This book is a real sleep stealer and heart-stopper. Once Yossi was lost I could not put it down. His amazing, Amazonian adventure, told in graphic, hair-raising detail, but without pity, illustrates the human spirit at its most magnificent. Sheer will, faith and a refusal to be beaten allow him to endure privations and setbacks that would have been the end of a lesser man. Read it if you like adventure, read it if you need to restore your faith in humanity or read it just because you enjoy a good book, but do read it.

In many ways the best part of the book comes at the very end. A Yossi humbled and enlightened by his experiences gives an insight into some of his perceptions of life. There are words here that found a strong echo in my own heart. I am the richer for having read his book.

What the players on the popular survival shows go through is nothing compared to what the author of this book went through to survive in the Amazon jungle! Yossi Ghinsberg set out with three other men to experience a real jungle, and for sure, encountered incredible plant and animal life. But it didn't stop there. When the foursome split into two groups, Yossi and his companion then became separated when Yossi was swept away down the powerful Tuichi River. At that point, Yossi was on his own, and narrates his awesome struggle for survival...to find food and shelter, and to combat such things as the fungus that was eating his feet, jaguars, fireants, termites that carpeted his body and bored into it, and steep, slippery cliffs. Whew! I am reading the book a second time, this time to my teenage children, to give them an appreciation for what true suffering is, and to help them realize that humans can, with motivation and determination, endure and overcome great obstacles. When we start complaining about our daily irritations, this is the kind of book we need to read to help us consider our blessings.

I read this book in 2 days and didn't want to put it down until I was done because it was so interesting and exciting. I read Back From Tuichi by Yossi Ghinsberg which I believe was later released as Heart of the Amazon. Great! Great! Great! Just goes to show that life is often more exciting and interesting than fiction. The author did a great job and you really feel what he is going through.

Did the capture and execution of Che Guevarra prove that the military actions he led in Bolivia in 1966-67 were doomed to failure?

This interview with Bolivian participant Rodolfo Saldaña reveals the opposite. His captivating description of how fertile the ground was in Bolivia and throughout South America for revolution includes the mass support and financial aid given to the guerrillas by tin miners, peasants, and students. He explains how the U.S. backed the military junta, and the real reasons for the defeat.

In this firsthand account, Bolivian tin miner and revolutionary militant Rodolfo Saldan~a explains how the
guerilla lead by Che Guevara - which Saldan~a helped lead the support network for --was rooted in the
revolutionary upsurge of workers' , students' and farmers' struggles in the mid-late '60s in Bolivia and the
mass movements against dictatorship and Yanqui Imperial domination in the neighboring countries of Peru
and Argentina . As he explains from first-hand experience, Che's efforts were not isolated, driven by
desire for martyrdom, or sabotaged by Fidel Castro, as so many of Che's ' biographers' have claimed.
Excellent preface and introduction by Cuban General Harry Villegas and Pathfinder Press' Mary-Alice
Waters place the lessons of Che's final efforts in the context of the struggles of workers, farmers and youth
of today against capitalism and the Yanqui Empire.

Saldana's fits Che Guevara guerrilla struggle in Bolivia oin 1966 and 1967 into the context of workers struggles that had been shaking that country since the 1940s. He shows how Bolivian revolutionists, workers, students, and peasants welcomed Che's struggle and how the class struggle in that country advanced by Che's struggle. At the country's biggest tin mines, entire unions pledged one day's salary to support Che. Saldana, a founder and leader of the Bolivian Communist Party until he broke with them to work with Che's guerrilla, shows how the Bolivian CP sabotaged Che's struggle. With economic and social conditions in Bolivia and other parts of Latin America much worse than they were in the 1960s, this book should be read as a manual for future upsurges of struggle by workers and peasants in Bolivia and throughout the Americas.

Arturo von Vacano's Biting Silence (an English language translation of "Morder el Silencio") sheds light on the experiences of a journalist silenced by a Latin American military dictatorship in the 1980s. Poignant in his description of the military regime and creative in his presentation of contemporaneous thoughts as he is imprisoned, memories of his family, and surreal interpretations of events to come, von Vacano keeps the reader engaged throughout the novel. Von Vacano personalizes the horrifying reality of being punished for telling the truth and shows that yes, it can happen to you. Released at the tale end of the "Latin boom," von Vacano was the lone representative of Bolivian authors published in English at the time. And this was a choice well made by Avon/Bard given the centrality of its theme -- struggling to tell the truth in a society silenced by those in power -- to the Latin American situation, both then, and in many cases, even now.

