Rainstick Pack

by Nick Caistor

This keepsake box holds an authentic cactus rainstick and a richly illustrated book that describes its South American origins.

96 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 1997

About the author

Nick Caistor is a British journalist, non-fiction author, and translator of Spanish and Portuguese literature. He has translated Cesar Aira, Paulo Coelho, Eduardo Mendoza, Juan Marsé, and Manuel Vázquez Montalban, and he has twice won the Valle-Inclán Prize for translation. He regularly contributes to Radio 4, the BBC World Service, the Times Literary Supplement, and the Guardian. He lives in Norwich, England.

Reviews

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book married the old and the new; the historic and the modern. The savage perception of the natives is a consequence of colonization but I'm glad it isn't unique to the US! It's unfortunate that the natives are marginalized and indoctrinated with 'sameness'. (I had no idea that the necessity of black slaves revolved around sugar cane farming and the like. Quite fascinating!)

I was also particularly intrigued by the wedding ceremony and the reverse dowry system! I was also fond of the idea that people regarded as different were thought to have special powers!

I guess I'll be headed to Chile soon for a cactus rain stick!

[Amy Peavy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, general information about South American (Chilean) indigenous people. Way better than expected!