My Head for a Tree
The Extraordinary Story of the Bishnoi, Guardians of Nature
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- USD 12.99
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- USD 12.99
Descripción editorial
“The remarkable Bishnoi of India, whose unique religion ‘has environmental protection at its very core,’ recruited Goodman to tell their dramatic story…”—Booklist, STARRED review
Perfect for nature enthusiasts, My Head for a Tree is a timely and remarkable book about India’s Bishnoi people, passionate defenders of nature whose ecological wisdom carries a powerful message.
Meet the Bishnoi, followers of a religion with nature conservation at its heart. Today, Bishnois remain fierce defenders of trees and animals, living by principles set by their guru Jambhoji in the fifteenth century. They chase down armed poachers, rescue and care for injured animals, save endangered species, and lead heroic reforestation efforts in the Rajasthani desert. In a time of biodiversity loss and climate change, what lessons do they have to teach us?
The story of the Bishnoi is true, though it reads like a fable. In 1730, the Maharajah of Jodhpur sent his troops to chop down a forest in northwest India. When 363 local villagers, led by Amrita Devi, hugged the trees to protect them, the Maharajah’s men chopped off their heads. Who are these people who love trees so much that they would give their lives to save them?
My Head for a Tree takes us from temples, homes, and schoolrooms to animal sanctuaries, farms, and desert forests, revealing a thriving community of eco-warriors. Their stories inspire and challenge readers to live more kindly and defend nature with a passion. While you can only be born a Bishnoi, we can all follow their example.
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"For a Bishnoi, caring for the natural world is a completely natural way of living. It is unimaginable not to do so," explains science writer Goodman (On Bended Knees) in this immersive portrait of the remote Hindu sect. Found in the deserts of northern India, the Bishnoi adhere to 29 tenets given to them by their founding guru, Jambhoji, in the 16th century. The most important of these, "Be kind to all living beings," demands that adherents never cut down any living trees. As such, many Bishnoi became "environmental warriors" long before the 20th century, among them 363 Bishnoi villagers massacred in 1730 while attempting to stop the Maharajah from harvesting their village's trees. Today, Goodman writes, many Bishnoi have become lawyers, utilizing the legal system to fight for environmental justice, while others are more militant, like the Tiger Force, a vigilante group that battles poachers. Goodman profiles his subjects and relates his historical anecdotes with the verve and amiability of a travel writer, though at times his rosy, admiring view treads too lightly over thorny issues of nationalism (for instance, he recounts, without comment on the larger political dynamics possibly at play, a 2023 episode in which a Bishnoi gangster publicly threatened to send assassins after a Muslim Indian actor accused of poaching). Still, it's an infectiously buoyant and upbeat account of committed environmental activism.