GREAT READ! ABOUT THE TOILS OF PERSECUTION IN LATIN AMERICA. AN INNER PORTRAIT OF THE NOVELIST UNDER DICTATORSHIP VIVID AND LUCID WRITING

this is a very good book expressing the personal experinces and difficulties of being a writer/novelist in south america. it shows how harrowing dictatorship is and is a vivid account of the psycho-emotional struggles that the intellectual endures under politically repressive regimes. excellent and vivid writing.

I had visited Bolivia in the past and thought it was very beautiful. I passed through many beautiful cities and saw many beautiful sites.

But let me tell you! When I recieved this book as a gift the second trip to Bolivia, I decided to use it as a guide to my upcoming voyages.

Not only does this book capture the beauty of this country , It is pinpoint accurate when it comes to the discriptions that help you make your decions on where you will head next.

I highly recomend this book if you can find it used, or new. You will be moved and motived. I guarantee you next trip is to Bolivia!

Word of advice.....Make home base Santa Cruz and go from there.

This superb collection of aerial photos of Bolivia reveals the surreal nature of this spectacular and enigmatic country. It may wall have you rushing off to the travel agency to buy tickets to this other-worldly land that straddles the diverse country from the Amazon Basin to the Andean peaks and plateaus. Hopefully, it will eventually be readily available in the US for a reasonable price; in Bolivia, it's currently sold for unrealistic prices, upwards of US$80. By the way, the title is actually Bolivia - Ima\'genes de una Travesi\'a Ae\'rea. (the \' markers represent an acute accent over the previous vowel).

During a summer in college, I travelled around South America, and spent a good deal of time backpacking and exporing northwestern Bolivia, following overgrown Inca Trails and taking boats up into the deep jungle and mining country.

I had heard about Fawcett's adventures during my travels, and I was delighted to find out that the book surpassed my expectations when I finally got the chance to read it.

Fawcett worked for the British government (the Royal Geographic Society, I believe), and was sent to the Brazillian-Bolivian frontier in the early 20th century to server as an impartial third party in a border dispute.

The book, written by his son who went on to become a railroad expert in Peru, is a chronicle of that trip and his later adventures into the South American wilderness in search of a lost city he believed to exist.

Fawcett kept great journals, and his descriptions of the time are fascinating. Having travelled in this area, I can say that Fawcett's descriptions are dead on, and for anyone looking for a true frontier adventure in the early 21st century, not a whole lot has changed in the past 100 years.

'Brazillian Adventure' by Peter Fleming (the brother of James Bond author Ian Fleming) is the semi-comic story of a British journalist who went on a search for Fawcett several decades after the former disappeared in the early 1920's (the date might be slightly off).

It's great to see that this book has finally been put back in print. A true gem.

A true boys own adventure, the quintessential English explorer in his own words. This was written by his son Percy based on the journals and correspondence of his father. Deatils all his expeditions in South America, his views on the lost cities of Brazil, Peru & Boliva and much much more. It has it all!

Since I have been personally studying 'Jaguars' since I was 5 years old, I'm 34 now, I have been searching for a book that truly reveals the "true" features of this powerful and regal big cat. The "monster" Jaguar that the author refers to, is the true Jaguar. He is massive and powerful. The third largest and strongest of the Big Cat family. The true jaguars are concentrated mainly in Mato Grosso, Brazil and the Llanos, Venzuela. I thank the author for this book and for sharing his knowledge of the "monster swamp jaguar". The only thing I would change is the that I would carry a "camera" to the Mato Grosso instead of a gun. I must add that, aside from the information about the jaguar, this book is very well written and captivates the reader. You can't put it down!

This book not only tells about the individuals that hunt the jaguar and their personalities; it not only describes you the way the mind of the great cat works, but it evidences the love for nature, for the land, the flora and the fauna that the author has. I regret having finished it because it entises you to keep on reading it

I borrowed this book from a friend who got at a
used booksale.He was surprised by it and liked it.
This would be a great movie ;but,would not be very flattering
to the US military and the politics behind Reaganism of the
1980's,1990's,and (retro 1990's) present political hysteria and
military drama . Great read for Tom Clancy readers who find
Dan Quayle to be a brainiac compared to G.Dubbuh Bush--du jour of the oval office. Und you vill like it!
Very euro -esiponage of the 1980's....

