Crossing the Heart of Africa: An Odyssey of Love and Adventure
Banff Mountain Book Awards WINNER
The spellbinding true story of retracing the extraordinary trek of Ewart "the Leopard" Grogan--the legendary British explorer who, in order to win the woman he loved, attempted to become the first person to cross Africa
In 1898 the dashing British adventurer Ewart Grogan fell head-over-heels in love--but before he could marry, he needed the approval of his beloved's skeptical, aristocratic stepfather. Grogan, seeking to prove his worth and earn his love's hand, then set out on an epic quest to become the first man to cross the entire length of Africa, from Cape Town to Cairo, "a feat hitherto thought by many explorers to be impossible" (New York Times).
A little more than a century later, American journalist Julian Smith also found himself madly in love with his girlfriend of seven years... but he was terrified by the prospect of marraige. Inspired by Grogan's story, which he discovered by chance, Smith decided to face his fears of commitment by retracing the explorer's amazing--but now forgotten--4,500-mile journey for love and glory through Africa. Crossing the Heart of Africa is the unforgettable account of these twin adventures, as Smith beautifully ineterweaves his own contemporary journey with Grogan's larger-than-life tale of cannibal attacks, charging elephants, deadly jungles, and romantic triumph.
SOCIETY OF AMERICAN TRAVEL WRITERS WESTERN WRITING AWARDS WINNER: GOLD PRIZE (TRAVEL)
BANFF MOUNTAIN BOOK COMPETITION WINNER: SPECIAL JURY MENTION
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF JOURNALISTS AND AUTHORS AWARDS BEST-BOOK WINNER: MEMOIR
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Julian Smith is an award-winning travel writer whose work has appeared in Outside, National Geographic Adventure, National Geographic Traveler, Smithsonian, Wired, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, among other publications. He is the author of guidebooks to El Salvador, Ecuador, Virginia, and the southwestern United States, and he has been honored by the Society of American Travel Writers for writing the best guidebook of the year. He lives with his wife and daughter in Portland, Oregon.
SOCIETY OF AMERICAN TRAVEL WRITERS WESTERN WRITING AWARDS WINNER: GOLD PRIZE (TRAVEL)--No Source
BANFF MOUNTAIN BOOK COMPETITION WINNER: SPECIAL JURY MENTION--No Source
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF JOURNALISTS AND AUTHORS AWARDS BEST-BOOK WINNER: MEMOIR--No Source
"Julian Smith, a talented travel writer, evokes Grogan, his adventures and his world with both insight and panache."--Washington Post
"An extraordinary love story . . . [an] absolutely fascinating adventure"--GoNomad.com
