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The Lost City of Z A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the David Grann 9780385513531 Books

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The Lost City of Z A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the David Grann 9780385513531 Books

I loved reading this book because of its diversity. You get a well rounded history from multiple accounts of the many cursed expeditions into the Amazon. The crazy men who dared to do it (both present and past), violent tribal peoples (though you understand why they're so hostile to foreigners), the nearly impassable Amazon terrain, the odd and bizarre creatures that reside their, and in the end, a plausible archaeologically based theory behind why people thought there was a large rich city once in the Amazon. Like all things, people's imaginations run wild, but the author also brings you back down the earth with the reality of the jungle which left me with the overall conclusion that these grandiose theories of a Lost City of Z were really just grand exaggerations of much more practical evidence of a fairly developed, but long lost, past civilization.

Some people criticize the book for only getting to the final expedition at the very end of the book. But I believe this criticism is unwarranted. You can't just jump into the final expedition without getting the backstory and context of the people, place, and time. I feel the author did a marvelous job of jumping around and pacing the book, so that when you get to the final expedition, you're well versed in the context and prepared to understand why things went down the way they did.

Fantastic read, and I shall keep this book as a permanent fixture in my collection. Too bad I only got it in paperback... dang.


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The Lost City of Z A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the David Grann 9780385513531 Books Reviews

I found this book interesting in many ways. It was easy to read since it touched many subjects that are familiar to me. The book covers historic facts of the Victorian age and its influence in the world but specially South America and the countries of Bolivia and Brazil whose ian region was and is difficult to explore or study. It is well balanced since the book covers many areas that help understand different points of view of previous times compared to present times. I found answers to questions that come up as you read this book. For instance, to refer to the tribes that populate the ian forests as savages, made me question who is anyone to judge, specially after the atrocities of WWI, described in the book as well as all the inhuman spectacle of WW2. Also, it explains what was happening in the areas related to the fields he got to be involved in like archeology and the discovery of Machu Pichu which may have influenced him.
Fawcett’s motivations could have been banal if they were glory or becoming famous but he showed an ethical position not usual in his time which was to approach the indigenous people in a non violent way, trying not to use arms and ordering to drop arms even if danger was felt. He would raise his hands and confront the Indians which gave him good results since he got to be treated as a sort of friend. This respectful behavior, considering the times, was something positive to take in account when trying to define Fawcett's personality which could show his humanity, something to learn from him. Now, consider that Indiana Jones is partly based in the real life of Percy Fawcett and P.F. is one of the characters of one of his movies; however, Indiana Jones had no problem in shooting for entertainment.
Having lived in Bolivia and having done some exploration myself I may have a different take to this adventure. To start, one of Fawcett's motivation was as normal as to answer why people climb mountains, the answer is,” because it's there". I have done hiking going from La Paz at 12000 ft. above sea level to about 15000 ft. and then down to the tropics of Yungas which is the start of the ian jungle all along an Inca road which was partly well preserved considering hundreds of years of use. After getting familiar with this subtropical region, it happened that I read The mines of King Salomon and this book, cited in Grann's book as well, inspired me to go farther. My plan was to go to an uncharted area in the forest called Madidi, which is a national park now. My motivation was just to see what no one else has seen. I was able to enlist two university friends who seemed interested but who back down at the last minute. Next year I tried again but I had a sudden back ache problem. Going back to the book, Fawcett's intentions may have been to attain fame by finding not El Dorado but something like Machu Pichu which was “found” in 1911. He visited Cusco and Tiahuanacu and was able to marvel at the achievements of these civilizations. But destiny put him in the Bolivian jungle with the aid of the British government, it wasn't something that he was looking for but that opened his eyes and his innate explorer spirit.
Before I even finished reading this book I was compelled to read about the original source, Percy Fawcett's own words, compiled in a book “Lost trail, lost cities” by Brian Fawcett, his son. By reading it, I found out that in his first trip he was hired by the Bolivian government, P. Fawcett does not mention Brazil in the first expedition which was actually work. Now, there are historical details that are not clear. The border problem between Bolivia and Brazil was already established in 1903 after a short war between these two countries and the result was the annexation of the Acre, an area of 190,000 square Kilometers (75,000 sq mls), more than ¾ the size of UK. By the way, something that this book could have in next edition is a better map, the map of Bolivia is not clear.
There are details in the Fawcett's book that could have been part of Grann's book or even the movie, like the moment when, after departing La Paz, one of many mules P.F. had, runs away and that was the mule that had the $£1000 in gold he received as part of the payment from the Bolivian government, an interesting historical detail, a “jingling treasure” in the saddle bags. However, Fawcett explains that the mule was brought back by local people who he rewarded. P .F. describes foreigners by name but there is no mention of Bolivian dignitaries with the exception of the president of Bolivia who was taking matters with his own hands and who knew these lands very well. The region next to the Brazilian border bears his name, Pando.
“All who have lived in these lands and learned to know them fell captive to their irresistible charm”, Fawcett writes as part of his reflexions. Is this one of the motives he kept coming back?
I ordered this novel after reading "The Lost City Of The Monkey God A True Story" by Douglas Preston. Several reviewers of Mr. Preston's book referred "The Lost City Of Z" as being quite a bit better and more true to what has been regarded as classic archaeology. After reading "Z" I have to agree with those reviewers. This novel is mainly concerned with the exploration of the region in the early 1900's, with the technology of boat motors, airplanes, and short wave radio just beginning to be utilized. "Monkey God" is set in today's time and the explorers have new and up-to-date technology available to help them locate and analyze the ruins that they were searching for.

