--- product_id: 11041202 title: "The People in the Trees" price: "COP 102748" currency: COP in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.co/products/11041202-the-people-in-the-trees store_origin: CO region: Colombia --- # The People in the Trees **Price:** COP 102748 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The People in the Trees - **How much does it cost?** COP 102748 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co](https://www.desertcart.co/products/11041202-the-people-in-the-trees) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description A thrilling anthropological adventure story with a profound and tragic vision of what happens when cultures collide —from the bestselling author of National Book Award–nominated modern classic, A Little Life “Provokes discussions about science, morality and our obsession with youth.” — Chicago Tribune It is 1950 when Norton Perina, a young doctor, embarks on an expedition to a remote Micronesian island in search of a rumored lost tribe. There he encounters a strange group of forest dwellers who appear to have attained a form of immortality that preserves the body but not the mind. Perina uncovers their secret and returns with it to America, where he soon finds great success. But his discovery has come at a terrible cost, not only for the islanders, but for Perina himself. Look for Hanya Yanagihara’s latest bestselling novel, To Paradise. Review: Great fictionalization of a famous episode in the an nals of anthropology - I am an anthropologist by training with a degree (1970) from the University of Chicago. When I was studying the societies of Polynesia and Micronesia, one of the famous case studies involved Dr. Daniel Gajdusek and the disease of kuru amount the South Fore people of New Guinea. Kuru was the first prion disease (think "mad-cow" disease now) discovered in humans and was found only in New Guinea. It turned out to be transmitted mainly by cannibalism - when one tribe defeated another in battle, to honor the dead and take on the most heroic qualities of the dead, the victorious tribe would eat the brains of the vanquished. The irony was, the one quality of the dead which thereby was taken on was the neurological disease of kuru, which was transmitted through the brain tissue of the dead. The People in the Trees is a great re-imagining, and novelizaton of this whole story. I urge you to read the book first, and then check out Daniel Gajdusek on Wikipedia. You'll see what a great job the novelist has done in using this story as a jumping off point for the novel. The book reminds me a lot of State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett, a book which received much acclaim and was nominated for numerous awards. I love Ann Patchett and her novels State of Wonder and Bel Canto, bt I think The People in the Trees outshines State of Wonder. It gets more into the crucial issues in anthropology of how studying a people can negatively impact those people and their culture and how in seeking to "rescue" primitive cultures and people you can destroy them. This book is a must read, both for how engrossing and well-written it is, and for the big questions it asks. It is brilliant. Review: A Strong Debut Novel About a Cunning Narcissist - After reading "A Little Life", Hanya Yanagihara's second novel, my favorite book in a look time and a story that totally captivated me, I was ready to devour her debut novel, "The People in the Trees". I didn't come to the story with any knowledge of the real life individual that the core of this books was based upon, only learning more once I finished the story. The book is written in the form of memoirs from Dr. Norton Perina, rationalizing his life, brilliance and ultimate demise (alluded to in the very beginning of the book). After medical school in 1950, Perina travels to a small islands near Micronesia with two anthropologists to study a "lost people". It is on these islands where he makes a profound discovery --- certain tribal members ("The Dreamers") live 5 to 6 times normal human life spans, remaining physically healthy while ultimately losing mental capacity --- that leads to his Nobel Prize in 1974. Perina discovers this condition is the result of eating an indigenous turtle, the Opa'ivu'eke. While on the island, he decides to bring back four "Dreamers" and turtle meat to conduct studies and validate his hypothesis. During his initial time on the island, we begin to see the see the darker side of Perina shine through --- his arrogance, both toward the native culture and his American anthropologist partners, Tallent and Duff, who he views with scorn and disdain. Upon his return to the US, Perina conducts his research, publishes his findings and generally castigates those who questioned him and his findings until they were replicated by a more recognized scientists. Over time, Perina continues making bi-annual trips and adopting native children as the size of his "family" swells to over 40. His motivations are never super-explicit, although his conceit starts to surface as he becomes more famous and older, in the form of saving the savages by acculturating them into Western life. By the final chapter of Perina's memoir, his narcissism and egomaniacal nature fully bubble to the surface. While I enjoyed this novel, I don't believe it approaches the brilliance of "A Little Life". The first 50-75 pages were a little slow and I didn't emotionally connect with any of the characters like in her other novel. Also, I felt the overall pacing of the book was a little uneven and found my mind wandering throughout several sections. I'll profess to prefer novels that tackle tough and controversial subjects. Unlike some other reviewers, I don't believe Yanagihara some of the touchier items in a gratuitous manner. If people prefer uplifting subject matter, books that avoid deeply flawed characters or non-Western based cultural norms, they should do research beforehand and choose other books to read. I did appreciate Yanagihara's ability to write the novel in memoir form, striking the delicate balance of allowing Perina to both tell his story in his own self-serving way while ensuring his hubris and arrogant nature came through. One thing I regret is having read an desertcart review before starting the book that ruined the ending for me. As a result, I was even more attuned to the duplictious nature of Perina than I otherwise would have been. This was definitely a great debut novel that announced Yanagihara as an author to pay attention to and she certainly didn't disappoint with her second effort, "A Little Life". I'll be anxiously awaiting her next effort and definitely will start reading it as soon as it is released. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #119,564 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #143 in Cultural Heritage Fiction #2,530 in Literary Fiction (Books) #4,509 in American Literature (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 3.9 out of 5 stars 3,199 Reviews | ## Images ![The People in the Trees - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81C03YR6G7L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great fictionalization of a famous episode in the an nals of anthropology *by K***S on January 17, 2014* I am an anthropologist by training with a degree (1970) from the University of Chicago. When I was studying the societies of Polynesia and Micronesia, one of the famous case studies involved Dr. Daniel Gajdusek and the disease of kuru amount the South Fore people of New Guinea. Kuru was the first prion disease (think "mad-cow" disease now) discovered in humans and was found only in New Guinea. It turned out to be transmitted mainly by cannibalism - when one tribe defeated another in battle, to honor the dead and take on the most heroic qualities of the dead, the victorious tribe would eat the brains of the vanquished. The irony was, the one quality of the dead which thereby was taken on was the neurological disease of kuru, which was transmitted through the brain tissue of the dead. The People in the Trees is a great re-imagining, and novelizaton of this whole story. I urge you to read the book first, and then check out Daniel Gajdusek on Wikipedia. You'll see what a great job the novelist has done in using this story as a jumping off point for the novel. The book reminds me a lot of State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett, a book which received much acclaim and was nominated for numerous awards. I love Ann Patchett and her novels State of Wonder and Bel Canto, bt I think The People in the Trees outshines State of Wonder. It gets more into the crucial issues in anthropology of how studying a people can negatively impact those people and their culture and how in seeking to "rescue" primitive cultures and people you can destroy them. This book is a must read, both for how engrossing and well-written it is, and for the big questions it asks. It is brilliant. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Strong Debut Novel About a Cunning Narcissist *by W***O on May 5, 2015* After reading "A Little Life", Hanya Yanagihara's second novel, my favorite book in a look time and a story that totally captivated me, I was ready to devour her debut novel, "The People in the Trees". I didn't come to the story with any knowledge of the real life individual that the core of this books was based upon, only learning more once I finished the story. The book is written in the form of memoirs from Dr. Norton Perina, rationalizing his life, brilliance and ultimate demise (alluded to in the very beginning of the book). After medical school in 1950, Perina travels to a small islands near Micronesia with two anthropologists to study a "lost people". It is on these islands where he makes a profound discovery --- certain tribal members ("The Dreamers") live 5 to 6 times normal human life spans, remaining physically healthy while ultimately losing mental capacity --- that leads to his Nobel Prize in 1974. Perina discovers this condition is the result of eating an indigenous turtle, the Opa'ivu'eke. While on the island, he decides to bring back four "Dreamers" and turtle meat to conduct studies and validate his hypothesis. During his initial time on the island, we begin to see the see the darker side of Perina shine through --- his arrogance, both toward the native culture and his American anthropologist partners, Tallent and Duff, who he views with scorn and disdain. Upon his return to the US, Perina conducts his research, publishes his findings and generally castigates those who questioned him and his findings until they were replicated by a more recognized scientists. Over time, Perina continues making bi-annual trips and adopting native children as the size of his "family" swells to over 40. His motivations are never super-explicit, although his conceit starts to surface as he becomes more famous and older, in the form of saving the savages by acculturating them into Western life. By the final chapter of Perina's memoir, his narcissism and egomaniacal nature fully bubble to the surface. While I enjoyed this novel, I don't believe it approaches the brilliance of "A Little Life". The first 50-75 pages were a little slow and I didn't emotionally connect with any of the characters like in her other novel. Also, I felt the overall pacing of the book was a little uneven and found my mind wandering throughout several sections. I'll profess to prefer novels that tackle tough and controversial subjects. Unlike some other reviewers, I don't believe Yanagihara some of the touchier items in a gratuitous manner. If people prefer uplifting subject matter, books that avoid deeply flawed characters or non-Western based cultural norms, they should do research beforehand and choose other books to read. I did appreciate Yanagihara's ability to write the novel in memoir form, striking the delicate balance of allowing Perina to both tell his story in his own self-serving way while ensuring his hubris and arrogant nature came through. One thing I regret is having read an Amazon review before starting the book that ruined the ending for me. As a result, I was even more attuned to the duplictious nature of Perina than I otherwise would have been. This was definitely a great debut novel that announced Yanagihara as an author to pay attention to and she certainly didn't disappoint with her second effort, "A Little Life". I'll be anxiously awaiting her next effort and definitely will start reading it as soon as it is released. ### ⭐⭐⭐ wierdly fascinating *by J***S on February 5, 2018* I am not sure what to make of this book . it was really two separate stories. the first in the jungle was too unbelievable but the writing was very descriptive and amazing. but the story was really creepy to the point that it was revolting at times. the second story with the orphans was way over the top. it would be legally impossible for this to happen . i liked the way it was written with the footnotes. but all in all i can't say I enjoyed this book or was entertained. i think the arrogance of one culture destroying another for greed was a good premise but this went way off the rails. the whole thing kind of made my skin crawl on too many levels. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co/products/11041202-the-people-in-the-trees](https://www.desertcart.co/products/11041202-the-people-in-the-trees) --- *Product available on Desertcart Colombia* *Store origin: CO* *Last updated: 2026-06-01*