pran 's review for:

Don't Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle by Daniel L. Everett

4.0

adventurous informative slow-paced

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I enjoyed this book more than I expected to. I knew next to nothing about indigenous Amazonian people, let alone the Pirahãs, before reading this book. I found the descriptions of their language and culture, especially the immediacy of experience theory, very interesting. I thought the linguistics was explained very well and although it was quite technical, was comprehensible for a lay person. 
I thought the way the book was structured could have been better, but that is down to the editor more than the writer. 
I also wouldn't have minded the culture section of the book being longer, as I found I wanted to know more about the way the Pirahã people live. Also, as other reviewers have mentioned, it would have been interesting to hear Dan's family's experience.
Also, considering on the blurb it specifically mentioned that he lost his faith as a result of learning more about Pirahã culture, I was expecting there to be more about that in the book as well.