TALES OF A SHAMANS APPRENTICE by Mark J. Plotkin  / 1993 / 318 pages. *****

Mark Plotkin, chief ethno biologist for Conservation International, has spent much of the last decade in the rain forests tracking the shamans whose knowledge of the curative powers of plants may hold the cure to some of today's devastating diseases. This is the fascinating account of his apprenticeships to these powerful wise men, an anthropological adventure story that also vividly clarifies what destruction of the region's plant species may ultimately cost humanity. "Every time a shaman dies, it is as if a library burned down,' Plotkin reminds us. No one could convey the potential tragedy of this statement more convincingly than this author, who has done something to remedy it. A captivating plea for more effective management of the rain forest's botanical, medicinal, and cultural resources."