The Snake Charmer: A Life and Death in Pursuit of Knowledge

The Snake Charmer: A Life and Death in Pursuit of Knowledge
Jamie James
Hyperion
ISBN: 978-1-4013-0213-9
Non-Fiction, Biography
Reviewed by Kate Greenwood

The death of the famous “Crocodile Hunter”, Steve Irwin, caught everyone’s attention as it was reported in newspapers, on TV and on the internet. However, in life timing is everything, as the death of another renowned herpetologist Joe Slowinski went largely unnoticed due to it coinciding with the tragedy of 9/11.
Thankfully, Jamie James in his book, The Snake Charmer A Life and Death in Pursuit of Knowledge, has decided to tell the story of this dedicated “herper” who did what he had to do to get things done. James provides a factual account of Slowinski’s life beginning with his early interests in archeological sites and culminating with his epic expedition in a remote area of Burma. Slowinski’s desire to excel in the field of herpetology (the study of amphibians and reptiles) led to some fairly unconventional field and research techniques.
James was able to capture the essence of Slowinski’s uniqueness without ever meeting him and his thorough research led to an objective overview of a potentially controversial life and death. James includes biological sketches of some notable snake species from Slowinski’s career and his frequent use of biology lingo make this book an excellent read for those with a scientific background. However, even those zoology majors will still find themselves disbelieving some of what they read about Slowinski’s life. Above all else, the reader will hopefully agree with the author’s sentiment that “Now that I’ve concluded the telling of his story, it’s the great gap at the end that I regret most of all”.