Percy Harrison Fawcett was a British explorer who attempted to find The Lost City of Z, as he called it. This location was supposedly a complex society of indigenous peoples that built a massive city, complete with homes, shops, and religious buildings. He was certain this place was located in the Amazon in Brazil. This book detailed his explorations, including some hardships that would have sent me packing back to my house. He was supported by the British government until the outbreak of World War I, when they pulled funding to support the war effort. After that, he raised his own money and privately funded his exploits. While he never found what he was looking for, modern day archaeology suggests that he was correct in his assumption that complex societies existed in the Amazon.

Interestingly, this expedition is the motivation for the Indiana Jones book about the Seven Veils. I would like to read a biography about Fawcett, but it was interesting to read his own thoughts and words in this book.