Marlo Morgan

American chiropractor and the author of "Mutant Message Down Under," written as a non-fiction account of her experiences in Australia. Always interested in alternative methods of healing, Morgan studied and earned her Doctorate in both Biochemistry and Chiropractic Medicine. Her unending pursuit of knowledge drove her to travel to West Germany to study bioenergetics medicine and acupuncture techniques and then to visit Russia for an exploration into Kirlian Photographical Analysis. By the time she was 50 years old, her practice in Kansas City was thriving, but she closed it to embark on a new adventure. According to her own chronicle, she gave away her worldly possessions and flew to Australia where she managed a local business dedicated to helping keep young Aborigines off the streets. It was during this period of her life, she says, that she was contacted by an Aboriginal tribe and began her four month "walkabout" across Australia. The easy-reading story tells of an Anglo woman taken on a trek across the primitive desert, learning the ways of the natives and their secrets of living with a harsh land in harmony and appreciation. In 1996, her best-selling book became the focal point for much controversy. It is an inspiring story but one that stretches credulity and the Australian Aborigines felt that the story of her encounters was a deeply insulting hoax. Although Morgan initially claimed her book, written in 1993, gave a true account of her journeys, she offered her apologies and said that the book was indeed fictional but that it had been inspired by an actual event. Link to Wikipedia biography