Encounters with Uncontacted People in the Amazon

For the last few weeks life has taken place beneath the trees, out in the Madre de Dios region of Peru. While traveling on remote rivers at this time of year, the dry season, it is always important to remember that nomadic 'uncontacted' tribes are a reality in Amazonia. This simple stone axe head was found in the abandoned camp of a nomadic Indian group. Smooth and well made, it is a tool used by a people from an entirely different world.

Interview today on New York NPR WAMC's The Roundtable

Traveled to #Albany NY today to meet Joe Donahue at WAMC's The Round Table. Joe asked some really great questions, focusing on environment, and the message of Mother of God - perfect lead in to their #EarthDay segment. You can listen to the full interview here. 

Mother of God and Jane Goodall's Support

Today is Dr. Jane Goodall's 80th birthday. And so I thought it the right time to share this image. It is quite possible that this book would never have come to be had it not been for the encouragement of Dr. Goodall. She took the time out of her incredibly busy life to offer words of support when I was still writing, and that changed everything. It changed how publishers viewed the project, how friends and family viewed it, and even how I myself perceived it. Today Dr. Goodall is a treasured friend who I owe dearly - a debt I can only repay by continuing to protect all those things green and good in the world.

Uncontacted Tribes Are in the News Again

#Uncontactedtribes make the news every few months, when someone from the air gets a picture of them. These pictures are very clear and show a group of people taking cover beneath a shelter, clutching spears/bow and arrows. Strange to think of a human that has never seen the wheel, or used a spoon. But they know many things we don't. So we should respect them and leave them alone out there.

What Bear Grylls is saying about Mother of God:

Indiana Jones and the Amazon

The internet is abuzz with talk of Bradley Cooper playing Indiana Jones. I think it could work. But I hope that instead of just hunting for treasure, the new Jones is after something bigger - maybe species? This would be  a great time to include a conservation message into a mainstream adventure. But until Bradley Cooper confirms, I guess we are left with the real life Indiana Jones of the Amazon! 

The Huffington Post: 8 Outrageous Nonfiction Stories You Wouldn't Believe If They Were Novels

If you were handed a novel that describes someone being carried downriver “while grasping the back of a gigantic anaconda ‘as thick as a small cow and easily well over twenty-five feet long,’ ” would you believe that writer? Probably not. Fiction that’s too outlandish feels false, but nonfiction should be verifiable. That description, by the way, appears in Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey into the Uncharted Tributaries of the Western Amazon, one of the books in this week’s list of thoughtfully written tales you might be startled to know are true. (click on the picture to see books).

Mother of God: meet the 26 year old Indiana Jones of the Amazon, Paul Rosolie

New article on Mongabay.com about Mother of God, adventure, and conservation. Check it out (click the picture):

ONE DAY TO GO!

Mother of God will be out tomorrow. I can't believe it. So on the final day of anticipation here is the trailer for the book - with scenes from the story!