#1832 - Charlie Walker

Through Sand & Snow is a searingly honest and eloquently penned coming of age tale that sweeps the reader along on a wild ride across some of the world's most beautiful and least understood lands. Charlie Walker's journey, which began at the age of twenty-two, was an escape from an unremarkable existence, a pursuit of hardship, and a chance to shed the complacency of middle England. The book masterfully intertwines his grueling physical endeavor with profound inner discovery.

Charlie Walker's book chronicles his two-and-a-half-year journey spanning Central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. It vividly portrays the lands and lives encountered, providing a deep understanding of often-overlooked places during periods of great change. The journey includes perilous adventures such as hiking through sandstorms and paddling down rapids in a dugout canoe.

The book recounts the story of Percy Fawcett, a British explorer who vanished in the Amazon jungle in 1925 while searching for a fabled city he called 'Z'. David Grann delves into Fawcett's expeditions, using previously unseen diaries and correspondence to reconstruct the events leading up to Fawcett's disappearance. The narrative is a mix of biography, detective story, and adventure tale, highlighting the dangers and mysteries of the Amazon jungle and the obsessive nature of Fawcett's quest. Grann's own journey into the jungle to uncover the truth adds an additional layer of suspense and personal risk to the story.