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Shop nowThe Snake Charmer
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Learn moreOne of the most brilliant biologists of our time and a charismatic daredevil, Dr. Joe Slowinski had been obsessed with venomous snakes since his youth. In 2001, Slowinski led a team of young scientists deep into the wilds of Burma on a final tragic expedition. Immediately after being bitten by the many-banded krait, the deadliest serpent in Asia, Joe knew his life was in grave and imminent peril. Thus began one of the most remarkable wilderness rescue attempts of modern times, as Joe’s teammates kept him alive for thirty hours by mouth-to-mouth respiration.
The Snake Charmer is at once a brilliant biography, a pulse-pounding adventure story, an exotic travel book, and a fascinating introduction to the bizarre world of snake science.
Jamie James is the author of eight books, including Music of the Spheres, Other Origins, and Eccentrics: A Study in Sanity and Strangeness. He has lived in Indonesia since 1999, where he continues to write for top American newspapers and magazines, including the New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Wall Street Journal.
William Hughes is an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. A professor of political science at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon, he received his doctorate in American politics from the University of California at Davis. He has done voice-over work for radio and film and is also an accomplished jazz guitarist.
Reviews
“Absolutely riveting. This sensitive, fascinating exploration of a scientist’s quest for knowledge deepens with relentless suspense into a classic tale of a man’s fight for survival in the wilderness.”
“Gritty and sad…chilling…both a tribute to Slowinski’s spirit and scientific accomplishments, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of an overly passionate ambition.”
“It’s wonder, not suspense, that’s at the heart of this book. The Snake Charmer is more than a tale of derring-do, discovery, and death in the jungle; it’s also a story of the grandeur of the biosphere and the lengths some people will go to understand and protect it.”
“Both a biography of a flawed but dedicated scientist seeking to understand the natural world and a dramatic adventure/travel tale, this account gives the reader a fascinating look at the incredible hardships and dangers of field expeditions to impossibly remote places.”
“Absorbing, stylishly written account…Without impeding his narrative, James frequently veers into wonderful stories of snake lore, academic rivalries, rattlesnake roundups and other pertinent herpetological matters. An exquisitely crafted book that will grab even those who have no interest in snakes.”
“A dramatic and moving story, told by an author who clearly understands that his subject is not simply about a man’s cruel and ironic death but also about his life, his spirit, and his dreams.”
“This book will astonish and delight anyone who believes that the great age of biological collecting is over.”
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