What is the author's tone in the book, Yanomamo: The Fierce People?

Chagnon, the author, is an anthropologist. As such, he sometimes tends toward words and phrases of his profession. These will likely not inhibit the average reader's understanding, though there are sections of the book that offer more details of his research than others. The reader who is looking for a storyline based on the lives of the Yanomamo people will be disappointed. The details of the book are split between research methods and findings that come from these methods, and details of the lives of the people studied. Though Chagnon relates several events and incidents, there is no true "storyline."

The book, overall, is written in a straight-forward style, though it is sometimes difficult to remember that Chagnon follows no real timeline, meaning there is no "building process." He sometimes relates details and later returns to reiterate or present additional facts on that topic. The book must be taken as a series of facts in order to be fully understood.