Wednesday, March 6, 2019

The Lost City of the Monkey God

Book: The Lost City of the Monkey God
Basic Information : Synopsis : Characters : Expectations : Thoughts : Evaluation : Book Group : New Words : Book References : Good Quotes : Table of Contents : References

Basic Information:
Author: Douglas Preston
Edition: ePub on Overdrive from the Fresno County Library
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: B01G1K1RTA
Start Date: February 27, 2019
Read Date: March 6, 2019
326 pages
Genre: History, Biography, Outdoor
Language Warning: Low
Rated Overall: 4 out of 5


History: 3 out of 5


Synopsis (Caution: Spoiler Alert-Jump to Thoughts):
This true story takes place in Honduras, in a section of the country called La Mosquita starting in 2015. The story is told through Douglas Preston’s eyes as a journalist but traces the efforts of Steven Elkins to find the Lost City of the Monkey God.

It talks about the use of lidar in a dense jungle to map where possible buildings are and what shape they are. They find what looks like two cities beneath a jungle canopy which has not had human traffic in around 500 years.

Then the expedition takes place and finds artifacts which confirm a civilization inhabited this lost city. But who and why did they disappear? Preston tries to answer these questions.

Preston also gives background into the area and the conquest of Central America by the Spanish. He goes into the diseases which wiped out the civilization. In the meantime, half of the expedition members have caught a parasite called leishmaniasis, including Preston. He describes the “cure” for it. But then brings in the threat it is to the United States through climate change.


Cast of Characters:
  • Douglas Preston-author and journalist for the expedition
  • Bruce Heincke-American, married to a Hounorian woman, fixer and general “make it so” person. Knew when to push and when not to. Greatest attribute was not getting killed.
  • Steve Elkins-expedition leader
  • Bill Benenson-
  • Chris Fisher-professor of anthropology at Colorado State University. Had a background in Mesoamerica and lidar interpretation.
  • Andrew Wood (Woody)-ex-British Special Air Services officer. Their to make sure everything was safe and that people did the right stuff as far as security.
  • Iain MacDonald Matheson (Spud)-ex-British Special Air Services officer.
  • Steven James Sullivan (Sully)-ex-British Special Air Services officer
  • Tom Weinberg
  • Juan Carlos
  • Mark Adams
  • Anna Cohen-archaeologist
  • Oscar Neil Cruz-archaeologist
  • Alicia Gonzalez-anthropologist
  • Dave Yoder
  • Julie Trampush
  • Maritza Carbajal-local fixer
  • Josh Freezer-camera operator

Expectations:
Recommendation: Laura, from Book Group
When: March 2019
Date Became Aware of Book: March 2019
How come do I want to read this book: Book group reading
What do I think I will get out of it? Another adventure story similar to the book The Lost City of Z by David Grann


Thoughts:
The gates of hell
Overview of what the story is about. Talks about what the expedition is trying to find. The security lead lays out the scariness of what they are about to face.

Place of the legend of a lost city of the Monkey God. Or as the Hondurans say, Ciudad Blanca.

What does scientifically investigated mean? Does it differ from the scientific method? Has everyplace in the United States been scientifically investigate? How about Fresno?

Somewhere in the Americas
How Preston gets involved.

Scientists are terrible at deception. Of course later on he talks about previous expeditions where the scientist/leader would not divulge locations and such.

Used space imagery to try to figure out where this lost city might be.

The devil had killed him
Reviews the history of exploration in the area from Cortez to the current. An American explorer John Lloyd Stephens seems to have been the first white to have seen cities in that part of the world. The Mormons sent expeditions to try to confirm their writings. There was confirmation that there were ruins that were not Mayan by William Duncan Strong from the Smithsonian.

As a note: William Duncan Strong did field work in the Central Valley in the 1930’s.

A land of cruel jungles
Another chapter of background into exploration of the area.

One of the few remaining mysteries
More expeditions in the 1940’s. This time lead by Theodore Morde. Morde claims to have found the Lost City, but never revealed its location. Then in 2009 Christopher S Stewart attempted to retrace Morde’s steps. The conclusion which Preston and the current expedition came to is that they were looking in the wrong place.

The heart of darkness
Elkins and Morgan identified two areas they were interested in: Loot of Lima (Coca Island Treasure) and Ciudad Blanca (The Lost City of the Monkey God). Elkins did a trial expedition, which find some minor evidence of a civilization, but nothing large. Preston gives background about Elkins and Bruce Heinicke, fixer.

