The Snake Charmer, Jamie James
The Snake Charmer, Jamie James
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The Snake Charmer
A Life and Death in Pursuit of Knowledge

Author: Jamie James

Narrator: William Hughes

Unabridged: 8 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/03/2008

Synopsis

In the narrative tradition of Into the Wild and The Perfect Storm, an acclaimed journalist tells the dramatic story of the life and death of modern adventurer Joe Slowinski, the young, charismatic world expert on poisonous snakes. Author Jamie James brings to life young Joes childhood empathiy with snakes, his university career, and his final trek into the wilderness. On Slowinskis last major expedition deep into the wild, there were plenty of his two favorite things: snakes and alcohol. What was in short supply, or nonexistent, were appropriate medications, an evacuation plan, a twoway radio, and common sense. On September 11th, 2001, Dr. Joe Slowinski was bitten by a krait, one of the most poisonous snakes in the world. His colleagues kept him alive for 26 hours with mouthtomouth respiration, waiting for medical help that would never come.

About Jamie James

Jamie James is the author of eight books, including Music of the Spheres, Other Origins, and Eccentrics: A Study in Sanity and Strangeness. He has lived in Indonesia since 1999, where he continues to write for top American newspapers and magazines, including the New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Wall Street Journal.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Eric_W on April 06, 2009

I listened to this on audio (Audible download.) Very hard to turn the car engine off. I think the protagonist, Joe Slowinski, was a little cracked, but it makes for fascinating listening. Lots of fascinating detail about the politics of herpetology science. It does seem that this male-dominated prof......more

Goodreads review by Edwin on May 06, 2016

At 7am on September 11, 2001, maverick herpetologist Joe Slowinski was bitten by a juvenile many-banded krait which injected sufficient neurotoxic venom to kill Slowinski over a tortuous 29 hours. Relatively uninteresting biographical stuff, punctuated by moments of Slowinski being reckless, unprofe......more

Goodreads review by Jeff on September 11, 2024

An adventure, a biography, and a cautionary tale, all revolving around snakes. The protagonist is someone you’d like to have known, albeit only when you’re not in venomous serpent territory, as he’d be wrangling them while he told you stories that would make your hair stand on end. I actually met on......more

Goodreads review by Anu on October 06, 2016

The Snake Charmer, by Jamie James begins as an inverted pyramid of a story - the climax is revealed before you ever get to know the principal characters. What works in favour of the book, however, is the author’s skill in keeping us engrossed in the tale even though he has disclosed the end. The nar......more

Goodreads review by phil breidenbach on June 08, 2022

A very well written book about the life and career of Dr. Joe Slowinski. This man loved snakes and if they were poisonous, even more so! They became his profession. Even though he was bitten numerous times, he wasn't afraid of them. At times, he seemed almost too comfortable with them. His studies t......more

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