- Hardcover: 283 pages
- Publisher: Pantheon Books; 1 edition (11 Nov 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0375425020
- ISBN-13: 978-0375425028
- Product Dimensions: 16.2 x 3 x 24.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 605,081 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Don't Sleep There are Snakes
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Product Description
Review
'Dan Everett has written an excellent book. First, it is a very powerful autobiographical account of his stay with the Piraha in the jungles of the Amazon basin. Second, it is a brilliant piece of ethnographical description of life among the Piraha. And third, and perhaps most important in the long run, his data and his conclusions about the language of the Piraha run dead counter to the prevailing orthodoxy in linguistics. If he is right, he will permanently change our conception of human language.' - John Searle, Slusser Professor of Philosophy, University of California, Berkeley'This is an astonishing book: a work of exploration, into the most distant place and language, but also a revelation of the way language is shaped by thought and circumstance.' Ben Macintyre, The Times'Astonishing... a warm tribute to this people's unique way of seeing the world... full of wonder while conveying the fragility of the Piraha way.' Waterstone's Books Quarterly
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Edward Gibson, Professor of Cognitive Sciences, MIT
'Everett is the most interesting man I have ever met... a fascinating read'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
111 of 113 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this book on Saturday. It's Monday now and I've just finished it, which for me is very fast indeed, and a reflection on what a fascinating and well written book it is.
I heard the author talking about his travels and studies on BBC Radio 4 and thought his ideas about linguistics were interesting, but when I had a quick look at the book before I bought it I realised it was much more than an work about the theory of language. It's actually a rare combination of exciting adventure story, anthropology AND linguistics. The conclusions Everett reaches after 30 years of living amongst the Piraha people get right to the heart of what makes us who we are as human beings, and provide a fascinating insight into another way of life we would otherwise never have heard of, or at least would understand only superficially.
The first half of the book focuses on the lives of the Piraha (and the experiences of Everett living with them), the second half focuses on the linguistics. This structure works really well and the book is a great fusion of entertainment and information throughout.
I heard the author talking about his travels and studies on BBC Radio 4 and thought his ideas about linguistics were interesting, but when I had a quick look at the book before I bought it I realised it was much more than an work about the theory of language. It's actually a rare combination of exciting adventure story, anthropology AND linguistics. The conclusions Everett reaches after 30 years of living amongst the Piraha people get right to the heart of what makes us who we are as human beings, and provide a fascinating insight into another way of life we would otherwise never have heard of, or at least would understand only superficially.
The first half of the book focuses on the lives of the Piraha (and the experiences of Everett living with them), the second half focuses on the linguistics. This structure works really well and the book is a great fusion of entertainment and information throughout.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Daniel Everett's beautufully written account of a linguist and missionary who arrogantly intends to 'convert' an obscure and endangered Amazonian tribe to Christianity, and thereby 'save' them. But he discovers that they are the happiest people he has ever met, living completely in the moment, with none of the psychological hang-ups that plague so-called civilized people. In a moving and courageous book, the author describes his deep admiration forthe tribe and eventual decision to give up 'the crutches' of orthodox religion and embrace a spirituality of the now.
Don't Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle
Don't Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I love this book. It is very interesting to read about the Amazonian tribe, fascinating to hear about people that live completely in the present and have no need for our knowledge, technology or God. I also enjoyed the description of their language - a language that can be spoken, hummed or even whistled. I have to admit though that I skipped the chapter about linguistic theroy.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good book
Great book; well written. Ideal for anthropologists and linguists, but also of a style comprehensible to the general reader too.
Published 12 days ago by Joe
Fascinating, but what about speaking in tongues?
Learning about the life of an obscure tribe of about three hundred souls in the middle of the Amazonian jungle was a fascinating read; as was the section on the Piraha language and... Read more
Published 2 months ago by T. G. S. Hawksley
missionary gets converted by amazonian tribe
Evangelical American Missionary spends years with a tribe whose language is unrelated to any other living language in an attempt to translate the bible into their language. Read more
Published 2 months ago by medeema
sleeping with snakes
Wonderful book. Interesting and challenging. HIghly recommended if you are interested in other cultures, what makes us human, language and mathematics. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Brian
Good but boring in parts
I got this as I like travel writing and hadn't read anything about the amazon before. After starting the book, I was a little disappointed to find it wasn't really what I expected. Read more
Published 11 months ago by C88
Insightful, entertaining and uplifting
This book was recommended by someone who works with tribes in the Amazon. I say that because it's not something I would normally pick up. Read more
Published 16 months ago by J. Cowles
The blurb is misleading
I bought this book, eager to read about a combination of linguistics and anthropology seen through the life of someone whose own life changed cataclysmically. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Anouk
Beware, There Are Linguists in the Jungle!
This ought to be an interesting book but quite honestly it is difficult to find anything likeable or even remarkable about Daniel Everett, his family or the small Amazonian tribe,... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Eyrie
For both your minds.
Daniel Everett might not be the best writer, but he got a story to tell...
First of all: the book is split in two parts, which the author clearly separated and that's... Read more
First of all: the book is split in two parts, which the author clearly separated and that's... Read more
Published on 1 Mar 2010 by K. Scheller
interesting book
This is a fascinating book with many strands:
- it's about a man's personal journey, his relationship with his family, with god, and the way his experiences change the way he... Read more
- it's about a man's personal journey, his relationship with his family, with god, and the way his experiences change the way he... Read more
Published on 15 Dec 2009 by C. M. Emblem
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