Hired a local Honduran fixer who was an American-Bruce Heinicke. he knew his way around and how and when to work with those with influence. Also how not to get killed.

Elkins realized from his travel into the jungle, you cannot find anything, let alone find it again. You needed to find a better, more rigorous way of route finding. This is where the lidar came in.


The fish that swallowed the whale
Elkins set up an expedition, but needed to cancel out when Hurricane Mitch devastated Honduras. Preston goes into the history of the relationship between the United States and Honduras, a lot of it based upon the banana companies.

Preston calls the parcels which Honduras is based upon as land-tenure. I suspect this is the system in California called Spanish Land Grants.

Lasers in the jungle
With Elkin frustrated on finding the Lost city, he turned his sights on finding the Loot/Treasury of Lima. While planning the trip, he came across an article on using lidar for mapping old cities.

Something nobody had done
Bruce’s wife was in Honduras to attend a funeral. When she went to Sunday mass, the new President of Honduras was there to receive his blessing. She approached him about the project. He gave his OK. There was also how to get the lidar guys involved.

Preston uses a phrase Then came one of those crazy coincidences that a novelist wouldn’t dare put in a book. Of course, Preston is a novelist. Sort of speaking to himself.

Rain forests where illegally being cut down in one of the targeted sites (T4).

The most dangerous place on the planet
The team to find the last city was coming together. The filmmaker was on board. There are also stories about Bruce Heinicke. Then there was the lidar flights.

Uncharted territory
Describes what lidar is and how the plane carrying it does its job. Such as the plane’s position, including altitude has to be measured precisely in order for the lidar to be accurate. Preston is able to tag along on one of the flights. When the results of the flights came in, there was pandemonium about the results.

The plane which the lidar was riding in and which Preston was able to ride along, was 40 years old and looked like it was falling apart. But Preston had a lot of confidence in the pilot. Isn’t that true of many things? If you have confidence in a person, then they can lead you into danger with the bare minimum of equipment. But the person who portrays discomfort will cause you always to wonder about what will happen, even with the best of equipment.

The lidar had found two cities which would be candidates for the City of the Monkey God. Or as Preston raises, maybe there never was a single city, but a great civilization. So he asks the question, what had caused it to vanish so suddenly and completely?

No coincidences (There is a big city here)
A finding this big goes to the top. The President of Honduras was informed and noted this will affect all humanity. A celebration is done. But there is skepticism on the academic front. The archaeological team is put together.

When the images which the lidar was produced, the Homdurian liaison told the president, Lobo about the discovery. The President said There are no coincidences. I think that God has extraordinary plans for our country , and Ciudad Blanca could be one of them.

What is the difference between discovery and knowledge? The archaeologist Rosemary Joyce (specialized in research in Honduras-Wikipedia) when talked with about the Lidar images made the statement that they discover not gain knowledge. She also said that the expedition is more about adventure rather than archaeology. I will say that Dr Joyce seems to come off as a bit of a snob with an edge. But the differentiation between discovery and knowledge; adventure and archaeology are interesting ones. Don’t you need to have discovery before you add to human knowledge? Such as with the radio telescopes find exoplanets without really “seeing” them. Aren’t they more of a discovery and confirmation of theory? But by themselves what do they add to human knowledge about our universe? Many of the early civilization discoverers were adventurers not what today would be considered archaeologists. One can make the argument that they destroyed as much as they found, but without them, would we have archeologists today?

(It also sounds like Joyce may be more content with on-the-ground work rather than something which is produced through algorithm. Just my summarizing with no real knowledge.)

Fer-de-lance
Photographer description. Travel to the first site was by helicopter. Hondurian Soldiers would come along both for security and training in how to protect the forest and archaeological sites. Also the expedition had their own security forces to set up secure camp and make sure they did their operations securely. Fer-de-lance-a deadly, strong snake.

Don't pick the flowers
There were two landing zones which would accommodate the helicopters. After scouting them out, personnel was brought in a couple at a time. Camp is set up. The thought is that the security may have oversold the dangers of the area. Then darkness fell and the insects came out followed by various animals who do not know about the presence of humans. Then Preston goes back to his camp. Upon returning, he finds a fer-de-lance ready to strike him once his light fails. Woody takes care of the snake.

Preston talks to the co-pilot whose grandmother would tell him stories about Ciudad Blanca. One of the stories is about the Spanish conquistadors. The reason why they did not inhabit Ciudad Blanca? They picked the flowers.

