Critique de Indonesia etc par Josh

In rural Indonesia a woman had recently been eaten by a crocodile.

"But it's okay, they're hiring a shaman to catch it" a policeman said.

"He explained how it works: the crocodile whisperer goes to the shore near where the person was eaten and drives a sacred spear into the ground. That calls together the fraternity of crocodiles. Then the good crocodiles, the ones who haven't done anything wrong, point out the naughty woman eating croc. The shaman catches the murderer and others go back to eating fish and minding their own business."

The Oxford educated Pisani was skeptical that "a man with special powers could convoke a conclave of crocodiles." But, ever the diligent journalist she hid her skepticism and asked "does it work?"

"Oh yes," said the police officer, "unless, of course, the shaman is a fraud."

Indonesia, etc. is filled with stories like this and it paints a picture of an interesting and wildly diverse country. Pisani is a talented journalist, and while the book is written in the first person she generally knows when to slip into the background and let her subjects speak for themselves.