Beneath the surface of things New and selected essays

Global explorations of anthropological and ethnobotanic intent seeded Davis' many previous books, including Magdalena: River of Dreams (2020). The essays collected here report on the world traveler's at-home journeys through books and memories during the COVID-19 pandemic. A writer of breathtaking precision, Davis is as intrepid and original a thinker as he is an astute observer. In these moving works born of stillness and reflection, he delves into some of the world's most catastrophic paradoxes, from the racism at the root of American society to the religious complexity of Jerusalem and the region's tragic, perpetual violence. Versed in ecological, spiritual, and social forces, Davis brings a deeply informed and holistic perspective to every subject, whether he's providing a truly shocking account of trench warfare in WWI or offering startling new insights to the ongoing ripple events of the atomic bomb. He praises anthropology and its valuing of every culture as "a unique expression of the human imagination and heart," a viewpoint that propels his chronicling of the traditional use of coca leaves; his recounting of his experiences in India, "one vast mandala of the sacred;" and his analysis of proposed climate-change solutions. For all the darkness Davis enters, he concludes this mind-whirling, earth-circling collection by expressing his faith in human creativity, "the energy of illumination," and our "essential connectedness."

An acclaimed essayist takes a deep dive into cultural issues at home and around the world. Aside from being a professor of anthropology at the University of British Columbia, Davis held the interesting title of Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society from 2000 to 2013. The essays in his latest book, following Magdalena, reflect his extensive travels and investigations, ranging across subjects as diverse as the history of the coca leaf to spiritualism in India. The author wrote most of the pieces during the pandemic, "the unhurried months when one who had traveled incessantly was obliged to stay still." One of his best-known essays, "The Unraveling of America," first published in 2020, is a lengthy contemplation on how the pandemic fits into the larger picture and history of the country. He sees the pandemic as a critical turning point, although this idea seems less strong as the crisis recedes in the rearview mirror. The best pieces display Davis' expertise as an anthropologist, the area where he seems most at home. "The anthropological lens allows us to see, and perhaps seek, the wisdom in the middle way, a perspective of promise and hope," he writes. Regarding climate change, he is scathing about the way that the dogma of the prevailing narrative has suppressed debate and compromise, replacing the development of viable, cost-effective solutions with meaningless, doom-laden rhetoric. Davis accepts the inherent validity of non-Western cultures and religions, although sometimes his desire to see all sides of a question means that he fails to arrive at any answer at all. Ultimately, this book is more about consideration than finality, tension rather than coherence. It is not for readers who want straightforward conclusions, but Davis offers plenty of food for thought. Davis knits history, sociology, faith, and scientific inquiry into a colorful, meditative tapestry. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.