Now the funny thing is, is that Roy Bittan (E Street pianist) is the session musician for Dire Straits on that album Making Movies! Christopher Stewart follows in the footsteps of Theodore Morde who explored Honduras during the late 1930s looking for the fabled "White City". Some intrepid souls got lost within its dense canopy; some disappeared. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published The city which resides in one of the most heavily wooded rain forests surrounded by indigenous tribes, drug runners and bandits. Lots of them. Chapters alternate between telling Morde's story and Stewart's. Jungleland I believe was recorded in 1975, the main piano riff is the same riff as Mark Knoplfer plays on the guitar on Dire Straits Romeo & Juilet (recorded 1980). I just want to say "suck it up, you asked for it. Morde's expedition was launched near the beginning of World War II, and both groups of explorers would emerge from the jungle occasionally, craving updates on the evolving conflicts. Although its premise resembles that of David Grann's bestselling "The Lost City of Z" (about attempts to substantiate similar rumors of a lost city in Brazil), "Jungleland" is less about archaeology or history than it is about the exploring urge itself: both the hope that the world still contains remote and fabulous mysteries and the paradoxical desire to unearth them under challenging conditions. This is not my usual genre, but I picked it up after seeing a GoodReads friend had read it and I was looking for something new. Too often in our modern travels we plan away the chance to discover unknowns. Stewart I found hard to like from the get-go. Morde made his discovery only to die a semi-mysterious death never having given the exact location of his lost city. Stewart recalls daydreaming of Mosquitia in the Brooklyn Ikea while his wife and 3-year-old daughter shopped for a sofa, imagining himself "living off the forest, eating what I caught, drinking river water," in a quest for the White City -- a quest that he also envisioned as an effort to better know himself. Was it going to be another Lost in Shangri-La? In this book, buddy tries to retrace Morde's footsteps through Honduras along with an archaeology professor who's an expert in the region and a pair of local guides. As they say about the jungle thereabouts: It may be easy to get into it, but it's awfully hard to get out. Tentatively I began reading. Copyright © 2021 Salon.com, LLC. SALON ® is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC. Stewart does a great job bringing the reader into the sweltering and oppressive jungle of Honduras through his own personal journey retracing the footsteps of explorer Theodore Morde. He spends a lot of time worrying about being killed by snakes or jaguars or bandits whereas I was impressed none of his traveling companions strangled him after the third straight day of bitching about his blisters non-stop. The story of following a path from a previous explorer and speculating on what he was feeling at the time was uninteresting and for those interested in history this is a book to pass on. The book is about a search for a lost ancient city in the Honduran jungle, split between Theodore Morde's attempt in the 1940s and the author's modern day attempt. Jungleland: A Mysterious Lost City and a True Story of Deadly Adventure Paperback – Jan. 7 2014 by Christopher S Stewart (Author) The subtitle suggests espionage, death and adventure and it's just not in here. For me the book fell short of expectations and the subtitle is misleading. Jungleland is a fast-paced adventure into the deep jungle of Honduras. Through the perils of the Honduras jungle both men went in search of lost cities. Same alternating between the present quest and the early 20th Century quest of another explorer, this time an explorer turned OSS agent during WW II. I think what I liked most about his book was that it made me reflect on how different our lifestyles are across the globe. I was not convinced by this book, I felt like I read a travel journey rather that a book detailing an important archaeological discovery. Why not? Morde's story comes from extensive diaries he kept during his expedition and life. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. How about 3.5 stars? Perhaps due to his extensive research the authors' account of that expedition reads like he was there. At least in theory. [1] It also features short-time E Streeter Suki Lahav , who performs the delicate 23-note violin introduction to the song, accompanied by Roy Bittan on piano in the opening. ------------------------------------------. So, an interesting story but mostly for the historical aspect of Theodore Morde's story, in my opinion. I love a good adventure book & this one delivers. Leaving his family and the comfort of his Brooklyn home, the jungle proves a fierce deterrent, and Stewart’s misery is mildly off-putting as he laments the moisture, the food, the lack of accommodations, his fear of snakes, etc. The book recounts a journalist’s quest to retrace the path of a mysterious explorer and finally reveal the truth of the lost city of ‘Ciudad Blanca.’ The clarity and pacing of the book will move you along quickly. Pretty soon it had become a page turner. All rights reserved. I liked the short chapters and all the interesting characters Stewart meets along the way. I didn’t mind it, but honestly, The Lost City of the Monkey God is definitely a better read. An entertaining story, well-written and an enjoyable read. Daily Beast. Jungleland. Yet before he revealed its location, Morde died under strange circumstances, giving credence to those who believe that the spirits of the Ciudad Blanca killed him. However, there was certainly a larger helping of adventure in that latter trip, which made it just as entertaining in many ways. He was even involved with von Papen, the Nazi ambassador to Turkey, in a plot to kill Hitler which FDR personally nixed. If the jungle was denser and the technology less potent in Morde's day (Stewart brought along a GPS device and satellite phone, as well as Clif Bars and Valium), the modern-day explorers also had to dodge drug runners and other criminals in a nation with the highest murder rate and one of the highest levels of corruption in the world. I enjoyed the book but had a sense that something was missing. Morde's story comes from extensive diaries he kept during his expedition and life. I enjoyed this so much, since I am somewhat familiar with the territory, though not La Mosquitia! Refresh and try again. He spends a lot of time worrying about being killed by snakes or jaguars or bandits whereas I was impressed none of his traveling companions strangled him after the third straight day of bitching about his blisters non-stop. Even the local tribesmen get in on the act, issuing forth vague warnings about "forbidden" zones, the voices of the dead, evil spirits and monkey gods. Immediately as the first two episodes of Freeform's newest series premiered on April 20, fans everywhere had one question: Is Cruel Summer based on a true story? Where 16 houses once stood there is now only jungle, another of the lost dreams whose traces Stewart found everywhere he looked during his journey. I'm guessing Stewart had to exaggerate a bit and build up near interesting events to make this book happen. I wasn't satisfied with the ending (I won't give it away) , and even acknowledging that this is a nonfiction book the ending felt like a cliffhanger and a big letdown. Includes maps to highlight the treks of both Morde and Stewart for comparison. Aaron Sorkin's new movie depicts the 1969 Chicago Seven trial, in which eight anti-Vietnam war activists were charged with conspiring to incite a riot at the Democratic National Convention. They questioned reticent indigenous peoples and heard weird stories about ferocious jaguar sentinels and siren-like witches who lured men to their death in the guise of beautiful women. A story of young fatherhood as well as the timeless call of adventure, this is an epic search for answers in a place where nothing is guaranteed, least of all survival. It's about trying to find a lost white city in Honduras, following the trail an explorer left 70 years earlier.I have read Lost city of Z, The Unconquered & Search for Shangri-la plus many others who follow the paths of explorers so wasn't sure if this book would be any different. Compulsion to travel plus obsession with being the first to see a magic white city drives both men to take risks, find experts and journey through jungles. Deep inside “the little Amazon,” the jungles of Honduras’s Mosquito Coast—one of the largest, wildest, and most impenetrable stretches of tropical land in the world—lies the fabled city of Ciudad Blanca: the White City. The book is about a search for a lost ancient city in the Honduran jungle, split between Theodore Morde's attempt in the 1940s and the author's modern day attempt. For fans of The Lost City of Z, The River of Doubt , and Lost in Shangri-La —a real-life Indiana Jones story, set in the mysterious jungles of Honduras. But that is not enough to salvage this book for me . Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam stars in Max Winkler's Jungleland, which debuts on … Jungleland, however, is something more than it appears at first glance. The author seems poorly prepared, both physically and mentally for spending a month in the jungle and all of the work of searching for lost ruins is done. “The true story [of] Jungleland resembles nothing so much as the set-up for one of H. Rider Haggard’s old pulp adventure novels.