This is an excellent book! The message of hope is poignant; reflective of a deep understanding of "rediscovering" God's grace and unending love -- very well presented. The only negative for me was that the ending felt rushed. Nonetheless, Crossfire is an interesting, 'can't put the book down' must read!

The novel Crossfire by Jeanette Windle is about an American girl who finds herself involved in the drug-wars of Bolivia. This fast-paced suspense is hard to put down. I found myself waiting impatiently to find out what would happen next in the lives of Sara and the other characters in the book. If you love action. suspense, and drama, you will love Crossfire!

If you like action and adventure laced with romance and a wondeful christian theme, then this book is a MUST READ! The characters are very believable, and the plot extremely gripping.
Sarah is a christian, though she's become luke-warm over the years. In college she meets the amazing Nicky, and falls head over heals in love. They marry and he wisks her away to his family estate in Bolivia where Sarah's met with one shocking revelation after another. She soon realizes how little she knows about her husband. Her plans of a romanic, wealthy life with Nicky are devasted when she discovers that the family is secretly dealing cocaine to remain the extremely wealthy, upper class citizens they are. Sarah has some major, life altering decisions to make. Can she bring herself to uncover this major drug operation, putting her new marriage on the line? Is her husband's enemy, Doug Bradford, DEA Agent, the terrible man her husband paints him out to be, or is he really the trustworthy, christan man he appears?
This book is amazing, and packed out with great action scenes, and shocking plot twists. Jeannette Windle has an amazing way of bringing you right into the book. You feel as if you are experiencing everything Sarah does. The scenes are powerful and very believable. I highly, highly recommend this book!

In 1932, Bolivia and Paraguay went to war over a large, flat, sparsely watered plateau called the Gran Chaco. Over the course of three years, the two armies, exhibiting constant bravery and periodic stupidity, dueled, generating at least 90,000 deaths. In this book, Dan Hagedorn and Antonio Sapienza look at the war from the angle of the use of airpower during the war. The individual types of aircraft used by the combatants are reviewed, as are their operational uses.

This book makes an excellent companion for The Chaco War by Bruce Farcau. The author of that book almost completely ignores the air war component of the war, while this book focuses on it. Also, unlike the other book, this one is awash with maps and pictures from the war. Therefore, if you are interested in the Chaco War, then you should read this book.

IF YOU WANT TO LEARN ABOUT THIS NOT SO WELL KNOWN MODERN CONFLICT BETWEEN TWO ESTABLISHED NATIONS, BOTH WITH AIR FORCES AT THAT TIME, THIS IS THE BOOK TO READ. BESIDES THE SPECTACULAR TEXT, THE PICTURES ARE GREAT!!!!!!

These must be the best ever released book related to aeronautics. It has much relevant information about, as it's title stands, the aircraft of the Chaco war. I, as the author, live in the peaceful country, which is the place where the war was hold in those years, and I can assure that this title has the most complete information about the past golden age of the Paraguayan air force. Just one more should be added, congratulations Mr. Tony, you've done a great job. Victor Amarilla/ Paul McCartney

This is a great book covering Bolivian mountaineering--not basic hiking and trekking, but the true climbs.

Yossi was a fantastic person who, even 4 years after his death, is very much missed. He lived the spirit and passion that is the great country of Bolivia!

Hasta La Cumbre! Viva Yossi & Viva Bolivia!

I just wanted to let you know that my friend Yossi Brain, the author of this book, was killed in an avalanche while climbing in Bolivia in 1999. (The latest (4th) edition of my book, the Lonely Planet guide to Bolivia, is dedicated to him.) Therefore, it's no longer accurate to say that he currently lives in La Paz, Bolivia. Perhaps, 'He lived in La Paz, Bolivia, until his death in an avalanche in 1999.'

From Planeta Journal - Before his death in 1999, the author was a professional mountain guide and adventure traveler based in La Paz. A colleague and friend wrote: "His books are the best that have been written about Bolivia's trekking and climbing in decades." In this useful book Brain provides a number of choices of where to climb, including new and lesser-known routes in the cordilleras--Real, Apolobamba, Quimsa Cruz, and Occidental.