PIERS VITEBSKY is the head of anthropology and Russian northern studies at the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge. His previous books include Shamanism and Dialogues with the Dead: The Discussion of Mortality Among the Sora of Eastern India. The Reindeer People has been selected as a finalist for the 2006 Kiriyama Prize in nonfiction.
"This immersion in the lives of some of the world's toughest and most resilient people is a powerfully lovely book." --Bill McKibben "Remarkable." The Financial Times of London "Like all the finest anthropology, this book entertains readers with descriptions of an alien culture, only to imbue them with a deeper sense of common humanity." The Times of London "A wild and vividly described journey to Siberia." -- New Scientist "Extraordinary fieldnotes from the remotest fringes of the reindeer economy . . . A Worthy companion to Arctic Dreams and other landmark books." Kirkus Reviews, Starred "With grace, courage and sensitivity, Vitebsky reveals an extraordinary world, spinning a tale to warm any winter's night." Publishers Weekly, Starred "This immersion in the lives of some of the world's toughest and most resilient people is a powerfully lovely book. It is also a kind of triple anthropology--of these ancient people, and of their relations with the Soviet and post-Soviet worlds." -- Bill McKibben "If you read one book this year... read [The] Reindeer People. This book will grip and enlighten anyone... Like the reindeer themselves, this book takes wing." -- Daily Telegraph "A wondrous, complex story...and Vitebsky tells it beautifully...Vitebsky's fascination with his subject and joyful attention to detail are what make this book stand out." -- Guardian "Vitebsky is both an excellent scholar and a gifted writer, with a feeling for landscape and character and a knack for metaphor and allusion... Like all the finest anthropology, this book entertains readers with descriptions of an alien culture, only to imbue them with a deeper sense of common humanity." -- The Times "A wild and vividly described journey to Siberia...Vitebsky draws us into a world where people, land, animals, and the seasons are part of a hard but also deeply spiritual existence." -- New Scientist "A tender and highly personal piece of anthropology." -- Daily Mail "So intimate, so revealing, and so moving...This book is required reading." -- Moscow Times "The author captivates the reader with his delicate sense of human relations and sure grasp of the realities of Eveny liife at an extraordinary moment in history. The power of the narrative and the exquisite evocation of place make this book a masterpiece of anthropological writing." -- Professor Jean Briggs, Memorial University of Newfoundland, author of Never in Anger and Inuit Morality Play --
For most Western readers, the thought of reindeer brings memories of Christmas trees and gifts. For the Eveny tribe of northeastern Siberia, this creature is much more: it is the source of their food, clothing, and transportation, the impetus for lengthy treks across inhospitable terrain, and a spiritual bridge between this world and the next. Vitebsky (anthropology, Russian northern studies, Univ. of Cambridge; The Shaman: Voyages of the Soul Trance, Ecstasy and Healing, from Siberia to the Amazon) has visited these herders every year for almost 20 years, witnessing their struggles not only with a brutal environment but also with the interference of pre- and post-Communist bureaucracies. Here he highlights his visits to the camps of the Eveny and his travels with them on their migrations, portraying their resilience as they cope with blizzards, wolves, government corruption, international market forces, and isolation. As he observes the complex and interdependent relationship between the Eveny and their reindeer, Vitebsky realizes that it is not necessarily so easy to determine who are the herders and who the herded. While anthropological literature has given us many studies of this region, this narrative is as richly detailed and compelling as it is instructive. Recommended for public and undergraduate libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 8/05.]-Dan Harms, SUNY at Cortland Lib. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
"This immersion in the lives of some of the world's toughest and most resilient people is a powerfully lovely book." --Bill McKibben "Remarkable." The Financial Times of London "Like all the finest anthropology, this book entertains readers with descriptions of an alien culture, only to imbue them with a deeper sense of common humanity." The Times of London "A wild and vividly described journey to Siberia." -- New Scientist "Extraordinary fieldnotes from the remotest fringes of the reindeer economy . . . A Worthy companion to Arctic Dreams and other landmark books." Kirkus Reviews, Starred "With grace, courage and sensitivity, Vitebsky reveals an extraordinary world, spinning a tale to warm any winter's night." Publishers Weekly, Starred "This immersion in the lives of some of the world's toughest and most resilient people is a powerfully lovely book. It is also a kind of triple anthropology--of these ancient people, and of their relations with the Soviet and post-Soviet worlds." -- Bill McKibben "If you read one book this year... read [The] Reindeer People. This book will grip and enlighten anyone... Like the reindeer themselves, this book takes wing." -- Daily Telegraph "A wondrous, complex story...and Vitebsky tells it beautifully...Vitebsky's fascination with his subject and joyful attention to detail are what make this book stand out." -- Guardian "Vitebsky is both an excellent scholar and a gifted writer, with a feeling for landscape and character and a knack for metaphor and allusion... Like all the finest anthropology, this book entertains readers with descriptions of an alien culture, only to imbue them with a deeper sense of common humanity." -- The Times "A wild and vividly described journey to Siberia...Vitebsky draws us into a world where people, land, animals, and the seasons are part of a hard but also deeply spiritual existence." -- New Scientist "A tender and highly personal piece of anthropology." -- Daily Mail "So intimate, so revealing, and so moving...This book is required reading." -- Moscow Times "The author captivates the reader with his delicate sense of human relations and sure grasp of the realities of Eveny liife at an extraordinary moment in history. The power of the narrative and the exquisite evocation of place make this book a masterpiece of anthropological writing." -- Professor Jean Briggs, Memorial University of Newfoundland, author of Never in Anger and Inuit Morality Play --
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