Dimensions
138 x 216 x 36mm
Though many untouched corners of the globe have been hailed as the Last Eden, Suriname has a legitimate claim to the title. Ninety percent of this mysterious country is covered in thick neo-tropical jungle, and only 43,000 people live here. Once traded to the Dutch by the English in return for modern-day Manhattan, the jungles of Suriname are widely considered the largest tract of pristine rainforest left on earth. As a young scientist, Westoll spent a year living in these rainforests. Five years on, he returns to satisfy his long-standing obsession: to uncover Suriname's quintessential soul. The result is SURINAME, a passionate, beautifully written travel memoir and eco narrative. Westoll's spell binding stories ? of myths, murder, friendships and exploitation ? are set against a quest for the rare and beautiful blue frog, the okopipi. Thoughtfully, with ravishing writing and a dash of the modern day explorer, he brings to life the conflicts and wonders at the heart of Suriname's wild places. AUTHOR: Andrew Westoll, a former primatologist, now works as a freelance journalist and writer in Canada. He is currently at work on a new book about Bolivia. SELLING POINTS: Suriname is one of the world's forgotten corners, a land of myth, magic and ecological wonder just north of Brazil and the Upper Amazon Basin An intrepid young traveler who will delight fans of Bruce Parry's AMAZON Westoll recounts experiences as diverse as befriending an ex-dictator's bodyguard and exploring the shamanistic rituals of the rainforest dwellers REVIEW: ?Very few people know this is the cradle of many famous football players, and almost nobody knows that these sport stars are the historical heirs of the Maroon slaves who defeated Dutch colonialism. Westoll went deep inside the jungle, looking for a sacred, tiny, shining blue frog, and discovered that perhaps hell and heaven have the same address' Eduardo Galeano
