The Real Savages

Savages

Joe Kane

280 pages

Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, Inc.

Kindle: $9.99

In the first chapter the author, Joe Kane, takes a Huaorani Indian, Moi, to Washington D.C. to be able to fight for the clean up of native land in Ecuador that was polluted by oil companies. He looks at the White House and thinks that he could make it all the way to the gates without getting caught. This whole book is a fight for survival of the Huaorani tribe, the Ecuadorian Amazon and for the future generations of the Ecuadorian tribes. It is one of the best forms of public relations for the tribes because by the end of the book a person wants to do anything they can to help them.

[Photo Credit: L. Marcio Ramalho//Flickr Creative Commons]

Savages is a compelling exposé about the harm that oil companies caused while they were drilling in Ecuador.  Kane lived with the Huaorani tribe to be able to experience the chaos the oil companies created for the tribe and on the environment. He wrote this book in order to show others what different types of tragedies occurred in Ecuador for our precious oil.

Kane has lived an adventurous life and has never done anything half-heartedly. He spent six months on the Amazon River and lived with the Huaorani tribe on and off again for over a year. He has won the Overseas Press Club Award and was named to the 100 best adventure books of all time by National Geographic. He lives in California with his wife and two daughters.

            This book will show you the horrors an oil company can create in a country with no resources and no standards for ethical oil drilling. It tells the story of natives who work for the oil companies, receive little pay and are forced to live apart from their families. There are little kids who cannot afford shoes whose feet are covered in oil. It describes the rich culture of Huaorani living but shows how this way of life is being destroyed. The river runs black in some parts of Huaorani territory because of oil contamination. This book teaches readers that the real “savages” are not the natives, but the oil companies. The only weakness this book has it there is not an updated epilogue that shows how the Huaorani are surviving.

[Photo Credit: Rodrigo Buendia/AFP/Getty Images]

            If you want a book that will both capture your attention, make you laugh and cry all in the same chapter buy this book. Savages is not only educational but it will be a book that you will not want to finish. 

sources: 

Savages by Joe Kane

http://www.traveleroverseas.com/contributors/joe-kane/