In 1986 a party of 12 explorers attempted to travel the full length of the Amazon. Joe Kane's original role was as a writer and observer but he ended up as one of the only two members of the original group to complete the entire journey, the first of European people to travel the Amazon from source to sea.

I closed the book with the feeling of having travelled alonside Kane on the Amazon. I don't usually read real adventure books, and I had only had this feeling before(of having actually done the same travel as the characters/writer) while reading the Lord of the Rings.

A great book. ( )

An insane challenge issued, the author accepts an offer to join a kayaking expedition that was determined to be the first to travel the entire distance from the source of the Amazon River high in the Peruvian Andes all the way to Belem, Brazil and the Atlantic Ocean. Kane, the author, was to be the team's documentarian, with an invitation to write up an account of the voyage for publication. He discovers early that this oddly-assembled, multinational group of men and one woman would struggle on the trip, leaving only four of the original team to complete the journey. Instead of observing and logging from the sidelines, Kane becomes an integral part of the team, first as a key member of one of the white water rafts used early on the rivers, and later, as one of two men to complete the trip in kayaks.

Kane's writing is excellent, his narrative very easily read, and the story of their struggles, their interaction with both welcoming and dangerous native populations, and Kane's own soul searching, which included two episodes where he was certain on leaving the expedition only to be drawn back into the quest, made this book tough to put down. My only major complaint is the way the book ends, literally with the first indication that the kayakers had hit the Atlantic, salt water. There is no follow up, no reconcilation of the emotions and struggles, no 'where are they now' sort of summary, just a dead stop once the kayakers had reached their goal. This is sort of a natural end which Kane sets up throughout, but a short epilogue would have been a nice addition to wrap up the narrative. That said, Running was an excellent adventure expedition book that went way beyond kayaking a river. Four stars. ( )

This was a real modern day adventure story that focused primarily on the action instead of the planning, finances and politics that some adventure novels get bogged down with. The author also teaches you a bit about the different regions they travel through on their trip down the Amazon and you will definately finish the novel more informed than you were when you started it. ( )

This is one of the first travel narratives I ever read and I have no idea what it was that attracted me to the book. I have no desire to go screaming down a raging river in a thin boat, nor do I have a particular interest in this part of the world (well, no more than I have in any part of the world which is to say I would love to visit most anywhere, but there are some places I want to visit lots more). Anyway...I am glad for whatever it was that drew me to this book more than 15 years ago, because it is first a great read and second opened a whole new genre ( )