The "hero" of the book is Percy Fawcett, who became obsessed with finding the fabled city of El Dorado (which he dubbed "Z"). Such was his mania that, on his last attempt to get there in the '20s, he deliberately left obfuscating clues as to his intended route so that no one might get there first -- which, of course, foiled attempts to rescue him.
It was interesting, sure, but I so despised Fawcett that I had a hard time caring about his passion. He was, pure and simple, an asshole with a one-track mind. He abandoned his family -- in abject poverty -- for years at a time and held everyone he met to an impossible standard. Because he was, by all accounts, blessed with a superior constitution, he had little patience for those who dared to get sick on an expedition. He's definitely an imposing figure, but not a very sympathetic one.
It's doubtful I would've finished this if it hadn't been book club pick.
B-
Non-fiction #7
