People of the Rainforest: The Villas Boas Brothers, Explorers and Humanitarians of the Amazon - Hardcover

Hemming, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1787381951 ISBN 13: 9781787381957

Publisher: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd, 2019

Synopsis

In 1945 three young brothers joined Brazil's first government-sponsored expedition to cut into its Amazonian rainforests, and were soon leading the tough two-year exploration. This, and a series of later expeditions into unknown terrain, made them the most famous explorers in South America of their day. The Villas Boas brothers made four thrilling and dangerous 'first contacts' with isolated indigenous peoples and organised dramatic rescues of others. Captivated by these resilient tribal communities, they spent the rest of their lives with them, learning about their societies and above all helping them adapt to modern Brazil without losing their cultural heritage, identity and pride. The Villas Boases' drive for adventure and discovery quickly turned into political advocacy as they changed Brazilian attitudes to native peoples. Eccentric and charismatic, the brothers used their fame and status as national treasures to achieve humanitarian goals, securing 26,000 square kilometres as the Xingu protected area for both tropical forests and their indigenous guardians. This was the first such reserve, and it has been replicated throughout South America, to protect a significant proportion of the world's surviving tropical rainforests.

About this title

Review:

'The journeys of the Villas Boas brothers make up one of the great stories of twentieth-century exploration, and John Hemming tells it with his customary assurance and authority. . . . Uplifting and heartbreaking, it's an absorbing account of two men who committed their lives to understanding one of the world's most impenetrable environments.'--Sir Michael Palin

'Hemming presents his hallmark combination of forensic research, vivid prose and gripping narrative to tell the compelling story of three brothers' explorations in the Amazon rainforests. . . . As Brazil's new President ramps up the rhetoric that is a prelude to the further plunders the lands of the rainforests Indians, historic counterpoint is provided by a writer who is not only a fellow explorer, but also an exceptional scholar.'--Tony Juniper, CBE, environmentalist and author of Rainforest -- Dispatches From Earth's Most Vital Frontlines

'Any book by John Hemming is cause for celebration, but this is the one he was destined to write. Himself a renowned Amazonian explorer and crusader for the rights of indigenous peoples, he turns his literary lens on the legendary Villas Boas brothers, whose singular devotion to justice resulted in vast expanses of the Brazilian Amazon being set aside as the legitimate and undeniable homelands of scores of tribal nations.' --Wade Davis, Amazonian botanist and National Geographic Explorer in Residence, and author of Into the Silence, winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize

About the Author:

John Hemming is a former director of the Royal Geographical Society and the author of many books, including The Conquest of the Incas. He is a renowned explorer of Amazonia and the leading authority on the history of Brazil's indigenous peoples.

About this edition

• Publisher: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1787381951
• ISBN 13: 9781787381957
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288