…Stewart is a crisp, lean, colorful stylist, with that essential knack: a nose for punchy, telling anecdotes and images…great fun to read.” (Laura Miller, Salon) The author seems poorly prepared, both physically and mentally for spending a month in the jungle and all of the work of searching for lost ruins is done by the U.S. professor that accompanies him and local guides. I did like the book but wished for more. When I first picked Jungleland up I was a wee bit wary. Journalist Christopher Stewart first heard of the lost White City on the Mosquito Coast in the Honduras while reporting on the country's drug trade. by Christopher S. Stewart. For centuries, it has lured explorers, including Spanish conquistador Herman Cortes. The premise is so fantastic that if Jungleland were a novel, you could be forgiven for worrying that it might be a bit pulpy or clichéd…The fact that this is all true turns the story from one of intrigue and odyssey into one of anthropological significance as well. A modern day reenactment of an old explorer's search for a lost city in the same vein as David Grann's The Lost City of Z but not of the same calibre as that book. Sadly, I can’t the same for “True History of the Kelly Gang,” and it’s not only because Hunnam has a very small part.This is mostly George MacKay’s movie, who plays the adult version of the legendary Ned Kelly, one of the most infamous Australian outlaws of all time. Quite the adventure. They meet a villager who wants to know where he comes from and, upon hearing the answer, asks if it's possible to walk to Italy from New York. Here is a married man, father of a three-year old child who picks up and takes off for the jungle, a potentially life threatening action, for purely selfish reasons, trying to "find himself", etc. Jungleland: A Mysterious Lost City and a True Story of Deadly Adventure by Christopher S. Stewart. Associated Press articles: Copyright © 2016 The Associated Press. In practice the book is much more about the author and how he's trying to have one more shot at adventure before he's tied down at home with a wife and daughter. Would have liked more of the actual ruins though. Two brothers try to escape their circumstances by travelling across the country for a no holds barred boxing match that becomes a fight for their lives. I was not convinced by this book, I felt like I read a travel journey rather that a book detailing an important archaeological discovery. But enough about the negatives , what I like about this book was the setting , I mean who wouldn't want to follow in the footsteps of a famous archaeologist among the jungle while at the same time going in an adventure. "Jungleland" is the closing song on Bruce Springsteen's 1975 album Born to Run. It piqued his interest and he continued to investigate for his own curiosity. Jungleland: A Mysterious Lost City and a True Story of Deadly Adventure. An American ex-soldier who had been involved in training the Nicaraguan contras told him about the legend while describing Mosquitia as the "shittiest, buggiest shithole jungle in the world." Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. The chapters describing the historical Morde expedition were also interesting. To cite this article: Mark Bonta (2017) The Lost City of the Monkey God, A True Story; Jungleland, The AAG Review of Books, 5:4, 276-280, DOI: 10.1080/2325548X.2017.1366845 I love traveling to exotic locations through the pages of a book (and wouldn’t mind going to a few of them in real life!!). The story paralleled two journeys in search of "the White City," one around 1938 and another around 2012. From the notes for Theodore Morde and interviews with his family the author decides to take a trip to find this. Christopher Stewart alternates between his present-day jungle adventure and that of Theodore Morde’s during the 1930s. Like the invisible, the aimless, the unmoored, they are the walking wounded. Probably had the book deal already lined up. I wanted to strangle him and I wa. The bits about Morde were interesting, the author's midlife crisis in the jungle not so much. This is a quick read and it's written in a can't put it down manner. I found it a bit hard to keep the characters in each party separated and I was not entirely pleased with the ending, but it was a crackerjack adventure story and I highly recommend it. Once I started reading it, I didn't want to put it down because I wanted to get to the part where they found the lost city (which ended up being a bit disappointing). With Charlie Hunnam, Jack O'Connell, Naheem Garcia, Fran Kranz. The most recent and apparently reliable eyewitness account dated back to 1940, when Theodore Morde, a 29-year-old adventurer from Massachusetts, claimed to have stumbled on the city while wandering in the heart of the jungle. Then, in 1939, an American explorer and spy named Theodore Morde claimed that he had located this El Dorado-like city. The author seems like the last type of guy to undertake this journey and it's en. And then curiosity turned into obsession when he stumbled across the journals of Theodore Morde. Jungleland: A Mysterious Lost City, a WWII Spy, and a True Story of Deadly Adventure Hardcover – January 8, 2013 by Christopher S Stewart (Author) The answer, like much about Mosquitia, is more complicated than you might think, and with it "Jungleland" takes a surprising turn toward real depth. Fortunately, they're kept to a minimum. They were bushwacking and hiring sketchy boats for a month. Stewart is in search of the White City deep in the Honduran jungle. I'm guessing Stewart had to exaggerate a bit and build up near interesting events to make this book happen. In practice the book is much more about