Exploring Indigenous Cultures: An Author Conversation with David Good on Yanomami Identity

Join us as we speak with David Good, the author of the memoir The Way Around: Finding My Mother and Myself Among the Yanomami. David’s memoir traces his journey from life in suburban New Jersey to his decision to return to the Amazon in search for his mother after years of estrangement from her and the Yanomami identity that he wrestled with throughout his life.

David tells the story of reuniting with his mother and reconnecting with the Indigenous community where she was raised and where his father, an American anthropologist, found love. David’s memoir reveals a wealth of knowledge of Yanomami people, providing a sensitive and intimate glimpse into an indigenous community that is too often exoticized and misunderstood.

This conversation will bring teachers together with an author to examine questions of family, identity, cultural border crossing, and the ways people think about difference, all through the lens of Indigenous studies. David Good’s memoir may be sourced through your preferred local or online bookseller!