
الكتاب مليء بالمعلومات ومفيد لمعرفة الكثير عن النباتات في تلك المنطقة، بس الأسلوب قديم وخصوصا لأنه كُتب في 1994 تقريبا وكمان حسيته كتاب أكاديمي شوية، يفتقر لحيوية الحكي عن موضوع شيق زي ده. أسلوب الكاتبة كمان فيه بعض التعالي الغربي ومعجبنيش جدا، كنت أتمنى أشوف فيه تركيز أكبر على البلد نفسها، لكن كان فيه تكرارية كتيرة للأسف. الكتاب مش سيئ لكنه مكنش اللي كنت بدور عليه بالضرورة.
This is a hard book to review and rate. First of all, there aren't that many books from and about Belize that aren't more like tourist guides. I wanted a story narrative that shows the true nature of that country, and while this isn't written by a native, it's the closest thing I could find.
It's nature writing/memoir of Rosita, American woman who moves to Belize with her husband and daughter to live with the nature and to heal people using the plants, and her journey as an apprentice to one of the last remaining (at that time) Mayan healers, who uses both plants and spirituality and prayers in hes healing. It's informative, you get to know a lot about the plants, but it's a bit dated since it was published 1995 I believe, the writing is very stiff despite the subject that could be made into an interesting book, and I didn't like the narrator's voice most of the time as she sounded like a typical westerner.
The book was sadly boring in parts, but I'm always intrigued by the Mayan civilisation, and I think I wanted more about the civilisation and the culture than what I got. It's not a bad book, but not exactly my cup of tea.
hamletseinquieta's review
3.0
This is a difficult one to review. It is extremely interesting, and it is compellingly focused on Don Elijio, the Mayan healer, rather than its narrator. For this bring written in the 90s it was surprisingly less cringey than I expected. But being Latinx and reading this is still difficult. The white author lacks self-awareness, and some of the descriptions and dismissal of certain things are quite terrible but not unexpected. I appreciate the information I learned, even if the narrative voice wasn’t what I would have wanted or hoped for.
cbeidleman's review
5.0
This book reads like a story of adventure and understanding. I love the intersection of medicine and spirituality that is found in this book. However, this same reason that made the book so compelling to me is what could limit its audience. I also love each chapter header with the medicinal use of various plants. Overall, a wonderful read that is a great introductory book for all those interested in ethnobotany.
lanid's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content and Fire/Fire injury
alreadyemily's review
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
I enjoyed this quite a lot.
sssnoo's review
4.0
This book on Belize ethnobotany concludes my 2021 Around the World in 80 Books TBR Takedown challenge - my 4th year completing it.
Rosita Arvigo’s memoir details her years apprenticing with a traditional Maya healer. She has since gone on to partner with Belizeans to secure and promote traditional herbal remedies. I found the book fascinating, even though I struggled at times with letting go my dependance on alopathy. But my mission while reading my way around the world is to open myself to new cultures, new ways of perceiving the world, and old ways that are mostly lost if not for the literature that captures them.
For this I am thankful to Dona Rosita for her decades of work.
Rosita Arvigo’s memoir details her years apprenticing with a traditional Maya healer. She has since gone on to partner with Belizeans to secure and promote traditional herbal remedies. I found the book fascinating, even though I struggled at times with letting go my dependance on alopathy. But my mission while reading my way around the world is to open myself to new cultures, new ways of perceiving the world, and old ways that are mostly lost if not for the literature that captures them.
For this I am thankful to Dona Rosita for her decades of work.
rubys_bookshelf's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0