Dancing With Death Book Review
Offering a highly emotional and aptly titled narrative, Dancing with Death both guides and inspires armchair adventurers as well as intrepid travelers to the jungles, seas, people and cultures of the world’s less-traveled “roads” amid the beautiful vistas of Latin America. . Co-authored by adventurers Jean-Philippe Soulet and Luc Schulenberger, this dynamic read not only captures their experiences on their expansive sea kayaking journey, but also serves to raise awareness of the cultures and history of rarely seen or seen indigenous peoples they met
From the beginning, the story appeals to the mind with the emotions and images woven into this thrilling narrative that captures the unforgettable and awe-inspiring sea expedition advertised as a once-in-a-lifetime endeavor. Author, guide and adventurer Jean-Philippe Soulet, accompanied by fellow adventurer and capable friend Luc Schulenberger, find themselves put to severe tests by the weather, the tides and their bodies as they paddle thousands of miles, battling often life-threatening conditions, including near-drowning, malaria, shark attacks, crocodiles, guerillas, armed bandits and corruption during their once-in-a-lifetime venture. The total journey spanned three years, 3,000 miles and seven countries, including Baja, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. The expedition, fully titled the Central America Sea Kayak Expedition 2000, but also known as CASKE2000, was a mission designed as an effort to connect, learn and preserve in writing the history of independent indigenous peoples and their respect for and connection to the land.
Overall, the book provides a fascinating insight into the lives of the two sea kayakers. Readers are privy to the challenges, successes and failures of their journey delivered through their intimate thoughts and experiences through the inclusion of their alternating journal entries, which I found worked well to enhance the reading by providing deep insight and focus on emotions with different perspectives on the elements of planning, preparing and embarking on the expedition.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Dancer with Death. The book was easy to engage with and well organized. I found the narrative a smartly crafted chronicle and an engaging read that teased the senses with narrative exposition and well-crafted literate visions of superhuman determination, extreme travel adventures filled with kayaking adventures, spine-tingling moments, exotic environments, and intriguing people and cultures.
I also enjoyed their close encounters with wildlife, which made for particularly exciting reading, especially the section about playing hide-and-seek with giant sea turtles. Also, in addition to describing a phenomenal super-adventure of travel, the book includes some of the most stunning photographs I have ever seen, with the added benefit of a fantastically organized website where you can experience even more details of their journey. But the best aspect of the book is the inspirational tone of the entire book. The authors, although faced with the adversities and dangers of their expedition, do not give up. They just follow their dreams, which I think is a must for all travelers. I definitely and highly recommend this for fans of travel books.
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