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This books teaches about human recovery on what today can only be a global level. Powers writes about a personal journey he is able to take to find meaning in his life. He does so by riding on the shirttails of Bolivia's journey to keep the natural wonders it hasn't destroyed and bring its native peoples out of poverty into central rule, without resorting to violence. This, in a society that historically has governed through oppression, violence, and torture. Powers, a fundamental environmentalist, feels the 'oxygen' of a nature park he stands in. He is not ashamed to convey to the busy dot.com reader that his commitment to environmental preservation is spiritual and that the environmental preservaton movement is a quest for both economic survival and spiritual growth. I have no idea who the giant is and what the whispering is about. However, the metaphor radiates out there like the living rings of Bolivia's cities. But that's okay; this is not a humble book but it is a simple book. The author's loves and friendships are woven into the autonomy movement of the indigenous. His love relationship with a Bolivian woman can't survive the movement. But his friendship with a native leader shows him he can commit to the movement and family at the same time. A moving part of the book involves the visit of his parents to his Bolivian outpost. They are loving people but not idealized. Powers made them a tribute to his journey. A key to Powers' growth and talent is one of extraction, of their love for him and each other. Another telling segment in the book is Powers' reaction to America on a return visit. Having flown in from one of poorest countries on earth, he enters by contrast one of the shallowest, and it is ours. There's much to take away from this this telling on many levels.
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Whispering in the Giant's Ear: A Frontline Chronicle from Bolivia's War on Globalization by William Powers
nfpatete, September 10, 2006
This books teaches about human recovery on what today can only be a global level. Powers writes about a personal journey he is able to take to find meaning in his life. He does so by riding on the shirttails of Bolivia's journey to keep the natural wonders it hasn't destroyed and bring its native peoples out of poverty into central rule, without resorting to violence. This, in a society that historically has governed through oppression, violence, and torture. Powers, a fundamental environmentalist, feels the 'oxygen' of a nature park he stands in. He is not ashamed to convey to the busy dot.com reader that his commitment to environmental preservation is spiritual and that the environmental preservaton movement is a quest for both economic survival and spiritual growth. I have no idea who the giant is and what the whispering is about. However, the metaphor radiates out there like the living rings of Bolivia's cities. But that's okay; this is not a humble book but it is a simple book. The author's loves and friendships are woven into the autonomy movement of the indigenous. His love relationship with a Bolivian woman can't survive the movement. But his friendship with a native leader shows him he can commit to the movement and family at the same time. A moving part of the book involves the visit of his parents to his Bolivian outpost. They are loving people but not idealized. Powers made them a tribute to his journey. A key to Powers' growth and talent is one of extraction, of their love for him and each other. Another telling segment in the book is Powers' reaction to America on a return visit. Having flown in from one of poorest countries on earth, he enters by contrast one of the shallowest, and it is ours. There's much to take away from this this telling on many levels.(9 of 11 readers found this comment helpful)