
This book was all over the place. It made more sense when you got to the part where she said she was taking mushrooms while writing it... She claims to be seeking answers from all kinds of disciplines, but it's strange to see equal weight given to science and random folks who have stories of when they “knew” something bad was going to happen. I did learn a thing or two–I enjoyed her discussions about the difference between anxiety and intuition, and she quoted from a lot of interesting books.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I'm not generally a fan of reading history, but each chapter was short and engaging. Swetnam and his family are obviously good people, and I enjoyed the tidbits of his personal history that he included throughout the book. Since I know the Jemez well, I was more invested than the casual reader might be. Highly recommend for any current or former resident of the Jemez area!
I enjoyed this a lot (listened as an audiobook, and even the narrator frequently emphasizing the wrong word in a way that made sentences nonsensical couldn't dampen the enjoyment). The two stories were both engrossing, and the switching back and forth made them even more suspenseful. I learned a bit about a remote island in Chile, and had fun, too.