Preston goes out to take care of some personal business, gets lost, but finds his way back. He comes across a fer-de-lance-about 6’ long, female. Woody kills it. Woody wants to keep the snake as an object lesson for others about what they are getting into. Preston’s comment is that In a strange way the encounter sharpened the experience of being here. The valley they were in seemed like it wanted to keep them out. When I have been confronted by a rattlesnake, there has been a similar experience of feeling much more alive than before.

Human hands
The first foray into the ruins. Without skilled eyes, it was hard to recognize the components of the city.

"I'm going down"
At the start of exploring, one of the members meets up with quickmud (like quicksand). The members of the party start examining the area. As the troop goes back after a successful day of finding important artifacts and locations, there is a sighting of a were-jaguar, the prize above all which they had discovered so far.

I would have thought that someone as experienced as Preston would not have any issues with a hammock. Contrary, sleeping on the ground with something as vicious as a fer-de-lance would have given me concern.

Woody noted concerning the rain: Best to get it over with all at once…. Once you’re thoroughly wet, you’ll be more comfortable. Probably true in the tropics, but I am not sure about in the Sierra. Even though there is a sense that unless the rain is short, you will be soaked anyway, either from the rain or your own sweat.

Preston takes in a breath and feels like he has somehow passed into a realm beyond time and space.

Many times on a trail you need to go back the same way as you came. There is a tendency to zone out. But you get to see the same things from a different view. Most of the time, this is spectacular. Sometimes you find the unexpected. This is what happens on a return trip-Lucian Reed is at the end of the line and exclaims that there is something weird here. And that is when they discovered the were-jaguar.

The minister of archaeology was impressed that Elkins seemed like a capable person. This is probably just as important as the probability of something bearing out.

A bewitchment place
The third and fourth days in the jungle. More exploration. Value of GPS and lidar in this expedition. The question arose, with all the encroachment from outside sources-deforestation and narcotrafficers, what should be done with the artifacts?

What are the value of artifacts? One of the archaeologists argued it was in their context not in the actual piece.

It was felt that this was a Hondurian question, not one for the Americans to answer.. The chief of archaeology said that the narcotrafficers and the forest would keep out the world for a time until they could figure out what to do. The security people felt that it was not outside looters would be the problem, but the soldiers they had brought along.


Quagmire
Rain causes bountiful mud which makes things miserable. Sme of the party get to go and look at another potential site and come away in awe. An ethnobotanist comes into camp and says that there is no sign of human habitation in the area. A trip is taken down stream to try to find some petroglyphs the soldiers had seen. No success. On return, the weather forecast was one of bad weather. Preston was going out that day, on the next helicopter ride.


Controversy
Preston’s time back at where the expedition was headquartered. The President of Honduras wanted to get the news out so Preston wrote a quick article for the National Geographic. Various other archaeologists started criticizing the expedition.

What would be considered a success? Elkins thought as long as they could preserve the place, that would be a success. Conservation International steps in with an assessment and money to help accomplish this goal. The Hondurian President is on board.

The argument against the expedition was how it was reported. Words like “discovered”, “lost civilization”, and the like, along with if artifacts are taken, then there is potential for desecration, robbery, and demeaning. But how do you go out and find, and show what is out there without the negative?


The Cave of the Glowing Skulls
Who built these cities? Preston goes back to some a discovery in the caves close to Catacamas. A cavern of crystalized skulls and bones had been found. This was a different culture than the Mayan; these bones went back 3,000 years. He also follows the history of the Holy Lord Quetzel Macaw, the first in the area. Most of the history of the area is unknown which the research being conducted is helping to fill in the missing pieces. Most of the buildings were made out of hardwoods which rotted away.

Interesting account of finding the grave of Quetzel Macaw.

A couple observations Preston makes:
  • The ruling class grew as more and more of the upper class lived and gave birth to others. Eventually this structure becomes non-supportable. According to Preston, archaeologists calls this condition increasing parasitic role of the elite.
  • But it can continue as long as the working class believes this is what is holding up society. But when the underpinnings fail, such as crop failures, erosion, … then the structure will collapse.

The symbol of death
One of the problems with archaeology in the area is that most caches had been disturbed before it was able to be properly studied. So the found caches in these ruins needed to be done properly. Several explanations were put forth on what was found.


They came to wither the flowers
The arc of the disappearance of Ciudad Blanca according to Preston. He makes a description of smallpox and its effects on a person and the populace.

Preston notes that often legends are based upon truth. It is up to us to decipher truth from enhancement. His take has to do with Columbus.

