Synopses & Reviews
An intimate and powerful account of living in Bolivia during a time of crisis and change.Long the obscure Tibet of South America,” Bolivia emerged as a world flashpoint during the four years William Powers lived there as an aid worker. CNN and the New York Times have shown images of Aymara women in bowler hats standing down tanks; citizen protests have ousted multinationals and two pro-globalization presidents. In A Natural Nation, Powers breathes life into the recent struggles of the Bolivian people. When he arrives in the rainforest, he meets an extraordinary Chiquitano Indian named Salvador who is fighting the extinction of his people. At the same time, the clock ticks for three multinational energy companies forced to curb global warming. Both goals depend upon the survival of a stretch of pristine jungle. But as Indians and oil giants join to launch the worlds largest Kyoto Protocol projectusing forests to absorb dangerous planetary greenhouse gassesSalvadors life is threatened by loggers collaborating with a racist Bolivian oligarchy. The quest for a single rainforest is subsumed in a movement of national liberation. A Natural Nation goes beneath the headlines, gracefully weaving memoir, travel, history and reportage into an unforgettable chronicle of a poor little rich country” attempting to engage the world without losing its soul.
William Powers has worked for over a decade in development aid in Latin America, Africa, Washington, D.C., and Native North America. His project in the Bolivian Amazon won a 2003 prize for environmental innovation from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is author of the Liberia memoir Blue Clay People. Long the obscure "Tibet of South America," in the last few years Bolivia has emerged as a world flashpoint. CNN and The New York Times have shown images of Aymara women in bowler hats standing down tanks; citizen protests have ousted multinationals and two pro-globalization presidents. In December 2005 Bolivians elected the first fully Indian president in the hemisphere. As an aid worker, William Powers has been an eyewitnessand frequent participantas this resource-rich money-poor country has struggled to save its Indian culture and its extraordinary rainforest, proving that an impoverished Third World country can be green. When he arrives in the rainforest, he meets a dynamic Chiquitano Indian named Salvador who is fighting the extinction of his people. At the same time, the clock ticks for three multinational energy companies forced to curb global warming. Both goals depend upon the survival of a stretch of pristine jungle. But as Indians and oil giants join to launch the world's largest Kyoto Protocol project, Salvador's life is threatened by loggers collaborating with a racist Bolivian oligarchy. The quest for a single rainforest is subsumed in a movement of national liberation. Whispering in the Giant's Ear weaves memoir, travel, history, and reportage into an unforgettable chronicle of a nation attempting to engage the world without losing its soul. "[A] piquant and provocative report on his work with Bolivia's largest conservation organization. Writing with self-deprecating humor and fluid understanding of the complex dynamics at work in this persistently poor land, Powers exposes the environmental and cultural destruction wrought by multinationals and the correspondingand quite remarkableuprisings of Bolivia's indigenous peoples in defense of the rain forests, their physical and spiritual home and the habitat for endangered species. Bolivia is the site of the world's largest Kyoto Protocol rain-forest experiment and pioneering debt-for-nature and carbon-credit projects, and Powers is keenly sensitive to the realities, possibilities, and paradoxes inherent in Bolivia's revolutionary politics and environmental innovations. By profiling a courageous and pragmatic Indian activist, tracking complicated disputes over land ownership and use, and detailing such green endeavors as 'eco-wood' production, Powers chronicles Bolivia's success, against all odds, in leading the way toward creation of biosphere-sustaining and socially just societies."Donna Seaman, Booklist "Powers wrote about his experiences helping manage sustainable development projects in Liberia in Blue Clay People and now presents a piquant and provocative report on his work with Bolivia's largest conservation organization. Writing with self-deprecating humor and fluid understanding of the complex dynamics at work in this persistently poor land, Powers exposes the environmental and cultural destruction wrought by multinationals and the correspondingand quite remarkableuprisings of Bolivia's indigenous peoples in defense of the rain forests, their physical and spiritual home and the habitat for endangered species. Bolivia is the site of the world's largest Kyoto Protocol rain-forest experiment and pioneering debt-for-nature and carbon-credit projects, and Powers is keenly sensitive to the realities, possibilities, and paradoxes inherent in Bolivia's revolutionary politics and environmental innovations. By