Jonathan Turk

What I liked most about this book is the portrayal of the people and land of Siberia. I learned so much about the economy, lifestyle and culture of the Koryak people. I was struck by the similarites to Canada's aboriginal people: the isolation, residential schools, devastating effects of alcohol and of natural resources. Also, the central mythological figure of the raven is important both in Siberia and in Canada. I found the Koryak culture fascinating. Not sure I liked the author himself -- show more but he writes well and has an interesting story to tell. show less

Author Jon Turk holds a chemistry PhD, but discovered soon after achieving it, that the chemistry lab was not for him – he longed for a life of adventure and wild places.

So instead, he wrote text books and went on adventures, hoping to write adventure books.

With this in mind, he and a Soviet friend planned a three thousand mile kayak trip along the Arctic Rim from Japan to Alaska. While they were along the coast of Kamchatka, a huge storm blew up and forced them to land near the indigenous show more Koryak village of Vyvenka. The inhabitants believed he had been forced there by Mollynnaut, a elderly woman shaman of the tribe.

Jon and Mollynnaut formed an unusual bond, and Jon returned to the village four more times in later years. On his second trip, Mollynnaut took Jon on an expedition to the other side, where with the help of her raven spiritual guide, he was healed of a pelvic injury suffered in an avalanche.

I enjoyed this view of a fast-fading native culture, which had come to rely on ships and supplies from the Russian Soviet. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Koryaks were left to fend on their own without their traditional means to support themselves as the reindeer had almost disappeared from the land.

The spiritual side of the story was also interesting, but less so. Spiritual growth can come in many forms and the author found both physical healing and emotional acceptance of a later devastating incident. Nevertheless, it is not my path.

I would recommend it to those with an interest in indigenous people and their indigenous shamanic beliefs. show less

I heard the author speak at Canoecopia, likely within a year or so of first publishing this. Very engrossing talk about his experiences. The book was a fabulous read. Apparently he had done some extreme sports, broken bones, and ended up in Siberia (pardon my poor memory, reviewing this about 10 years later). He falls in with indigenous herdsmen, and had experiences with a shamaness.

Turk's story of meeting a Siberian shaman held my attention throughout. I recommend it highly to anyone who wishes to explore an older way of understanding that may well be lost as a mechanistic, industrial, and scientific worldview overwhelms the insight into the universe to which Turk's guide/healer introduced him.