Preston goes through Columbus’ second voyage where he becomes sick, along with half the crew. When they come ashore, they infect the Indian population who die off in rapid numbers. There were other reasons for death- forced labor, starvation, … He goes through other invasions and talks about the effects of smallpox and measles.

This eventually affected those in the interior of Honduras between 1520 and 1550 through trade and the slave trade. Before the Spanish, the area was a thriving economic and cultural area.


White leprosy
Several expedition members, including Preston, developed signs of leishmaniasis. Hard to get State side medical to understand what it is until got into contact with a specialist with the VA in New Mexico. He and others referred them to the NIH. There is a history of the disease and how it was discovered.

Even after returning to their everyday lives, there was a sense of power of the experience. In religious circles this is called a mountain top experience-such as when Jesus’ three disciples went up to the top of a mountain with Him and experienced the Transfiguration. Or when I go up to the mountains and draw the closeness I feel there with God.

Many of the expedition members caught leishmaniasis (leish) which is caused by parasites. They had to do special treatment in Washington DC.

An archaeologist, James Kus, thinks that since leish is transmitted via a sand fly, that some of the ancient sites may have been chosen because of the lack of sand fly. Such as Machu Picchu was too high for the sand flies, but low enough that coa could be grown. Kus is a retired professor at Fresno State. The Spanish called liesh lepra blanca, the white leprosy.

Many members of the expedition acquired leish. This lead some to be reminded of the curse of the monkey god.


The National Institutes of Health
Preston now goes through the treatment for Leishmaniasis at NIH.

A description of what happens when a sand fly bites a person. The bite releases bacteria and viruses through a flagella. White blood cells rush to fight the leishmania. That in turn hijacks the leishmania and starts to multiply. This cycle repeats and repeats and repeats.
An isolated species
More treatment for leishmaniasis. Some of the expedition members still had effects of the disease even after treatment or the effects of the treatment. Preston goes to a leishmaniasis research lab for more info on how it is being combated.

About the time that I read this book, my kids had discovered limoncello. And there it was, the description of the drugs being dripped into Preston was described as being limoncello in color.

Sometimes when we are prepped for the worst effects, we are disappointed when they do not appear. One would think we are relieved. This happened with Preston where the side effects of the drugs used to treat leishmania can be very painful. WIth Preston, very little of that until the sixth day of treatment. But isn’t that like us? Not so much grateful, but disappointed. When we are spared something, we do not appreciate it.

Why do some people get sick and others do not? Medical mystery.


La Ciudad del Jaguar
The need to do an orderly excavation of some of the more exposed artifacts became apparent. The academic controversy continues. In January 2016 a team, including Preston goes back in. The rights of Indians in Honduras is not a simple matter. The President of Honduras visits the site and assists in removing the first two artifacts to be taken back to a base laboratory.

Preston feels the sense of mystery atop of a high ruin. He wonders what did they do here? But in many ways he hopes that they never excavate to find out. Better to leave things a mystery. Is that why we Christians have a God who reveals, but for all of His revelation, he is surrounded by clouds. So that we are always in awe of what we do not know?


There is something irresistible about an evening in camp, when the temperature cools and the soft night air is filled with the sounds of wildlife, while everyone kicks back from the work of the day. So true. Even though in the Sierra, the evening brings more of a harsh cold than a soft cool, there is a feeling of this is why we are out here.

After being away a year, Preston comes back. The camp instead of being amongst the forest and definitely in the wild, But when he comes back, there is a large gash in the forest. Instead of individual tents and hammocks, there were large tents. When he tried to go a bit away from the camp, soldiers informed him that snakes were out there.

People need history in order to know themselves, to build a sense of identity and pride, continuity community, and hope for the future. To Honduras, the site will eventually provide a foundation for their history, further back than the Spanish conquest.

We are orphans.
Preston hypotheses that the reason why Old World diseases swept through the New World is the kinds of animals domesticated as well as the proximity of the animals in the Old World. Though centuries of being exposed, and dying, Europeans developed some defenses to these diseases.

Preston notes that we are still at the mercy of pathogens, despite all the technology we have.
90% of natives died from the European invasion in that area. Why did the Aisian community not succumb like the New World?

His thinking is that if the Spanish had not come, some other circumstances would have brought the Old and New Worlds together.

Leish is now spreading and has gained a foothold in the United States-Texas and Oklahoma. Preston’s conclusion is climate change is the reason.

It is noted that diseases from the far parts of the globe are within 24 hours of any city in the world. Most epidemiologist think that a worldwide pandemic will occur. The estimate is that 360 million people would die, world wide with a three trillion dollar economic loss.

