Paddle to the Amazon

If you like real-life adventure stories -- and especially if you’ve ever paddled a canoe or a kayak -- you’re going to like Paddle to the Amazon. (I found it spell-binding; and, since I’ve read just about every expedition paddling narrative out there, I’m a pretty hard sell.)

Don Starkell, looking to reconnect with his two teenage sons after a long period of separation, decided on a canoe trip. He did a lot of planning, learned a little Spanish, and loaded Dana, Jeff, and all their gear into a 21’ open canoe for an epic 2-year journey. (Don and Dana stuck it out; Jeff bailed in Mexico and returned to college.)

It was 12,192 miles by lake, river, and ocean, from Winnipeg, Canada, to the mouth of the Amazon at Belem, Brazil. Relying on the kindness of strangers, their own slim resources and fierce determination (plus a good measure of luck,) they prevailed. It was no paddle in the park, this trip. Dana and Don endured hunger, thirst, exhaustion, food poisoning, salt sores, near-drownings, asthma attacks, and hurricanes. They were lost, shot at, arrested, robbed, mistaken for smugglers, nearly murdered, and menaced by crocodiles, wild boar, sharks, piranhas, and pirates.

Did I mention all the yummy meals of coconuts and roasted ants?

Paddle to the Amazon is certainly not a run of the mill father/son bonding story. And in the interests of full disclosure, I have to confess that it is also not among the most popular books here in the Library. But, since I get a chance to push my own favorites once in a while, here it is!

Still undecided? Check out these trailers for a little more persuasion. And if you enjoyed reading Paddle to the Amazon, dive right into Starkell’s second book, Paddle to the Arctic. It won’t disappoint.

As always, tell us what you think. If you’ve read Paddle, tell us whether or not you liked it. If you’re a fellow “true adventure” jinkie, tell us what other books we should try.