From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. When Thomas was 19, her father, one of the founders of Raytheon, moved her family to Africa to live among the bushmen of the Kalahari. It's hard to imagine a teenager today who would not only give up the comforts of living in an industrialized nation like the United States but also utterly embrace and come to love a group of people who live without possessions or even permanent dwellings. Thomas sees the !Kung San as noble people, and her voice imparts the respect—almost awe—she feels in their presence. Her narration is as intimate as if she were sharing with friends her intricate knowledge of the plants and animals of the Kalahari. She speaks Ju/wasi, the click language, so she can easily explain much by using the group's own words. Thomas's voice is also wise and loving: she helps us see as these gentle people do and takes us with her through their endangered, fragile environment.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From AudioFile
Elizabeth Marshall Thomas began studying the Kalahari hunter-gatherers when she was only 19 and wrote a book, THE HARMLESS PEOPLE, about their lives. As she revisits their culture, she shows how the African natives have long known more about their world and been less superstitious than their "educated" counterparts. They don't need modern science to tell them how to eat a poisonous beetle without getting sick, for example. As a writer, Thomas is adept at using humor and keen observation to back up her points. As a narrator, though, her reading can be monotonous. THE OLD WAY is a fascinating book that is worth listening to, but it could use a livelier narration. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
