Tristes Tropiques records Livi-Strauss`s search for a human society reduced to its most basic expression , and focuses on the tribes of the Caduvco, Bororo, Nambikwara, and Tupi-Kawahib of the Amazon basin and the upland jungles of Brazil. Livi-Strauss draws fascinating comparisons and parallels among the tribes and human societies at large, allowing his work to easily transcend the specialized discipline of his field. The stories he tells of his travels and studies in this book are perhaps among his most autobiographical writings.