profiling a courageous and pragmatic Indian activist, tracking complicated disputes over land ownership and use, and detailing such green endeavors as 'eco-wood' production, Powers chronicles Bolivia's success, against all odds, in leading the way toward creation of biosphere-sustaining and socially just societies."Donna Seaman, Booklist "During the last five years, the struggles of Bolivia's indigenous community against government corruption and globalization have garnered unprecedented visibility for the nation around the world. As an aid worker living in Bolivia, Powers did not just witness the change; he was immersed in the action, forced to juggle the country's internal conflict with his environmental organization's mission of saving the rain forest. By 'thinking locally and acting globally,' he forges a delicate partnership with Indians and multinational energy corporations to designate a swath of the Amazon forest for absorbing greenhouse gases. While matters of politics and the environment provide the framework for the book, much of the story is focused on the friendships he builds through genuine curiosity and emotion as he attempts to truly understand the needs of the people around him. What results is a deeply personal and informative chronicle of Powers's ambitions, the Indians' ambitions and perhaps most importantly in a country as physically diverse and dramatic as Bolivia, nature's ambitions . . . The book succeeds in using the country's recent history to reveal how the worldwide battle for increased economic equality and environmental conservation operates locally."Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Long the obscure "Tibet of South America," Bolivia emerged as a world flashpoint during the four years William Powers lived there as an aid worker. CNN and the New York Times have shown images of Aymara women in bowler hats standing down tanks; citizen protests have ousted multinationals and two pro-globalization presidents. In "Whispering in the Giant's Ear," Powers brings alive the recent struggles of the Bolivian people. When he arrives in the rainforest, he meets an extraordinary Chiquitano Indian named Salvador who is fighting the extinction of his people. At the same time, the clock ticks for three multinational energy companies forced to curb the global warming. Both goals depend upon the survival of a stretch of pristine jungle. But as Indians and oil giants join to launch the world's largest Kyoto project - using forests to absorb dangerous planetary greenhouse gasses - Salvador's life is threatened by loggers collaborating with a racist Bolivian oligarchy. The quest for a single rainforest is subsumed in a movement of national liberation. "Whispering in the Giant's Ear "goes beneath the headlines, gracefully weaving memoir, travel, history, and reportage into an unforgettable chronicle of a "poor little rich country" attempting to engage the world without losing its soul.
Synopsis
Long the obscure "Tibet of South America," Bolivia emerged as a world flashpoint during the four years William Powers lived there as an aid worker. CNN and the
Synopsis
An intimate and powerful account of living in Bolivia during a time of crisis and change.Long the obscure "Tibet of South America," Bolivia emerged as a world flashpoint during the four years William Powers lived there as an aid worker. CNN and the New York Times have shown images of Aymara women in bowler hats standing down tanks; citizen protests have ousted multinationals and two pro-globalization presidents. In A Natural Nation, Powers breathes life into the recent struggles of the Bolivian people. When he arrives in the rainforest, he meets an extraordinary Chiquitano Indian named Salvador who is fighting the extinction of his people. At the same time, the clock ticks for three multinational energy companies forced to curb global warming. Both goals depend upon the survival of a stretch of pristine jungle. But as Indians and oil giants join to launch the world's largest Kyoto Protocol project--using forests to absorb dangerous planetary greenhouse gasses--Salvador's life is threatened by loggers collaborating with a racist Bolivian oligarchy. The quest for a single rainforest is subsumed in a movement of national liberation. A Natural Nation goes beneath the headlines, gracefully weaving memoir, travel, history and reportage into an unforgettable chronicle of a "poor little rich country" attempting to engage the world without losing its soul.
About the Author
William Powers has worked for over a decade in development aid in Latin America, Africa, Washington, D.C., and Native North America. His project in the Bolivian Amazon won the 2003 Harvard University JFK School prize for innovation. He is author of the Liberia memoir
Blue Clay People, and contributor to two recent books on tropical biodiversity. His essays have appeared in the
New York Times and
International Herald Tribune, and he provides commentary for World Vision Radio and NPR. Powers, who is still based in Bolivia, is 2004-2005 recipient of the Open Door Foundation fellowship for nonfiction