RUNNING THE AMAZON

by Joe Kane ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 5, 1989

Foaming rapids, tropical fevers, Maoist guerrillas, gun-happy drug lords, short tempers, and even shorter rations were just a few of the perils faced by the author during his 4200-mile kayak-and-raft passage from the source of the Amazon in the Peruvian highlands to the Atlantic Ocean. The only American among the 11-person team that undertook the historic trip, Kane was one of the four who finally completed the grueling voyage. As chronicler of the expedition, he does a fine job of delineating the often prickly personalities of the participants, of capturing the emotional highs and lows of such an undertaking, and of describing the territory along the route. The narrative gets off to a somewhat slow start. When Kane is off the water as a member of the support group, his writing has a second-hand quality. Once he begins paddling his way downriver, however, the narrative excitement begins to build and Kane maintains it right to the final pages. Some of the most appealing passages concern events ashore and the people the ever-dwindling group encounters there. There's Roberto, for example, the transvestite restaurant proprietor who, glittering in rhinestones and sequins, lip-syncs Barry Manilow's ""Feelings"" in his fly-blown establishment in a crumbling river town. There is also a mestizo teen-ager named ""Elvis Presley,"" and the band of guerrillas who first fire on the group from the cliffs, then hold them at gunpoint until the travelers buy their freedom with five cans of tuna. The original group is a contentious lot consisting of Poles, Afrikaners, a British woman doctor, and Kane. Frequent arguments erupt concerning group leadership, financial arrangements, and the methods used to generate publicity about the trip. By voyage's end, however, the four remaining members establish deep emotional ties, and the author captures this without ever becoming sentimental. A generally engrossing adventure yarn--one that offers fresh and lively insights into the varying passions that inspire men and women to undertake such a test of stamina and ingenuity.

Pub Date: June 5, 1989

ISBN: 067972902X

Page Count: -

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1989

Categories: NONFICTION