However, Douglas Preston's story feels more 'human' and draws you in from the descriptions of the various obstacles encountered and (sometimes) overcome. His first person descriptions of what he and his team went through take you right into the heart of their group. You encounter the rain, insects, snakes, diseases, and other hardships that they experience. It feels personal, actually uncomfortably personal, making it too easy to put yourself in their shoes and put their pain and discomfort on your own shoulders. Reading "Z" was like watching a National Geographic special. Reading "Monkey God" was like watching (and experiencing) the difficulties constantly encountered by participants on the TV show "Naked and Afraid".

It took me a while to get into the rhythm of "The Lost City Of Z" because of the shifting perspectives and time frames. David Grann obviously did a lot of research and utilized many different resources in order to compile a lot of factual and interesting information pertinent to the travails of Percy Fawcett while searching for his 'holy grail'. Colonel Fawcett is to be commended for his drive, intelligence, and physical abilities in being able to challenge such difficult conditions over and over again. His accomplishments in helping to map previously unexplored regions are surprising and extremely admirable considering the myriad obstacles encountered.

Unfortunately, while each has its place, "Z" reads more like a history book while "Monkey God" is a living and breathing adventure. Each to his own.
I loved reading this book because of its diversity. You get a well rounded history from multiple accounts of the many cursed expeditions into the . The crazy men who dared to do it (both present and past), violent tribal peoples (though you understand why they're so hostile to foreigners), the nearly impassable terrain, the odd and bizarre creatures that reside their, and in the end, a plausible archaeologically based theory behind why people thought there was a large rich city once in the . Like all things, people's imaginations run wild, but the author also brings you back down the earth with the reality of the jungle which left me with the overall conclusion that these grandiose theories of a Lost City of Z were really just grand exaggerations of much more practical evidence of a fairly developed, but long lost, past civilization.

Some people criticize the book for only getting to the final expedition at the very end of the book. But I believe this criticism is unwarranted. You can't just jump into the final expedition without getting the backstory and context of the people, place, and time. I feel the author did a marvelous job of jumping around and pacing the book, so that when you get to the final expedition, you're well versed in the context and prepared to understand why things went down the way they did.

Fantastic read, and I shall keep this book as a permanent fixture in my collection. Too bad I only got it in paperback... dang.