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Chargement... Invented Eden: The Elusive, Disputed History of the Tasadaypar Robin Hemley
   Aucun Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre.  mvblair | Aug 9, 2020 |  aucune critique | ajouter une critique
Distinctions
"In 1971, a band of twenty-six "Stone Age" rain-forest dwellers was discovered living in total isolation by Manuel Elizalde, a Philippine government minister with a dubious background. The tribe was soon featured in nightly American newscasts and graced the cover of National Geographic. They were visited by such celebrities as Charles Lindbergh and Gina Lollobrigida. But after a series of aborted anthropological forays, the 45,000-acre Tasaday Reserve established by Ferdinand Marcos was closed to all visitors, and the tribe vanished from public view." "Twelve years later, a Swiss reporter hiked into the area and discovered that the Tasaday were actually farmers who had been coerced by Elizalde into dressing in leaves and posing in caves with stone tools. Soon the "anthropological find of the century" had become the "ethnographic hoax of the century."" "Or maybe not. Robin Hemley tells a story that is more complex than either the hoax proponents or the Tasaday advocates might care to admit. At the center of it is a group of very poor people who have been buffeted by forces beyond their control. Were the Tasaday the creation of gullible journalists, bumbling scientists, and an ego-driven madman, or were they the innocent victims of cynical academics and politicos? In answering that question, Hemley has written a tale of innocence found, lost, and found again."--Jacket. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
Auteur LibraryThingRobin Hemley est un auteur LibraryThing, c'est-à-dire un auteur qui catalogue sa bibliothèque personnelle sur LibraryThing. Discussion en coursAucunCouvertures populaires  
 Google Books — Chargement...GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)959.97History and Geography Asia Southeast Asia The PhilippinesClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne: (4)
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"Invented Eden" is a very well-written book. Because it was so enjoyable, it was also a very quick read. There are a few things, however, that give me pause. In the book, Hemley tries to get to the bottom of the Tasaday story: was their "discovery" as a primitive, secluded people with no contact to the outside world.
Hemley's conclusion is very wishy-washy, although it is completely realistic and understandable. The conclusion is that the Tasaday were probably in contact with their neighboring tribes although not with the larger Philippine and academic societies, despite evidence of their existence showing up on a military map from the 1950s. This rings true. It is the middle ground between "the Tasaday made their first contact with the outside in 1971" and "the Tasaday were a fabrication."
The last chapter is something of a "hit job" on the proponents of the hoax theory. Hemley quickly rattles off reasons why the proponents of the hoax theory should not be believed despite spending the entirety of the book discussing their qualifications, theories, and ideas. In this section, Hemley even throws out the idea that one of the hoax proponents should not be believed because he was a known member of a Philippine communist party. It seemed rather absurd to bring this up in passing at the end of the book after spending chapters devoted to the man.
The author also dropped in something of a dead-end teaser. He helped coordinate conclusive DNA testing between various peoples in the area, sent the results to Hawaii. This kept my attention because Hemley claimed it would answer the hoax question. In the last chapter, we learn that the DNA testing was irrelevant because the sample size was too small.
The book has a great index and good end notes. I hope that a future version will have a "list of players" because the number of people who came in and out of the narrative was enormous. I had some trouble remembering who was who. Of course, with a story this big that received so much attention, there would naturally be a lot of names involved.
Hemley has several witty comments throughout the book that make him an authentic narrator. His writing is fluid and enjoyable. I will definitely look for another one of his books. (