Spirit of the Rainforest

By: Mark Andrew Ritchie

This book is one of my assignments for my graduate class, but don’t let that fact scare you away!  It is by no means a textbook, but rather the story of the Yanomamo of the Amazon as they discover the most powerful spirit.  Their journey covers the span of many years, and the story intertwines between various villages.  It’s a riveting account of a people group that is much more aware of the battles that surround them than those of us in the west.  Your worldview will be challenged and expanded as you read.  Furthermore, you may be encouraged to examine the testimony of your own life.  One of the most poignant quotes I’ve encountered so far in the book is the following:

Something is wrong.  When we live with our spirits, we become more like them.  They dance.  We dance.  They steal and rape women.  We steal and rape women.  They fight and kill.  We fight and kill.  But these white men don’t do what they say their spirit does.  They say he’s generous.  But they’re not.  They say he’s kind.  But they’re not.