About this item
Highlights
- Banff Mountain Book Awards WINNERThe 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 AfricaIn 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.
- Author(s): Julian Smith
- 352 Pages
- Travel, Africa
Description
About the Book
In the 19th century, a British explorer named Ewart Grogan (nicknamed The Leopard) became the first man to walk across the length of Africa. Amazingly, he did it to win the hand of the woman he loved. In 2007, Smith was inspired to repeat the journey to win his own girlfriend's heart.Book Synopsis
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
From the Back Cover
The amazing true story of Julian Smith, who retraced the journey of legendary British explorer Ewart "The Leopard" Grogan, the first man to cross the length of Africa, in hopes of also winning the heart of the woman he loved.
In 1898, the dashing young British explorer Ewart "the Leopard" Grogan was in love. In order to prove his mettle to his beloved--and her aristocratic stepfather--he set out on a quest to become the first person to walk across Africa, "a feat hitherto thought by many explorers to be impossible" (New York Times, 1900).
In 2007, thirty-five-year-old American journalist Julian Smith faced a similar problem with his girlfriend of six years . . . and decided to address it in the same way Grogan had more than a hundred years before: he was going to retrace the Leopard's 4,500-mile journey for love and glory through the lakes, volcanoes, savannas, and crowded modern cities of Africa.
Smith interweaves both adventures into a seamless narrative in Crossing the Heart of Africa: the story of two explorers, a century apart, who both traversed the length of Africa to prove themselves . . . and came back changed men.
Review Quotes
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 --
"Grogan would have been a fitting protagonist for Shakespeare ... an insightful and often uproarious romp. ... memorable ... sheds light on Grogan's monumental feat, which is worthy of a revisit." -- Boston Globe
"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