My Top 5 Adventure Books to Read at The Beach This Summer
5 non-fiction adventure books that you will be talking about for weeks
Some books just shake you to the core.
The writer Tyler Cowen calls these “quake books.” Stories full of adventure that simultaneously scare the bejesus out of us and inspire us to do more.
Here are 5 non-fiction adventure books that you will be talking about for weeks—stories with larger-than-life personalities and events too strange and complicated to be told on Netflix.
But that’s why we read because some stories are best told with words.
1.) ‘The Tiger’ by John Vaillant
Have you ever wondered what happens in super remote places? The places that Google Maps won't even drive through for images.
The region of Primorye in Far East Russia is one of those places.
What will you find there? Darkness, cold weather, poverty, and man-eating Siberian Tigers.
I don't know how John Vaillant found this crazy story, but he did and followed its paw prints to its bitter end.
In short, it's about Siberian Tigers – one of the world's largest land carnivores. Specifically, one Tiger in Primorye who starts eating people.
Man-eating tigers are rare, but it can happen. In this case, a poacher got desperate and stole food from a Tiger's hunting ground—a big no-no in those parts.
The Tiger goes after the poacher with a vengeance, kills the poor guy, eats him, and gets an appetite for humans. Now, an agency left over from the Soviet Union called Inspector Tiger must find the Tiger before it kills again.
It's a tale that will rip your face off. The author doesn't only talk about blood lust and vengeful tigers. He takes you on a journey to the Far East and talks about the complex relationship between the people and animals who reside there — which, in a way, reflects our own relationship with the natural world.
Read it and love it, for the Tiger is cunning.
2.) ‘Shadow Divers’ by Robert Kurson
Part history lesson, part treasure hunt, but mostly a shocking story that you won't put down till you solve the mystery.
Shadow Divers follows two former diving rivals, John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, who discover a World War II German U-Boat about 60 miles off the coast of New Jersey.
Here's the thing. No one knew it was there. The US Navy thought they had all the sunk U-Boats accounted for, and the Germans were just as dumbfounded.
The U-Boat, dubbed U-Who, rests 230 feet beneath the Atlantic Ocean. All bets are off for divers at those depths, and death is common. In the early '90s, when this story takes place, it was even more common.
Not all divers have the skill to explore a wreck 230 feet deep, so it's up to John Chatterton and Richie Kohler to risk their lives and solve the mystery.
Which U-Boat is this? Who were the crew? What were they doing in America? Finally, what the hell happened to them?
Heads up, this book gave me nightmares. No joke. But I'm terrified of the deep ocean so I’m sure you will be fine.
3.) ‘Wild’ by Cheryl Strayed
This is probably my favorite book on this list, written by probably the greatest writer on this list.
In Wild, we catch the author Cheryl Strayed at 26 years old, attempting to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. She starts her adventure during a mid-life crisis. Actually, she’s at rock bottom. She’s broke, recently divorced, and recovering from heroin addiction. The 2,600 miles hike was her escape—a way to clear her head and find herself.
This is Eat, Pray, Love nature addition, and it’s a must-read for nature lovers and anyone in their twenties trying to find their purpose.
4.) ‘Leave Only Footprints’ by Conor Knighton
I read this book during a breakup last year and found Conor’s story endlessly fascinating and relatable.
Leave Only Footprints is about a 30-year-old journalist, Conor Knighton, who visited and reported on every National Park in the United States… All in one year. The adventure started as a minor assignment — a report on the “Big 3” parks (Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Grand Canyon). He ended up doing all of them, basically alone.
Here’s where it gets emotional.
Months before he came up with the idea of exploring our parks, Conor’s fiancé dumped him after a five-year relationship. She left without explanation right before they planned to mail the save-the-date cards.
Actually, it was worse than that.
She left him for a coworker she ended up getting engaged to 4 months later.
Heartbreaking, yes, but Leave Only Footprints is not about recovering from personal disaster. It’s an adventure that explores our country’s parks and how our influence can either save or destroy the natural wonders we have left.
4.) ‘Black Count’ by Tom Reiss
You remember the adventure stories written by Alexandre Dumas, right? Classics like The Three Musketeers, The Man in The Iron Mask, and The Count of Monte Cristo.
Well, they weren't entirely fiction.
Many of the tales were based on the life of General Alex Dumas, Alexandre's father, who was born into slavery, inherited his former master’s title, and became one of the top generals in Napoleon's army. In many ways, he embodied the Count of Monte Cristo with a life full of adventure, betrayals, and triumphs.
Tom Reiss does a great job pointing out what Alex's story means. That history isn't always what it seems—especially for minorities in Western society. Save for a few letters and accounts from his son, Alex was mostly scrubbed from our history books because he was black — a horrid tragedy that each of us must take responsibility for and remedy.
Black Count is epic and jaw-dropping, but most importantly, we learn that even amid the horrors that engulfed revolutionary France, Alex was a good father to young Alexandre.
A kindness that helped mold one of the greatest writers ever to live.
5.) ‘River of Doubt’ by Candice Millard
President Teddy Roosevelt had a strange habit.
Whenever something went wrong in his life, a tragedy, a heartbreak, a public defeat, he didn't take a beach holiday or visit a therapist. Quite the opposite. He battled his problems with adventure, which makes him perfect for this list.
After an election loss in 1910, Teddy sought the most punishing adventure he could find—The virgin descent of an unmapped river in the Amazon River Basin called the River of Doubt.
It's comical to think that today's presidents are applauded for rounds of golf or bike rides. Meanwhile, here's a 55-year-old Teddy on a piranha-infested river, getting tracked by a tribe of cannibals, and transported by a mutinous crew.
The entire time reading this, you will think to yourself, “I can't believe a president did this.”
What happened to our cool presidents, imma right?
Enjoy your summer, and happy reading!