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92 reviews for:
Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art
Carl Hoffman
3.46 AVERAGE
92 reviews for:
Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art
Carl Hoffman
3.46 AVERAGE
This book was very repetitive, going back to the same theory over and over. In the end, the introduction turns out to be the main theory that the author has for Michael's fate and he spends the rest of the book giving the history of the Asmat and trying to prove his theory with very little to go on. There is virtually no pay off in this book at all.
It did bother me though that the intro was SO graphic and then about halfway in you learn that Rockefeller's family wanted nothing to do with this book. That left a really bad taste in reading this. The author almost goes out of his way to provide the most graphic, violent demise of these people's loved one and OH BY THE WAY THEY DON'T WANT TO DREDGE IT ALL UP AGAIN AND THEY TOLD ME SO. At the very least, it shouldn't have been the first thing in the book, but oh well. I guess it sells more books.
It did bother me though that the intro was SO graphic and then about halfway in you learn that Rockefeller's family wanted nothing to do with this book. That left a really bad taste in reading this. The author almost goes out of his way to provide the most graphic, violent demise of these people's loved one and OH BY THE WAY THEY DON'T WANT TO DREDGE IT ALL UP AGAIN AND THEY TOLD ME SO. At the very least, it shouldn't have been the first thing in the book, but oh well. I guess it sells more books.
I first heard about this story from a Smithsonian article I read about two years ago. Before this, I had never heard of Michael Rockefeller or his demise and my knowledge of headhunters was limited to The Far Side.
Hoffman surprised me by describing Michael's grisly end (which was absolutely sickening and made me lose my appetite for the rest of the day and want to give up the book for good - suddenly these cartoons weren't so funny anymore) in the first few pages; I thought for sure that would be the climax of his tale. But once we got that out of the way I was glad I decided to press on and was rewarded with fascinating information about such an exotic culture that is the Asmat of West Papua. By no means did Hoffman condone the ritualistic killings and cannibalism that these people used to do regularly, but he painted an important lesson that cultures and their practices that are so different from our own should be respected and understood before they are tread upon.
It was apparent that Hoffman really tried to leave no stone uncovered, and his conclusions seemed entirely logical, but he can't claim with 100% assurance that this is the truth. I believe it though. He was a bit repetitive and that was annoying, but the last few chapters of his experience living with the Asmat were powerful. Thoughtful read, but definitely not for the faint of heart.
Hoffman surprised me by describing Michael's grisly end (which was absolutely sickening and made me lose my appetite for the rest of the day and want to give up the book for good - suddenly these cartoons weren't so funny anymore) in the first few pages; I thought for sure that would be the climax of his tale. But once we got that out of the way I was glad I decided to press on and was rewarded with fascinating information about such an exotic culture that is the Asmat of West Papua. By no means did Hoffman condone the ritualistic killings and cannibalism that these people used to do regularly, but he painted an important lesson that cultures and their practices that are so different from our own should be respected and understood before they are tread upon.
It was apparent that Hoffman really tried to leave no stone uncovered, and his conclusions seemed entirely logical, but he can't claim with 100% assurance that this is the truth. I believe it though. He was a bit repetitive and that was annoying, but the last few chapters of his experience living with the Asmat were powerful. Thoughtful read, but definitely not for the faint of heart.
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
While the story of and theories about the disappearance of Michael Rockefeller are undoubtably interesting, this was not a good telling of it. The author jumps around a lot between Rockefeller and his own adventures with the Azmat. He also has clear confirmation bias that Rockefeller was head hunted and cannibalized. While this is a possibility, it is clearly the only viable possibility in the author’s mind. I found the opening in which the author dramatized the (speculative) murder of Rockefeller to be incredibly distasteful. The author also comes off as a bit of an arrogant ass, essentially as he writes about Rockefeller’s family in a very disrespectful way. He really criticizes them for not doing more, not seeking out the answers that he, a random stranger, is taking the time to do. He seems to imply that he somehow cares more about Rockefeller’s disappearance than his immediate family members who presumably loved him deeply. That was just very yucky to me. I find true crime and disappearances interesting but would never presume I know the mind of those personally impacted by the case. I recommend Stephanie Harlowe’s three part YouTube series on the case over this book. It’s both more organized and more respectful.
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Travel/adventure writing meet true crime. Good introspection on colonialism and uncontacted peoples’ place in this world too. Carl Hoffman is one brave man!
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Cannibalism, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Grief
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This was a really good book. Hoffman uses his own experiences doing the research to very good effect, both to keep the narrative flowing and to further explain the cultural and political environment in which the events happened.
Two things I particularly liked about how he wrote this are:
1) He does not manufacture a mystery about Michael's fate. He tells you in the first chapter what (most likely) happened, and the book is focused on explaining why and how.
2) He does not have complete certainty in the events (and really, no history ever does), and instead of stating his most likely hypothesis as fact like many history writers do, he lets that uncertainty stand.
Two things I particularly liked about how he wrote this are:
1) He does not manufacture a mystery about Michael's fate. He tells you in the first chapter what (most likely) happened, and the book is focused on explaining why and how.
2) He does not have complete certainty in the events (and really, no history ever does), and instead of stating his most likely hypothesis as fact like many history writers do, he lets that uncertainty stand.
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced