The narrative offers a vivid firsthand perspective on a group of Amazonian warriors fighting to protect their culture and lifestyle. Blending humor, heartbreak, and excitement, it captures their struggles and resilience in the face of challenges. Accompanied by eight pages of photos, the account provides a deeper connection to the warriors' experiences and the rich context of their environment.
The voyage began in the lunar terrain of the Peruvian Andes, where coca leaf is the only remedy against altitude sickness. It continued down rapids so fierce they could swallow a raft in a split second. It ended six months and 4,200 miles later, where the Amazon runs gently into the Atlantic. Joe Kane's personal account of the first expedition to travel the entirety of the world's longest river is a riveting adventure in the tradition of Joseph Conrad, filled with death-defying encounters: with narco-traffickers and Sendero Luminoso guerrillas and nature at its most unforgiving. Not least of all, Running the Amazon shows a polyglot group of urbanized travelers confronting their wilder selves -- their fear and egotism, selflessness and courage.