Catherine Caufield

See the chapter "Pioneers" pg. 184 about transmigrant settlers in South Sumatra.

In the Rainforest takes us to Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, revealing a colorful and bizarre world where fish live on fruit, spiders prey on birds, and violets grow to the size of apple trees.

"I recommend In the Rainforest as scientific journalism at its best, and [Caufield's] book as the one to read to become informed about the tropical crisis. Caufield traveled the world, went to the difficult places, sometimes beautiful and often dispiriting, mastered the important ideas, and talked to an impressive number of people on all sides of the issues. . . . There are villains in abundance: corrupt government agents who aid in the destruction of native tribes, greedy caballero landowners, and even the governmental planners who with the best of intentions rush heedlessly toward the environmental degradation of their own countries."—E. O. Wilson, Science

"The whole book is filled with amazing facts. . . . Moving and informative."—Ellen W. Chu, New York Times Book Review… (més)

An absolute ripper of a book, covering a large number of British fruitcakes and oddballs. The grandfather of the Mitford sisters (quite rightfully) rates a mention, as does the sadly anonymous chap who ordered a car shaped like a giant swan for driving around India and the elderly aristocrat who liked to invite people over for dinner then pretend to be a ghost in order to scare them. The fact that guests played along and pretended to be frightened to humout the old dear only increases one's enjoyment of the book.

I enjoyed "The Emperor of the United States ..." so much that when I accidentally left my copy in a hotel room before flying off to Fiji, I immediately tracked down another copy for my library.… (més)