First published 2006
William Powers arrives in Bolivia's rainforest as an aid worker during the country's emergence as a global flashpoint. He encounters Salvador, a Chiquitano Indian battling to save his people from extinction. Their struggle centers on preserving a stretch of pristine jungle that three multinational energy companies need for the world's largest Kyoto project. The forest must survive to absorb greenhouse gases and combat global warming. Salvador faces death threats from loggers working with Bolivia's racist oligarchy. As Aymara women in bowler hats confront tanks and citizen protests topple pro-globalization presidents, the fight for one rainforest becomes part of Bolivia's national liberation movement. Powers documents how this "poor little rich country" tries to engage the world without sacrificing its identity.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, environmental-science, activism
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Bolivia, Rainforest
Period: Emergence
320 pages · Paperback · Bloomsbury USA
Content warnings: violence