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Really, I'd like to give this two and a half stars. On the one hand, it's an amazing story. Walking the length of the Amazon river, across the entire South American continent, is pretty damn impressive. Stafford has some great stories about his trip and the planning that went into it. I found it interesting that even though the physical challenge was overwhelming, it was the mental challenges that gave him the most trouble. Boredom, panic, worry over bad decisions that cost time and money, and straight up depression.

On the other hand, this dude is not a writer. And that's okay! I think he can still feel pretty good about himself, having walked the length of the Amazon river and all. But if he hired a ghostwriter for this, he needs to get his money back.

Also, he plays this form of Oppression Olympics that I would call the Suffering Olympics. At certain points in the trip he hears bad news from home (his old army regiment struggling in Afghanistan, his mentor dying in the same war) and thinks, "who am I to complain, there are much worse things happening to others." Well, maybe, but you are probably suffering from clinical depression while walking through one of the most dangerous places in the world, sometimes on the edge of starvation, oh and you probably have an infection that has a slight chance of eating your soft palate off of your face. I think it's okay to feel sorry for yourself, at least for a little bit.