Civilizations end. Some can see the end coming with a slow decline. Other civilizations end without warning. What will ours be like? How long will we last?


Evaluation:
In some ways Douglas Preston asks his own question, is this an adventure story or one about archaeology; one of discoveries or adding to human knowledge?

This is a true story of an expedition into the interior of Honduras to find the lost city of Ciudad Blanca. As such it is a pretty decent adventure story. It has the suspense of what will be discovered, if anything? What will be important? How will the findings be preserved? He also goes into the background of what was in the area.

A major part of the book is connected with diseases of the area-both those brought in and those endemic. Those brought in are discussed about the conquest of Central America and the Old World diseases which assisted in the conquest. But there was a disease, liesch, which afflicted half of the expedition after they returned. This disease is talked about as well, and how as the climate changes we will be faced more and more with them.

It is worth the read, if for no other reason than background to Honduras-not a complete background, but an understanding of some of the issues. But even more so for the thrill of discovery.

 
Notes from my book group:

What other adventure/expedition books have your read? How does The Lost City of the Monkey God  compare with these?

Preston talks about how La Mosquita has not been scientifically investigated. What does scientifically investigated mean? Has everyplace in the United States been scientifically investigate? How about Fresno?


There was dissension in the academic world about this expedition. Describe the issues. Did you think these issues were valid? Why? How do you think these issues should have been handled? Was there personal animosity or jealousy involved?


Dr Rosemary Joyce of UC Berkeley makes differentiation between discovery and knowledge as well as adventure and archaeology. What is she trying to say in these distinctions? Are they something which only an academic would be interested in, or is there real-world understandings which we need to consider? Was Indiana Jones an archaeologist or an adventurer?


What issues is recounted about taking artifacts from the ruins? Should they have been left undisturbed? A few taken out? Removed in mass? Why or why not?


The argument against the expedition was how it was reported. Words like “discovered”, “lost civilization”, and the like, along with if artifacts are taken, then there is potential for desecration, robbery, and demeaning. But how do you go out and find, and show what is out there without the negative?


How did this expedition know that they had found the site of a great city? Was it a great civilization? What marks does a civilization leave behind? If this was a great civilization, where are the roads? Why did this civilization disappear so quickly? Will our civilization last forever? How do you think it will end?


Preston talked about the parasitic elite. Describe what he is talking about and what effects are. Do you think this is a concern or is it just a socialist view? Is there that situation today?


The President said There are no coincidences. I think that God has extraordinary plans for our country, and Ciudad Blanca could be one of them. How does God involve himself in the needs of a nation?

The President of Honduras  had been in office a short time when he made these statements. Recently there was a segment on the NPR program Here and Now which talked about President Hernandez.  In it, the reporting talks about how there are two ways to make money in that country: either embezzle from the government or through the drug cartels. The report seems to say that Hernandez and his family have done it both ways. Has the finding of the Lost City accomplished the optimism of what the book has laid out?


Preston brings up how when a group of people have not been exposed to a type of disease they are very susceptible to the disease. He brings up the devastation of small pox and measles on the New World natives.One of the things Preston talks about is that this disease invasion was inevitable. Between the native traders going further and further, other powers exploring, and the Asian countries eventually branching out, contact would have happened. Do you think this would have happened? Is this a justification about exploring? Or a necessary risk? What would have happened, if we did not have explorers?


Preston says that People need history in order to know themselves, to build a sense of identity and pride, continuity community, and hope for the future. Why is that so? What happens when we lose our history?

Question from Francis: What is the difference between culture and civilization? 

This is a question  is a variant of which  Becky asked: Preston talks about pre-history. When does a people not have a history? What is meant by the term pre-history? Is this a form of one culture feeling superior to another?


