Yanoama: The Narrative of a White Girl Kidnapped by Amazonian Indians

Hardcover Cloth 382 pages. Condition Very Good Dust Jacket Very Good. Stated first edition second printing 1970. Handsome black boards with red and blue embossing shows off this Clean, tight, square copy with no marks, highlights or bookplates. Book Well kept and carefully stored in unread condition. Slight shelf wear. Spotting on top edge. An unclipped dust jacket smooth, clean and brilliant with slight shelf wear - a few wrinkles and chips. Not an ex-library, book club or remainder copy.

A book that tells the remarkable life story of Helena Valero, who in 1937 was living with her parents and siblings in the extreme north-west of Brazil when she was kidnapped by Yanoáma Indians. She was 12 years old at the time and spent around 2 decades living with various bands of Yanoáma before escaping back to "the world of white men". In 1962-63 she was interviewed by Italian anthropologist Ettore Biocca.

Apart from it being an amazing story in itself, the book is an extraordinary description of the Yanoáma at a time when they had very little contact with modern society. A few years after this book was published Valero apparently returned to live amongst the Yanoáma, and was reportedly still alive and living amongst them in 1996/97.