New ways of viewing culture require new approaches to anthropology textbooks. This concise, contemporary, and inexpensive alternative option for instructors of cultural anthropology breaks away from the traditional structure of introductory textbooks. Emphasizing the interplay of complexity and subsistence,the interaction between humans and their environment, the tension between human universals and cultural variation, and the impacts of colonialism on traditional cultures, William Balee's new textbook shows students how cultural anthropology can help us understand the complex, globalized world around us. Personal stories of the author's fieldwork in Amazonia, sidebars with fascinating cases of cultures in action, timelines, and other pedagogical elements enliven the text for undergraduate readers.