Wednesday, March 6, 2013

The Lost City of Z

The Lost City of Z
by David Grann [918.1 Gra]

In 1925, the British explorer, Percy Fawcett, his son Jack and Raleigh Rimellin disappeared in the Amazonian rain forest while searching for a fabled civilization that Fawcett called Z. In 1927, the three adventurers were officially declared missing. Many expeditions searched for Fawcett and this lost "City of Gold" but did not find a trace of either the men or the city. While researching another story, David Grann learned about Fawcett and his expeditions into the Amazon. Grann became obsessed with the legend of this colorful explorer and his baffling disappearance. Grann, a man with a lousy sense of direction and an aversion to camping, went into the Amazon to retrace Fawcett's last mission. In this fascinating story Grann weaves the story of Fawcett with his own journey into the Amazon. Fawcett, a man of modest means, achieved worldwide acclaim as an explorer of the Amazon and its waterways. It is hard to imagine the bravery that it took for Fawcett to head out into the uncharted territory facing hostile indigenous tribes, horrific insect infestations, tropical diseases, white-water rapids, poisonous snakes and piranhas. Grann's story of his meticulous research and his courageous trek through the Brazilian jungle to find out what happened to Fawcett and to, perhaps, find Z is a great adventure story. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The River of Doubt by Candice Millard, Into Africa by Martin Dugard, Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[Also available in downloadable audio, book-on-cd, downloadable E-book formats.]

[ official Lost City of Z page on the official David Grann web site ]


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