(TXT) View source
       
       # 2024-07-19 - Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
       
       Chrono Trigger was my favorite game on the SuperNES, and Ayla was my
       favorite character.  When i learned that Ayla was named after and
       based on the protagonist in Clan of the Cave Bear, it added it to my
       to-read list.  Recently someone else recommended the book to me, and
       i bumped it higher on the list.
       
 (TXT) gopher://gopherpedia.com/0/Chrono_Trigger
       
 (HTM) https://www.chronowiki.org/wiki/Ayla
       
       As a child i avoided Clan of the Cave Bear because it seemed too
       popular.  I sought out books that were more obscure or somehow
       interesting.  My loss!  Reading this book now, i thoroughly enjoyed
       it.  I liked the natural outdoor setting in the unspoiled prehistory
       of continental Europe.  I liked the strong shamanic element woven
       into the entire story.  I loved how Ayla approached major life
       problems as tests from her totem (patron spirit), tests of her
       worthiness; the greater the challenge, the greater the reward.
       
       Ayla is a cro-magnon child who loses her family to a natural
       disaster, and is then adopted by a neanderthal tribe.  Ironic that
       Ayla was the blond haired, blue eyed character while the neanderthals
       were brown eyed and darker.  Current models reverse this dynamic.  To
       be fair, the book was published in 1980 with less complete knowledge
       about neanderthals.
       
       The neanderthals in this book communicated primarily via sign
       language.  In 1980, it was supposed that neanderthals could not make
       nor hear the same range of sounds as cro-magnons.  In this book,
       sign language permits more nuanced and rich communication, and it is
       woven into ritual like a dance form.
       
       I look forward to reading more books in this series!
       
       See also:
       
 (TXT) gopher://gopherpedia.com/0/Earth's_Children
       
       author: Auel, Jean M.
 (TXT) detail: gopher://gopherpedia.com/0/The_Clan_of_the_Cave_Bear
       LOC:    PS3551.U36 C57
       tags:   book,fiction,outdoor
       title:  Clan of the Cave Bear
       
       # Tags
       
 (DIR) book
 (DIR) fiction
 (DIR) outdoor