Reading Your Way Into Your Next Family Adventure (The South America Edition)

When we start traveling again, South America is the next continent in my sights. One of my favorite ways to gear up for travel is to engross myself in a good novel set in that region. For me, it’s a way of getting me more excited to pack my bags and it also alerts me to local spots that might not already be on my radar. In addition, during times when I cannot travel, a good book provides that much needed wanderlust of stories that can take me away. With that in mind, I have created the next edition of reading your way into your next family adventure – the South America Edition.

Planning an adventure in Europe? Read your way into your next European adventure here. Planning an adventure in the US? We’ve got that one here.

Getting ready for a trip, especially with kids and teens, takes a lot of organization and planning. What can sometimes feel like a chore can also be fun with the right kinds of preparation. In our house we like to watch movies, sample foods and read books about our destination before we go. Diving into a good novel can help get everyone in the house ready to run for their passports and get on the road. In this issue, we have included books that are great for mom and dad, as well as books that kids and teens can devour.

Reading your way into your next adventure in South America

These first 3 books are set in South America (the whole continent) and are great reads for the adventure traveler who is looking for a little inspiration or for the armchair traveler who wants to be whisked away. The rest of the books can be broken down by country.

• The Motorcycle Diaries by Che Guevara. A memoir of 23yr old Ernesto Che Guevara as he travels 5,000 miles through South America on his motorcycle in 1952. One of the best classic travel stories. Can be for teens.
• The Old Patagonian Express by Paul Theroux. The somewhat curmudgeon author depicts his voyage by train through North and South America beginning in Boston and ending in the southern tip of Argentina.
• To Shake The Sleeping Self by Jedidiah Jenkins. The author quits his job on the eve of his 30th birthday to ride a bicycle from Oregon to Patagonia. As he travels across the globe he struggles with reconciling his sexuality with his conservative Christian beliefs.

Reading your way into your next journey to Argentina

Anything by Jorge Luis Borges or Julio Cortázar is considered classic Argentinian literature. The best sampling of Borges’ work can be found in Labyrinths – a collection of short stories and essays. The most popular work by Cortázar is Hopscotch – a story about a man living with his mistress in Paris. The mistress leaving him prompts him to move back to Argentina.

• In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin. An English writer who spent 6 months exploring the Argentinian side of Patagonia. Amusing anecdotes, vivid descriptions and a day to day accounting of his experiences.
• The Tango Singer by Tomás Eloy Martínez. Set in the early 2000’s in Buenos Aires. A NY doctoral student studying Luis Borges embarks on a trip to Buenos Aires in search of a certain tango singer. An homage to both a classic Argentinian author and to the city’s unsavory side.
• Evita: In My Own Words by Eva Peron. There are so many references to the famous “Evita” (the wife of Perón) in Buenos Aires, it helps to learn a little bit about her before you go. This is a useful introduction to her life and work.
• The Disappeared by Gloria Whelan – Those who opposed Argentina’s dictatorial government were kidnapped and silenced during the age of the ‘desaparecidos’. Silvia devises a plan to save her disappeared brother by convincing the son of a general to fall in love with her. For ages 12+
• Cartwheel by Jennifer duBois. A literary thriller about an American foreign exchange student in Buenos Aires who suddenly finds herself the prime suspect in the murder of her roomate. Can be for teens.

Reading your way into your next adventure in Bolivia

• Beyond the Snows of the Andes by Beatrice Brusic . The heroic memoir of a single Indian mother struggling to survive in one of the poorest, most exotic countries in South America.
• Marching Powder by Thomas McFadden. A true accounting of what life is like inside San Pedro prison. Families are allowed to live with the prisoners and inmates even run small businesses!
• I Am A Taxi by Deborah Ellis. Depicts what life is like as a child living in San Pedro prison with an imprisoned parent. For ages 10-14.

