I don't think the current generation knows much about the Rockefeller family. We don't hear much about them now, but when John D. Rockefeller became the richest person in the world via Standard Oil, starting in the late 19th century, and his grandson, Nelson Rockefeller, became governor of New York (1959-1973) and Vice President under Gerald Ford, everyone knew about the Rockefellers. So in 1961 when Nelson's son Michael Rockefeller disappeared off New Guinea, it was big news around the world.
A generation later, Carl Hoffman investigated Michael's mysterious disappearance and tells the story in Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest. Michael embraced his father's passion for native artifacts, and became an expert in Asmat art and culture, traveling through the jungles and seas of Dutch New Guinea. When his boat became disabled within sight of shore, he began to swim to land to get help. No one ever saw him again.
Some rumors pointed to his being murdered and eaten by natives. Hoffman follows Michael's route in hopes of finding evidence of Michael's fate. So it's a history, a memoir, a travelogue, and a mystery story. Hoffman can't make any definitive statement--he didn't turn up remains that can be identified by DNA, for instance--but based on his findings, he leans hard toward accepting the cannibalism rumors.
Savage Harvest brings alive this period of history and brings back memories (for older Americans) of headlines from the early 1960s while introducing younger Americans to a rather odd chapter, or maybe footnote, of American history. Hoffman brings it all together nicely in a readable, somewhat suspenseful, package.
No comments:
Post a Comment