The Snake Charmer: A Life and Death in Pursuit of Knowledge (2008)

Author: Jamie James
Title: The Snake Charmer: A Life and Death in Pursuit of Knowledge
Pub date: 2008
Genre: Nature / Biography

What it's about: The book profiles the life, career, and death of herpetologist Joe Slowinski.  Joe Slowinski was well-known in the close-knit snake scientist community for his enthusiasm for, and some might say reckless handling of, the most dangerous snakes on the planet.  Slowinski utterly lived for snakes, exuding a passion for his subject that completely consumed him.  Like many herpetologists, the more venemous the snake, the more fascinating the pursuit became.  After spending his youth and early career chasing the pit vipers of the Americas, Slowinski became enthralled with the elapids of Asia, such as cobras and kraits. He especially focused on Burma (Myanmar), making many expeditions to the closed land, where he helped prove the existence of the Burmese spitting cobra. In September 2001, Slowinski was bit by a small krait in remote rural Burma, leading to an agonizing 30-hour effort to save him that proved unsuccessful.

Why it's worth reading: Slowinski was a larger-than-life personality, combining the theatrics of a Steve Irwin "Crocodile Hunter," with the fierce intelligence of a researcher (indeed, Slowinski pubished over forty peer-reviewed articles on his subject). Slowinski was well-respected for his scientific contributions by many of his peers.  The book provides a stirring biography of Slowinski, giving a glimpse into the macho and tight "snake community" of snake scientists.  The last sections of the book, detailing the efforts to save Slowinski from the neurotoxic venom of the krait, are engrossing. 

A very good book for those who will stop while flipping channels if they see a snake documentary on cable TV.

Other books about snakes and those that wrangle them available via the Library:

Mean and Lowly Things: Snakes, Science, and Survival in the Congo by Kate Jackson
Steve & Me by Terri Irwin
The Lizard King: The True Crimes and Passions of the World's Greatest Reptile Smugglers by Bryan Christy
The Snakebite Survivors' Club: Travels Among Serpents by Jeremy Seal