Redheads: A Comic Eco-Thriller Set in Borneo

by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski

In the middle of a Borneo rainforest, a band of near-naked Penan tribesmen, encouraged by an equally clothes-challenged renegade Swiss shepherd, hesitantly blockade a logging truck, testing their commitment to protect their forest home. Nearby, a researcher studying orangutans is threatened with being thrown out of her study site unless she can reach a delicate compromise with the powerful minister of the environment. Meanwhile, loggers are busy at work, devastating the rainforest. And rehabilitant orangutans are not playing nice.

At the heart of Redheads satirical action lies the very real problem of rainforest destruction and the philosophical question of where the real boundaries lie between apes and humans. And just what is it about red silk underwear, anyway?

“Redheads is a roaring tale of tropical suspense, an eco-thriller that is witty and smart and altogether a wonderful treat. It is the perfect example of a new genre, an eco-thriller so suspenseful that you learn about this strange world while sitting on the edge of your seat.”
— Thomas Bass, author of The Spy Who Loved Us, Vietnamerica, and The Predictors

“With the trained eyes and sensitivity of someone who lived among the orangutans in the wilds of Borneo, Sochaczewski tells a captivating story of the struggle to save the rainforests. Redheads reads like a fast-paged high-powered movie script that makes the issue of environmental devastation come alive and demand reforms.”
— Robert A. Pastor, professor, Emory University, and former National Security Council Staff

Genres: Fiction

322 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 2012

About the author

Paul Sochaczewski's highly acclaimed nonfiction books of personal travel include the five-volume Curious Encounters of the Human Kind series,An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles, The Sultan and the Mermaid Queen, Soul of the Tiger (with Jeff McNeely), and Distant Greens. Gary Braver, bestselling author of Tunnel Vision, said Paul's work is "in the great tradition of Asian reporting. The humanity of Somerset Maugham, the adventure of Joseph Conrad, the perception of Paul Theroux, and a self-effacing voice uniquely his own." Paul's handbook for people who want to write their personal stories, Share Your Journey, is based on the creative writing workshops he runs in more than 20 countries. Redheads and EarthLove are his eco-thrillers set in the rainforest of a mythical sultanate in Borneo.

Paul is an American writer (born in Brooklyn, New York), writing coach, conservationist, and communications advisor to international non-governmental organizations. He lives in Geneva, Switzerland, and has lived and worked in more than 80 countries, including long stints in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Paul served in the United States Peace Corps from 1969 to 1971, working as an education advisor in Sarawak, Malaysia. This exposure to Asia informed his writing, and as a result, most of his work has a Southeast Asian theme. He was also founding creative director of the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency in Indonesia and Singapore.

Reviews

[Christina Stind · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I wasn't a fan of this book. It's about the fight to save the rain forrest and I like the author's attempt at throwing support towards this topic and the people fighting to save our rain forrests.
But - and for me, there's a huge but with this book: It didn't work as a novel - or at least not a very good novel.
We follow three white people living in the jungle: Gilda, an organutan researcher, Gerry, a Ph.D. student trying to teach sign language to the orangutans and Urs, a Swiss man living with the native Penans, helping them fight the timber companies by more and more agressive resistance. His behavior makes life hard for all white people in the country and the book is about what they each must do to try and stay - hide in the forrest, choose side between the natives or the government or sleep your way to security.
The book could have been good - the premise is good, but there are several things I disliked: For one, I didn't have to read so much about sex - sex with apes, sex mimicking apes, apes trying to rape humans and just ordinary sex. I admit it was mostly in the beginning but it just felt so out of place for me - I know the back cover stated the book would look into the difference between human and apes - but did it all have to come down to sex? That's how it felt to me...
And then the novel wasn't that interesting - I didn't care too much about the first half or so - then it got a bit better - and then I felt completely let down by the ending...
So not a good read for me - two stars because parts of it was interesting and because the topic deserves something - at least the book makes people aware the extremes some other members of our race go to to get a pet orangutan (shooting the mother down from trees and hoping her body protects her baby from the impact of the ground...) and the danger faced by people and animals depending on the rain forrests of the world.

[Dameon Launert · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to enjoying this book, which was recommended by Daniel Quinn, one of my favorite authors.

Instead, I barely finished it.

Imagine a teenage boy decides to write his version of The Monkey Wrench Gang set in Borneo, with the plot, character development, and dialogue of Samurai Cop.

https://youtu.be/L7oyfpKHvls?si=nfa2s...

Add lots of tasteless erotica. Give the indigenous peoples a white savior.

This book was so bad I actually lost respect for Quinn.