Nonfiction Book Award Status: Gold
Synopsis
And the Silent Spoke is a rich collection of true stories based on one woman’s adventures exploring some of Earth’s most remote indigenous villages in a quest to discover ancient medical treatments. By projecting herself into the future as an old lady, the author recounts stories from her twenty-four years of trekking through the Amazon, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea and the Republic of the Congo. These are the expeditions that allowed for endearing encounters with elders, traditional healers and villages, yet also brought difficult challenges including oppressive swarms of bees, arrests by police, and incidents with tribal fighting. Along the way are heartbreaks such as witnessing the escalating devastation and demise of lands, cultures and species. During her journeys, Amy discovers much more than the healing plants she expected to find: a vibrant, endless network of love, friendships, and humanity unlimited by time, space, language or culture—and a deeper realization of the critical significance of every life form on Earth.
Author Bio:
Amy Greeson, graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill Eshelman School of Pharmacy and member of the Pharmacy School’s Alumni Board of Directors, has traveled extensively to study indigenous healing methods and plant-based medicine. She has led expeditions to the Amazon, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, and the Republic of the Congo, to bring awareness of indigenous cultures and their environments, and to further research in the pursuit of novel medical treatments. Amy is the founder of Healing Seekers, a non-profit which creates educational materials, and is co-founder of Natural Discoveries, Inc., a natural products discovery research company. She lives in High Point, North Carolina, with her significant other and their dog, Congo. In her free time, she enjoys photography and collecting art, especially within the regions she has explored.
