Amazon Dream

At last, an alternative to the Harrison Ford-style travel adventure! Amazon Dream is the real story of a woman's journey into the Peruvian Amazon, a mysteriously beautiful region of the world that is also the nexus of calamitous ecological realities. Traveling alone, she arrives at a so-called conservation camp, run by a man of dubious character, and learns what jungle life is like. Here she encounters bizarre characters, Peruvians and exiles alike. She visits the ancient Shipibo people renowned for their textiles and pottery and describes the way rapid change has affected them.

In hair-raising predicaments and emotional interactions, Allen continually challenges herself as a traveler. She confronts her ambivalence about coming from a dominant Western culture and, at the same time, looks for personal truths through the lens of this compelling wilderness. Situating her experiences in a cultural context, Allen conveys insight into other ways of life, and into the life of real dreams.

Roberta Allen is the author of The Traveling Woman, stories; and The Daughter, a novella-in-stories. She is also a visual artist who has exhibited worldwide.