I read the 2009 edition of this book, which apparently is not listed on goodreads.

Anyway, despite the class being more of an annoyance then anything else, I really enjoyed this book. A very intriguing look into indigenousness cultures that I actually looked forward to reading each week. When placed side by side like this, it is very interesting to see what similarities and differences there are between native cultures around the world. It was also a good way to step outside of my own culturally based assumptions. ( )

I had to purchase this for my Cultural Anthropology class. I should mention that I only chose Anthropology to fulfill a social science requirement and thus am not all that intersted in it. So while it's not as long as my other textbooks, I was still dreading having to read it.

I was pleased to find my fears were unfounded. There are a bunch of sketches in this book, each around 20 pages or so. Each sketch is about a different group of people in different areas of the world. I chose which sketches to read by looking at a map located in the front, which showed you where each group is situated.

I wish I could say that all of these gave me a greater understanding and appreciation of other cultures, but that wouldn't be true. While maybe I now know facts about these groups of people I did not know before, I don't necessarily understand them. As a 23 year old woman from the US, I found it very difficult to read about societies where young females were betrothed before birth to men decades older than them- as was done in some cultures. Though these sketches explained how and why this worked for these cultures, I still wasn't buying it.

Not all the sketches are about groups that do this, but some do tackle things that will make you question why these cultures acted or survived this way. But then again, perhaps that is the goal of the book, and of anthropology in general. In any case, as mentioned earlier- for the most part I enjoyed this, and would recommend it to those who enjoy anthropology. ( )