Description:
Two modern adventurers sought a treasure possessed by the legendary "Wild Men of Borneo." One found riches. The other vanished forever into an endless jungle. Had he shed civilization--or lost his mind? Global headlines suspected murder. Lured by these mysteries, New York Times bestselling author Carl Hoffman journeyed to find the truth, discovering that nothing is as it seems in the world's last Eden.
Tracing the entwined tales of Michael Palmieri, one of the world's most successful tribal-art field collectors, and Bruno Manser, the Swiss environmentalist who abandoned Western society to live for decades among the fabled "headhunters of Borneo," Hoffman reveals both the grandeur and the precarious fate of the wildest place on earth.
Brief description:
Carl Hoffman is the author of the New York Times bestseller Savage Harvest, hailed as a "masterpiece" by Outside and named a New York Times editors' choice and one of the Washington Post's 50 notable works of nonfiction for 2014, as well as The Lunatic Express. He is a former contributing editor to National Geographic Traveler and Wired, and has traveled on assignment to eighty countries.
Review Quotes:
"[Hoffman] brings a level of understanding and empathy, as well as a whole lot of dogged shoe-leather reporting, from commissioning translations of Manser's journals and letters to spending weeks traversing Borneo with Palmieri and further weeks in the jungle with the Penan themselves. The end result is partly a twin biography of these two men, partly a sociological and historical account of Borneo, and partly a first-rate adventure story. ... A compelling, readable book. ... The pairing [of Manser and Palmieri] yields surprises and a number of insights, many sprung from the fact that both Manser and Palmieri arrived in Borneo at what Hoffman rightly calls a 'pivotal moment.' ... It is in the book's final section where the stories come together and Hoffman's strengths really shine." - Outside magazine
"Fascinating. ... [Hoffman] knows how to tell a suspenseful story." - Columbus Dispatch
"A gifted, suspenseful storyteller. ... Compelling." - Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Compelling. ... Hoffman has a journalist's nose for a good story and he writes with an assuredness that makes for a good read. This is a tale of high adventure, of exotic lands, risky escapades, narrow escapes, and rich rewards." - Jakarta Post
"A work of remarkable empathy, not only with the two hard-charging Westerners but also with the indigenous people they cultivated. ... Quite a story--exciting, funny and tragic--and Hoffman tells it extraordinarily well." - Washington Post
"Hoffman made a miraculous find of his own when he stumbled into Palmieri, who just happened to be the perfect guide for a nonfiction writer obsessed with Borneo and the strange odyssey of Bruno Manser. The combination of author, guide and subject pays of handsomely in The Last Wild Men of Borneo, a real-life adventure tale sure to delight fans of David Grann (The Lost City of Z) and Jon Krakauer (Into Thin Air, Into the Wild). ... Hoffman's fascination and enthusiasm are readily apparent on every page. Combined with diligent research and a refreshing less-is-more narrative--the book goes in-depth but is devoid of notebook-dumping--The Last Wild Men of Borneo deserves a wide audience. After turning the last page, this reader considers that all but inevitable." - Christian Science Monitor
"A real-life adventure tale sure to delight fans of David Grann (The Lost City of Z) and Jon Krakauer (Into Thin Air, Into the Wild)." - Christian Science Monitor
"Compelling. ... A first-rate adventure story. ... Part of the magic of this book [is] that in the hazy equatorial air of a place peopled by such outsized characters, anything was possible." - Outside magazine
"Compelling and haunting, a story of lofty ideals and base desires, a deeply personal story written by a man who loves Borneo and who struggles to understand the forces that threaten to tear it apart." - Booklist (starred review)
"A true, jaw-dropping story that pulls you in with a shiver. ... Using great details in these parallel narratives and a perfectly-worked ending, Hoffman carefully preserves two mysteries: one with a contented life, and one in death." - QC Times
"[Hoffman] paints a vivid character portrait of the two adventurers while detailing the incredible splendor of the unique region. ... An exciting tale of Borneo's rich history and two modern-day treasure hunters who followed their dreams." - BookPage
"The Last Wild Men of Borneo is the best book about the 'Western hunger for Eastern solace, ' as Carl Hoffman neatly puts it, you'll probably ever read. ... Eloquent." - William Finnegan, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Barbarian Days
"A marvelously told and important story: Carl Hoffman guides us on a compelling and disturbing journey in the footsteps of two Western adventurers who penetrated to the wildest heart of Borneo." - Peter Stark, author of Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire
"I finished The Last Wild Men of Borneo in one long delicious gulp. ... A shimmering cornucopia of adventure, biography, mystery, tragedy." - Nicholas Shakespeare, author of Bruce Chatwin and In Tasmania
"Carl Hoffman's thrilling The Last Wild Men of Borneo explores both the allure and dangers of the world's most untamed environment. A mesmerizing tale of two men who break their bonds with civilization in pursuit of deeper meaning - and the tragedy that befalls one of them." - Joshua Hammer, author of The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu
"An expertly wrought tale of exploration, adventure and mischief. ... Hoffman does an excellent job entering the worlds and minds of two men who did not fit in and who carved out their own destinies. ... At once cautionary and inspiring; adventure travel at its best." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"The Last Wild Men of Borneo is the best book about the 'Western hunger for Eastern solace, ' as Carl Hoffman neatly puts it, you'll probably ever read. Besides the two remarkable men he portrays, the Swiss purist and the swashbuckling American dealer in tribal art, there is Hoffman himself, grappling literally and eloquently with his own fantasies about the world being destroyed in Borneo." - William Finnegan, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Barbarian Days
"A marvelously told and important story: Carl Hoffman guides us on a compelling and disturbing journey in the footsteps of two Western adventurers who penetrated to the wildest heart of Borneo on two very different paths. At the same time, international forces of greed and corruption closed in on the huge island. Hoffman tells a heart-breaking story of environmental and cultural loss and human resilience. He grasps the emotional power of wildness both for Westerners from afar and for indigenous peoples who call it home. " - Peter Stark, author of Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire
"A deeply informative anthropological study disguised as an adventure tale." - Publishers Weekly