British journalist and broadcaster Reeve (One Day in September: The
Full Story of the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and the Israeli
Revenge Operation "Wrath of God", 2000, etc.) journeys along the
southernmost border of the tropics as a follow-up to his expedition
for the BBC series Equator.The Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer
bookend a section of the globe that is 3,222 miles wide, "a home to
extraordinary natural biodiversity, but an overwhelming
concentration of human suffering." In this region, only Singapore,
Hong Kong and Taiwan can claim to have economies described as
"high-income." Aiming to explore the various socioeconomic
conditions plaguing this region and to understand the ailments of
these lands, Reeve begins his journey in Africa and moves east to
Australia and South America, finishing in the favelas (slums) of
Sao Paulo, considered one of the most dangerous places on the
planet. Yes, there's breathtaking scenery en route, but this is
travel writing of a sterner sort. The heart of Reeve's narrative
beats in his encounters with the people of Capricorn, including the
Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert, Namibian prostitutes, gem miners in
Madagascar, Australian Aboriginals and indigenous tribes in Chile,
Paraguay and Argentina. He provides a balanced look at their
plights and does an excellent job confronting the issues that have
wreaked such havoc on this region, including environmental changes,
globalization, AIDS and the lingering effects of colonialism. In
South America, indigenous tribes who have lived in the mountains
for centuries are now being chased off their land with bulldozers.
These newly impoverished people will be forced into the slums of
the nearest cities while the forests they lived in are destroyed to
make way for soy farms producing biofuel. This grimly ironic facet
to the world's sustainable-energy discussion is one of the many
disheartening human and environmental issues Reeve brings to
light.An illuminating, readable travelogue and an ethical call to
action. (Kirkus Reviews)
In Tropic of Capricorn, bestselling author Simon Reeve embarks on a
23,000-mile trek around the southernmost border of the tropics - a
place of both amazing beauty and overwhelming human suffering.
Heading east through Africa, Australia and South America, Simon
encounters breathtaking landscapes and truly extraordinary people:
from Bushmen of the Kalahari and Namibian prostitutes battling with
HIV to gem miners in Madagascar and teenagers in the Brazilian
favela once described as the most dangerous place on earth. It is a
collection of daring adventures, strange rituals and exotic
wildlife, all linked together by one invisible line. Like the best
travel writing, Tropic of Capricorn confronts important issues of
our time - our changing environment, poverty, globalisation - by
taking us on an unforgettable journey of discovery.
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