In her Journal of an Apprentice Shaman, Corine Sombrun recounted an incredible adventure that had led her, following in the footsteps of a Peruvian shaman, deep into the Amazonian rainforest. She continued her spiritual quest in Mongolie with the Tsaatan shamans, who reveal to her that she is herself a shaman and must follow their teachings. Thus begins for her an initiation that encompasses not only the learning of various rituals, communal life in the tipi, herding reindeer, training horses, transhumance, and mastering the cold. It is both a striking vision of the world of the steppe and the singular account of an inner experience told in an utterly unprecedented voice.

An easy read with a simple message about self-knowledge, this book is unputdownable. Be cautious, however—it remains a novel, and its portrayal of shamanism should not be taken as gospel truth.