Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Reviews of Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle

Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle
Don't Sleep There Are Snakes Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle
Author: Daniel L. Everett
ISBN-13: 9780375425028
ISBN-10: 0375425020
Publication Date: 11/11/2008
Pages: 304
Edition: 1
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 4

3.8 stars, based on 4 ratings
Publisher: Pantheon
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

loregess avatar reviewed Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle on + 175 more book reviews
This book felt like several rolled into one. The author has so much info he wants to share with the reader that sometimes there isn't a smooth flow to the narrative. With that said, it is a very interesting book for those interested in lost languages and uncontacted cultures.

The Piraha are a fascinating people. Their language, consisting of 3 vowels and 8 consonants, does not limit them from communicating with each other in close or distant proximity from one another. In addition to verbal speech, the Piraha people communicate with each other by humming, singing, and whistling.

A hard-working and resourceful people, the Piraha welcome Everett into the tribe and teach him their way of life - which ultimately has a profound impact on Everett's beliefs and how he views life once he goes back home.