A Harvard student and an
ex-cannibal may seem like an unlikely pair, but on a dance floor in
Ecuador, their steps matched. Author Carla Seidl met Amazon-Jungle-born
surfer Fredy Andi while teaching on the Galápagos Islands at age
nineteen, and her life has never been the same since. Several years
later, thinking that perhaps simple living was the key to happiness,
Seidl returned to the islands to unearth more about Fredy's story and
see if their connection, and his seemingly carefree lifestyle, were for
real. The duo ended up traveling to the Amazon Jungle to try to find
Fredy's family, and Seidl survived to tell the tale.
The Sophisticated
Savage combines the best of biography, ethnology, and travel writing in
an anthropological memoir with a romantic twist that will inform as
well as engage. With a unique interweaving style and a refreshingly
honest narrative voice, Seidl tells her own coming-of-age story and at
the same time delves into the history of the infamously violent
Huaorani tribe, the notion of the primitive, and the increasingly
relevant topic of simplicity and its relationship to happiness.
Praise for The
Sophisticated Savage:
“…Carla Seidl
presents fascinating insights about the simplicity of life and
happiness. “The Sophisticated Savage” is an intriguing read, highly
recommended.” --Midwest Book Review
"...this
merging of an
academic approach with a romantic treatise....is very well done, very
sophisticated and perceptive. Also very honest....well-written and
thoroughly engaging." --Creative Byline
"...intriguing and smart...." -- Hannah Gordon, Foundry Literary
& Media
Pictures and audio related to The
Sophisticated Savage can be found in the related
slideshow, "Cannibal Theme Park," the audio for which the author put
together as a radio documentary project in fall of 2008:
Visit author Carla Seidl on
the web, or click here to read a press release related to The Sophisticated Savage.