Reading your way into your next trip to Brazil

• Dancing with the Devil in the City of God by Juliana Barbassa. An insiders look at the transformation of Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympic games. In just a few short years, with the whole world watching, Rio had to transform itself from a corrupt and poverty stricken city to a flawless showcase of the best Brazil had to offer.
• The Slum by Aluisio Azevedo. Critically acclaimed as one of the most accurate depictions of attitudes towards race and poverty in Rio de Janeiro in the 20th century. Some call it the Huck Finn of South America.
• State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. Set in the Amazon rainforest. A research doctor goes on a mission to the Amazon to uncover the mystery surrounding the death of his colleague.
• A Death in Brazil by Peter Robb. Acclaimed as THE book to read if you want to learn about Brazil today. Robb’s travelogue recounts 4 centuries of Brazilian history in vivid detail.
• Captains of the Sands by Jorge Amado. Acclaimed as a Brazilian Lord of the Flies. Set in the state of Bahia a gang of orphans and runaways live by their wits in the slums of Bahia. Can be for mature teens
• City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende – A well known Chilean author writes a story about a 15yr old boy who sets out for the Amazon rainforest with his reporter grandmother. They are in search of a fabled headhunting tribe but learn much more about the mysteries of the jungle. For ages 12+
• Futebal Nation by David Goldblatt. Perfect for the sports lover in your house. This is the story of Brazil told through the national sport – soccer. Can be for kids.

Reading your way into your next adventure in Chile

Anything by Isabel Allende. She is one of the most famous Spanish language authors and focuses her works on her home country of Chile and on women. If you can only read one, I recommend the below.

• My Invented Country: A Memoir by Isabel Allende. The niece of the man ousted by Pinochet (Salvador Allende), Isabel recounts her life and offers interesting insight into the turmoil during that time.The Postman (Il Postino) by Antonio Skármeta. A young love story set in pre dictatorship Chile. Short and sweet.
• Travels in a Thin Country by Sarah Wheeler. A travelogue of the authors experiences as she travels alone from top to bottom of Chile.
• I Lived On Butterfly Hill by Marjorie Agosin. Set in Valparaiso, Chile, 11yr old Celeste spots warships in the harbor and notes classmates disappearing. In an effort to protect her, her educated parents send her to Maine while Chile is under turmoil. A story of the rise of Pinochet through the eyes of a pre-teen. Ages 10+

Reading your way into your next adventure in Colombia

Anything by Colombia’s most famous writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez. If you can only read one I recommend the following:

.100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Set in a fictional village in Colombia from the early 1800’s to mid 1900’s. Considered a masterpiece, it is one of the most influential pieces of literature of our time.

Reading your way into your next trip to Ecuador

• Floreana: A Woman’s Pilgrimage to the Galapagos by Margaret Wittmer. The fascinating memoir of a German family who moved to a deserted island in the Galapagos in 1932 and lived there for decades. The paperback is very expensive – buy the Kindle version.
• Living Poor: A Peace Corps Chronicle by Moritz Thomsen. At 48 yrs old, the author sold his pig farm and joined the Peace Corps. The story depicts his experiences living and working in the Ecuadorian jungle.
• The Amnesia Clinic by James Scudamore. Two teenage boys ,one an quiet and shy expat and the other a flamboyant athletic local, embark on a journey through Ecuador in search of the Amnesia clinic which may or may not exist.
• The Queen of Water by Laura Resau. Seven year old Viriginia lives in an indigeneous village in Ecuador with her large family. This is the store of her life as she is taken from her village to be a servant for a ‘mestizo’ (spanish descendent) couple. For ages 12+
• The Indigo Notebook by Laura Resau. The first book in a series of 3. Each year Zeeta and her wanderlust mom Layla live in a different country. This year they move to Ecuador. For ages 12-15.

Reading your way into your next adventure in Peru

• Chasing the Sun by Natalia Sylvester. Set during the political turmoil of Lima, Peru during the 1990’s. A marriage of domestic drama and suspense about a man who discovers his wife has been kidnapped.
• Eight Feet in the Andes by Dervla Murphy. An Irish woman, her 9yr old daughter and a mule (total of 8 feet), trek over 1,300 miles in high altitude and sometimes dangerous conditions across Peru in 1979. Carrying only the most basic supplies with them, they experience the horrors and wonders of the mountain paths in the country. Can be for teens.
• Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams. An essential read before a visit to Machu Piccu. Weaves Inca history, tips for the trek and humor all into one good read. For more in-depth history of Inca Civilization, try The Conquest of the Incas.

Whether you are looking for armchair travel reading or are preparing for your next family adventure in South America, I hope you find some books on this list that provide inspiration.

Disclosure: Note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I am recommending only products I would use and the income goes to growing my site.