The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Aug 01, 2021 Lauren rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Review in Brief: What started as a straightforward look into an unconventional archaeological expedition to find a maybe imaginary lost Mesoamerican city evolved over the course of the book into a prescient meditation on modern life and how epidemics (and pandemics) will shape human civilization going forward. It also features a quote from then relatively unknown Anthony Fauci and concludes with how the past informs the present.
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Favorite quote: “a New World city destroyed by an Old World disease ...more

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Mar 23, 2017 Kate rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nonfiction, disease-health, history, 2017, travel

Man. The Preston brothers know how to do creative nonfiction! I think I have loaned or recommended this to more people -- all of whom finished it -- than anything I've read in the last 10 years. The first half of the book deals with the discovery of a mythologized great city that proves the existence of an entire, largely undocumented Mosquitia society contemporary to the Aztecs and equal in sophistication and artistry. The second deals largely with leishmaniasis and other reasons for the collap ...more

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Jun 12, 2017 Linda rated it it was amazing

I am not really judging the writing, although it is perfectly adequate, but the travails necessary to get the information to write this were amazing! and the information gathered is extremely interesting. I don't understand why this has not been in the news more and documentaries and movies should be based on these true adventures! ...more

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Jan 13, 2020 Chris Burd rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

I love narrative non-fiction, and this was a fascinating story. Adventure, archaeology, history, technology, biology... there are a lot of topics covered in this one story.

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