Many of these questions are either from or adapted from LitLovers.
  • Why the title of The Lost City of the Monkey God? What you have called the book by this title? There was concerns about it being derogatory towards those in the area because of the title including Monkey God?. What do you think?
  • Does this story work as an adventure and archaeology expedition?
  • Did the ending seem fitting? Satisfying?
  • Which character did you want to know more about?
    • Which character did you identify with?
    • Which one did you dislike?
  • Every story has a world view. Were you able to identify this story’s world view? What was it? How did it affect the story?
  • In what context was religion talked about in this book?
  • Was there anybody you would consider religious?
    • How did they show it?
  • Why do you think the author wrote this book?
  • What would you ask the author if you had a chance?
  • What “take aways” did you have from this book?
  • What ideas does the author present?
    • Are they personal, sociological, global, political, economic, spiritual, medical, or scientific
    • What evidence does the author use to support the book's ideas?
    • Are these idea’s controversial?
      • To whom and why?
  • Describe the culture talked about in the book.
    • How is the culture described in this book different than where we live?
    • What economic or political situations are described?
    • Does the author examine economics and politics, family traditions, the arts, religious beliefs, language or food?
  • How did this book affect your view of the world?
    • Of how God is viewed?
    • What questions did you ask yourself after reading this book?
  • Talk about specific passages that struck you as significant—or interesting, profound, amusing, illuminating, disturbing, sad...?
    • What was memorable?


1. The legend of the Ciudad Blanca has been around for more than five centuries, and in that time, generations of adventurers have risked their lives in search of it. What do you think the appeal is of this kind of quest? What is it about the idea of discovering a lost city that maintains such a perennial grip on the human imagination?

2. Preston offers a colorful history of the men who had tried to find the Ciudad Blanca over the centuries—many of whom came back with vivid accounts of their discoveries. Do you believe that any of them came across the same city that Preston and Elkins and the expedition found in T1, and if so, who?

3. In 1940, The New York Times ran a front-page article announcing that "City of Monkey God Is Believed Located" by swashbuckling explorer Theodore Morde. However, Preston’s research reveals a shocking new twist to this seventy-five-year-old story. How does this new information change our understanding of the history of the legend of the lost city? Why do you think Morde’s original account remained unchallenged so long?

4. Do you think the team underestimated the challenges that they would face, by themselves in the jungle? Why or why not? If offered the opportunity to go on a similar adventure, would you want go yourself?

5. After Elkins, Preston, and the team emerge from the jungle and announce their findings, a conflict breaks out in the archeological community. What is the source of the disagreement, and do you think either side is correct?

6. What can the discovery of the city at T1 teach modern-day archeologists about the past? What are the biggest surprises that surround this discovery? Does it change the way we understand any of the history of the New World?

7. Do you believe in the curse of the Lost City of the Monkey God? Why or why not?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)


New Words:
  • Cavil (The gates of hell): make petty or unnecessary objections.
  • Metates (The symbol of death): a flat or slightly hollowed oblong stone on which materials such as grain and cocoa are ground using a smaller stone. In this case, it seems to be of a non-food grinding use
  • Flagella (The National Institutes of Health): a slender threadlike structure, especially a microscopic appendage that enables many protozoa, bacteria, spermatozoa, etc. to swim
Book References:
  • Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan by John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood
  • The Book of Mormon
  • Land of Wonder and Fear by Frederick Mitchel-Hedges (fraudulent account)
  • Jungleland: A Mysterious Lost City, a WWII Spy, and a True Story of Deadly Adventure by Christopher S. Stewart
  • Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
  • Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice by Mark Plotkin
  • Collapse by James Diamond
  • The Cost of Conquest: Indian Decline in Honduras Under Spanish Rule by Linda Newson
  • Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
  • Hot Zone by Richard Preston - Douglas Preston’s brother

Good Quotes:
    • First Line: Deep in Honduras, in a region called La Mosquitia, lie some of the last unexplored places on earth.
    • Last Line: None, including ours, is exempt from the universal fate.
    • Conservation is a spiritual practice. Mark Plotkin in Chp Quagmire
    • There is something irresistible about an evening in camp, when the temperature cools and the soft night air is filled with the sounds of wildlife, while everyone kicks back from the work of the day. Chp La Ciudad del Jaguar
    • People need history in order to know themselves, to build a sense of identity and pride, continuity community, and hope for the future. Chp La Ciudad del Jaguar
      Table of Contents:

      • The gates of hell
      • Somewhere in the Americas
      • The devil had killed him
      • A land of cruel jungles
      • One of the few remaining mysteries
      • The heart of darkness
      • The fish that swallowed the whale
      • Lasers in the jungle
      • Something nobody had done
      • The most dangerous place on the planet
      • Uncharted territory (There is a big city here)
      • No coincidences
      • Fer-de-lance
      • Don't pick the flowers
      • Human hands
      • "I'm going down"
      • A bewitchment place
      • Quagmire
      • Controversy
      • The Cave of the Glowing Skulls
      • The symbol of death
      • They came to wither the flowers
      • White leprosy
      • The National Institutes of Health
      • An isolated species
      • La Ciudad del Jaguar
      • We are orphans.


      References:
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