"Mother of God" by Paul Rosolie

I picked up this book after Paul's interview on Lex's podcast about the Amazon rainforest. I was so fascinated by the author's enthusiasm for protecting the natural sanctuary that I could not resist insta-purchasing the title. I'd say that Paul did a way better job discussing the Amazon than the "River of Doubt" author, partly because I now care about the topic.

I was astounded by Paul's stories about his solo adventures in the untouched wilderness. I also became less worried about venturing into the wild in Vancouver. See, in the Amazon, everything tries to kill you. In the temperate rainforest that we have here, things mostly don't care about you (and you can get lifted by helicopter most of the time if things go south).

What touched the bottom of my heart was how Paul described Africa and India as having gone through the same changes as the Amazon now. What do you mean we can lose thousands of species in the Amazon in the next few decades? Why is it so fragile, or why are humans so destructive? It bothers me that soon we might live in the "Expanse" series version of the Earth, where no corner on the planet is unaffected by humans.

Anyway, if you want to learn about the Amazon rainforest or fascinating adventures in the wild, this book is for you.