Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Machismo in the Bush September 28, 2008
Not a trace of humility here, nor any sense that there were consequences for the people who lived in the Coxcomb basin, who were thrown out so the author could pursue his goals. Conservation as a macho story about the white man.
 A nature and adventure must-read February 25, 2008
An excellent, passionate book by one of the world's greatest explorers and conservationists. High price for a paperback - hopefully some of the proceeds go to wildlife or land conservation.
One of my favorite books!! January 19, 2008
Very well written and interesting. Rabinowitz gives an amazingly personal account of his work in Belize. It is truly a great read for anyone.
Entertaining and instructive November 20, 2007
"Jaguar" is an interesting mix of memoir and natural history, with eye-opening descriptions of life in a remote Mayan village. I read the book while at Cockscomb Basin. I met people who lived there when "Dr. Alan" was doing his work, and they said the book is accurate (though it perhaps made things seem "better" than they were, which is a startling statement once you've read how hard life was for the Maya in this book). He writes in a surprisingly engaging style for a scientist and tells a satisfyingly complete story. There is also a lot in this book for readers who enjoy adventure travel narratives in which people endure extreme hardship and live through things we would never like to experience in person.
The Heart of the Jungle November 29, 2004
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
"Jaguar" is the fascinating story of one scientist's journey to study and protect the elusive jaguar, the third largest cat in the world.
Written like a book of fiction, "Jaguar" reads smoothly, capturing your attention and curiosity with its first-person portrayal of life in an alien world: the jungles of Belize. It is peopled with the Maya, a culture rich in history yet suffering poverty, disease, and insignificance in modern times. And in this world exists the jaguar, a powerful cat who is rarely seen and is not a man-eater, yet is hunted almost to extinction for its exquisite spotted fur and because, quite simply, people fear it.
I read "Jaguar" in about 2 days, and fell completely in love with its spirit. The author, a young scientist, struggled hard to successfully understand the lives of these cats within its world and to keep it alive, often to his own personal tragedies. His description of the jungle is unromantic and riveting, as are the terrible hardships that go with it. I will never forget all the diseases, snakes, and parasites than run amok in this story, practically characters of their own. One lesson I came back with is how thankful I am to live in a country with exceptional sanitation and medical care.
"Jaguar" is haunting. You can't finish it without wishing to enter that dark, dangerous jungle of the majestic jaguar. It draws out the adventurer in you. It stirs your compassion.
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