The Healing Land: The Bushmen And The Kalahari Desert

3.8/5 ( ratings)

Brought up on stories and myths of the Kalahari Bushmen, Rupert Isaacson journeys to the dry vast grassland -- which stretches across South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia -- to find out the truth behind these childhood stories. Deep in the Kalahari, Isaacson meets the last groups of Bushmen still living the traditional way, caught between their ancient culture and the growing need to protect and reclaim their dwindling hunting grounds. Little by little he is drawn into the fascinating web of ritual and prophecy that make up the Bushman reality. He hears of shamans who turn into lions, sees leopards conjured from the landscape as though by magic. He attends trance-inducing dances and witnesses incredible healings. But he also sees the heart-wrenching social problems of a dispossessed people. What follows is an adventure of an intensity he never could have predicted. The Healing Land records Isaacson's personal transformation amid these extraordinary people, and his passionate contribution to their political struggle. It captures his enchantment with the character, corruption, kindness, and confusion of a place that has wrenched itself from the Stone Age into the new millennium. "[This] story ... has never been told ... by a narrator so openhearted, optimistic, and vulnerable to enchantment.... Highly recommended." -- Rian Malan "A more clear-sighted view [of the Bushmen] is long overdue -- which makes Rupert Isaacson's book most welcome." -- The Economist "This is a traveller's book as well as a memoir.... It is well written, engaging, and enlightening." -- Johannesburg Citizen "A beautifully written account that simultaneously intrigues, educates, and fascinates." -- Marie Claire