Perspective

The Teachings of Don Juan is ostensibly the result of anthropological research by Carlos Castaneda in Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, as part of his course of graduate studies in the Anthropology Department at the University of California at Los Angeles. There is no indication in the book, reissued as a 30th anniversary edition with a new commentary by the author, of the controversy that surrounds it and subsequent works by Castaneda. The reader would do well to consult the Wikipedia article about Castaneda to learn the broader context. The book purports to be an account of Castaneda's indoctrination into the drug culture of the Yaqui Indians after meeting a shaman named Juan Matus. It consists of narratives about his experiences and a scholarly analysis of Matus' teachings. The new commentary states that most of Castaneda's professors try to dissuade him. However, two urge him to proceed before the...