Here's an unlikely story, well told. Journalist Tidwell journeyed to the Ecuadorian Amazon, where the local people have successfully battled against Big Oil. The integrity of the Cuyabeno forest and the way of life of the Cofan people have been preserved -- mostly thanks to the savvy of their leader Randy Borman, a white man raised in the jungle by missionaries. Although he ventured to college in the United States, Borman returned to his roots, married a local woman and has raised a family as the chief of this small band of indigenous people. More or less against his better judgement, Tidwell has immersed himself in customs and traditions of the Cofan. His book is a detailed, entertaining portrait of them, the Ecuadorian Amazon, and the Cofan way of life.  (AMZ01, $16.95)