HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

Nisa: The Life And Words Of A !Kung Woman by…
Loading...

Nisa: The Life And Words Of A !Kung Woman (edition 1983)

by Marjorie Shostak

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
7371230,380 (3.8)16
Marjorie Shostak was an anthropologist studying the women of the !Kung hunter-gatherers on the edge of the Kalahari in the 1960's and 1970's.

This book is the result of her interviews with one of those women, Nisa It is Nisa's life story as told to Marjorie in conversations that took place over a period of many years, left off, to be taken up again during Marjorie's next visit.

What I liked best about this book is that the translation seemed to me to capture Nisa's voice and the rhythms of African oral storytelling tradition.

It was also an interesting study, and sad to see how the way of life of the !Kung, and all of the San people have changed so dramatically. ( )
1 vote bookwoman247 | Feb 28, 2012 |
English (9)  French (1)  Piratical (1)  German (1)  All languages (12)
Showing 9 of 9
Intersting book, kind of depressing. I read it for class
  AnnaHernandez | Oct 17, 2019 |
Nisa is an interesting collection of writings. The bulk of the book is made up of stories told to the anthropologist Marjorie from the !Kung lady Nisa. The rest of the book consists of Marjorie's ethnographic observations of the !Kung's people life and beliefs. The book is paced very well, and oftentimes Marjorie's observations prove to be just as interesting as Nisa's life is. The information is presented in a non-biased way and the points in Nisa's life that are exceptional are dutifully explained as such.

I came away from this book having enjoyed it (in spite of how long it took me to finish it.) I feel that the !Kung people did prove to be a very interesting case study - their way of life has been the way the bulk of human's lived for most of our earthly existence. I left the book a bit sad to see the way of life disappearing, especially when it boasts a decent amount of advantages over modern civilization.

So, all in all I would recommend this book to people interested in the anthropological field or the sociological field. ( )
  Lepophagus | Jun 14, 2018 |
women's lives is nisa telling a story or telling her life? sad change of an ancient way of life. ( )
  mahallett | Sep 24, 2017 |
The life and words of a Kung Woman. Read. Not good. No insight. Doesn't realize that the vulgar talk is because of who they have learned English.
  jhawn | Jul 31, 2017 |
Marjorie Shostak was an anthropologist studying the women of the !Kung hunter-gatherers on the edge of the Kalahari in the 1960's and 1970's.

This book is the result of her interviews with one of those women, Nisa It is Nisa's life story as told to Marjorie in conversations that took place over a period of many years, left off, to be taken up again during Marjorie's next visit.

What I liked best about this book is that the translation seemed to me to capture Nisa's voice and the rhythms of African oral storytelling tradition.

It was also an interesting study, and sad to see how the way of life of the !Kung, and all of the San people have changed so dramatically. ( )
1 vote bookwoman247 | Feb 28, 2012 |
Nisa is an interesting ethnography since it is only about one womans life. The writing is very good and I imagine non-anthropologists would really enjoy it as well. If you want to know everything about the !Kung tribe this book isn't really going to help you. If you want to know what it is like to be a woman in the tribe this is a great account. ( )
  Nikkles | Jul 11, 2007 |
This prototypical ethnography centered around the monologues of Nisa, a !Kung woman of the Kalahari, both takes us back to our days as a hunter-gatherer culture and embodies the spirit of anthropology — discovering what it is to be human. There’s also no better way to practice your postalveolar clicks :) ( )
  DarkWater | Sep 13, 2006 |
A really engrossing and fascinating look into the life of a woman from a different culture. Believe it or not, I found this book to be a "page turner". I highly recommend it. ( )
  herlibrary | Jul 25, 2006 |
Shostak's fascinating survey of the life and culture of a !Kung bush woman is unputdownable.
Don't be fooled by it's anthropological exterior this book reads almost like a novel with alternating chapters describing Nisa's life in her own words and the other chapters describing Nisa's life in terms of how it fits into the wider picture of life for the !Kung people.
This book is amazing. ( )
  Wanderlust_Lost | Jul 25, 2006 |
Showing 9 of 9

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (3.8)
0.5
1 1
1.5
2 8
2.5
3 21
3.5 3
4 33
4.5 3
5 22

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 203,223,915 books! | Top bar: Always visible