the author and how he's trying to have one more shot at adventure before he's tied down at home with a wife and daughter. This story is part adventure story and part WW2 spy story. Expecting to see something related to Latin American history of the mysterious lost city there was little details other than descriptions of rain forest and no real anthropological analysis being done. Stewart obtained Morde's expedition journal, and while his own travels in Mosquitia weren't exactly "in the footsteps of" the other man, he makes the most of the many parallels between the two journeys, skillfully jumping back and forth. mostly against his wife's wishes though she doesn't make much fuss according to the author. I just found him an unlikeable, immature person and though he laments what he's done and "grows" through the experience, I found myself thinking about his poor wife and daughter left worrying about him back home while he basically traipsed around on this fool's errand. Both teams endured fevers, punishing downpours and bone-rattling rapids. Charles Lindbergh claimed to have spotted the white ruins of "an amazing ancient metropolis" while flying over Central America, and many other visitors to the region have found artifacts that seem to be the remnants of a sophisticated culture. Chapters alternate between telling Morde's story and Stewart's. He forgets to bring leg protection against snakes and how he's really taking a chance without them, no snake bites. His white city ends up being in everyone's own personal imagination. He pays some "pirates" for a ride up the river and talks about how sketchy and dangerous it is, nothing happens. I liked how Stewart alternated chapters between his own journey and that of his predecessor, Mor. Would have liked more of the actual ruins though. Stewart alternates between Morde’s narrative and his own. by Harper. He brought back spectacular stories of amazing ruins and monkey gods, but not too many details on where it actually was. I got bored. During Morde’s own venture into the depths of this perilous land in the late 30’s, he claims to have found the legendary White City, and 70 years later, Stewart is determined to uncover what Morde found. But enough about the negatives , what I like about thi. Jungleland Trailer: Charlie Hunnam & Jack O'Connell Enter the World of Bare-Knuckle Boxing. But Morde died before he revealed the location or was able to return to Honduras. He brings up Jaguars, he ends up seeing some paw prints. Jungleland: A Mysterious Lost City and a True Story of Deadly Adventure (P.S.) Stewart, a writer and editor at the Wall Street Journal, has packed a remarkable amount of good content into a tight package, and combined introspection and history to ask questions about how we see ourselves, others, and the unknown. During Morde’s own venture into the depths of this perilous land in the late 30’s, he claims to have found the legendary White City, and 70 years later, Stewart is determined to uncover what Morde found. Laura Miller is the author of "The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures in Narnia.". It seemed he skimmed the surface in some way that I can't put my finger on. This story of a man's quest to find the "lost city" of Ciudad Blanca in the Honduran jungle has been compared (at least by the publisher) to Lost in Shangri-La, the story of a plane crash in Dutch New Guinea at the end of WWII. Morde made his discovery only to die a semi-mysterious death never having given the exact location of his lost city. I read enough reviews to know that this book does not live up to the exciting title, but I really love these tales of Amazon exploration: the dangerous natives, the many deadly creatures, the rain, the mud. Download Jungleland: A Mysterious Lost City and a True Story of Deadly Adventure (P.S.) But he also, almost 70 years later retraced the same route that Morde took to find the Lost White City. Paperback – Illustrated, January 7, 2014 by Christopher S Stewart (Author) (Then he tells the group that he loves Rambo, a movie he hadn't realized was American.) On Sale: 07/01/2014 Having read the Lost City Of the Monkey Gods earlier this year, I was struck how ill-prepared the author's party seemed to be. Yes, "Jungleland" does belong to that genre of memoir in which a reluctant young man kicking against the traces of what he imagines to be adulthood finally reconciles himself to a new stage of life as husband and father. Buy Jungleland: A True Story of Adventure, Obsession, and the Deadly Search for the Lost White City by Christopher S. Stewart (ISBN: 9780061802546) from Amazon's Book Store. To say `` suck it up, you asked for it Mode 's expedition in. Bit wary mind it, but honestly, the aimless, the aimless, aimless... Any unusual or unique dangers nor enthralling experiences i got the feeling that Stewart expected an epic trip with! Able to return to write a book that grabbed your attention from the notes for Theodore Morde and for! Route Theodore Mode 's expedition took in 1940 after four months spent hunting the. 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