Description
Published to rave reviews in the United Kingdom and named a Richard & Judy Book Club selectionÑthe only work of nonfiction on the 2008 listÑBlood River is the harrowing and audacious story of Tim ButcherÕs journey in the Congo and his retracing of legendary explorer H. M. StanleyÕs famous 1874 expedition in which he mapped the Congo River. When Daily Telegraph correspondent Tim Butcher was sent to Africa in 2000 he quickly became obsessed with the legendary Congo River and the idea of recreating StanleyÕs journey along the three-thousand-mile waterway. Despite warnings that his plan was suicidal, Butcher set out for the CongoÕs eastern border with just a backpack and a few thousand dollars hidden in his boots. Making his way in an assortment of vehicles, including a motorbike and a dugout canoe, helped along by a cast of characters from UN aid workers to a pygmy rights advocate, he followed in the footsteps of the great Victorian adventurer. An utterly absorbing narrative that chronicles ButcherÕs forty-four-day journey along the Congo River, Blood River is an unforgettable story of exploration and survival.
