Even before my resolution earlier this year to read more nonfiction, there were always certain subjects that caught my eye. Ancient Egyptian life. Lost cities. Civilizations lost to history. The search to find them.
The Lost City of Z has almost all of the above. It is an enthralling tale of one of the last classic early 20th century explorers as he, through sheer force and will, explored the forest that claimed many of his colleagues' lives. The Amazon.
This book was fascinating, every page held my interest. The author, a journalist, weaves together three different stories of men who foolishly or bravely headed into one of the deadliest places on Earth in search of answers.
Fawcett who believed in the existence of a massive civilization, tucked away from history beneath the impenetrable Amazonian jungle. A father son duo who, years after the mysterious disappearance of Fawcett believed that they could find the clues to his demise. And the journalist himself, who is compelled to journey along many of the same paths as Fawcett once trod.
A side effect of this gripping tale is that now, more than ever, I wish to never set foot anywhere close to the Amazon. Seriously. Final Destination could do an entire SERIES on the many ways that you can die in the jungle.
This nonfiction tale read like an Indiana Jones adventure; I never forced myself to keep going, I only had to force myself to put the book down now and then to do things like, you know, eat, go to work, etc.
Personally I loved how well researched the book was-- in almost every other paragraph the author is quoting from actual correspondence or meeting notes or books; he easily crafts a detailed picture of what happened.
If you are craving a real life tale of adventure and exploration then look no further than The Lost City of Z!
Let me know! Have you read this? Seen the movie?
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