Steve Hely, writer for The Office and American Dad!, and recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, presents a travel book about his journey through Central and South America. Part travel book, part pop history, part comic memoir, Hely's writing will make readers want to reach for their backpack and hiking boots. The Wonder Trail is the story of a trip from Los Angeles to the bottom of South America, presented in 102 short chapters. From Mexico City to Oaxaca; into ancient Mayan ruins; the jungles, coffee plantations, and remote beaches of Central America; across the Panama Canal; by sea to Colombia; to the wild Easter celebration of Popayán; to the Amazon rainforest; the Inca sites of Cuzco and Machu Picchu; to the Galápagos Islands; the Atacama Desert of Chile; and down to wind-worn Patagonia at the bottom of the Western Hemisphere; Steve traveled collecting stories, adventures, oddities, marvels, bits of history and biography, tales of weirdos, fun facts, and anything else interesting or illuminating. Steve's plan was to discover the unusual, wonderful, and absurd in Central and South America, to seek and find the incredible, delightful people and experiences that came his way. And the book that resulted is just as fun. A blend of travel writing, history, and comic memoir, The Wonder Trail will inspire, inform, and delight.
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“With an authentic and self-effacing voice, author and narrator Steve Hely brings his sharp sense of humor to the task of describing his trip from Los Angeles to Punta Arenas, at the tip of South America…He also does clever impressions of his guides and fellow travelers. He has read widely and does a good job pronouncing Spanish names and interpreting sites. Overall, his insights are entertaining, his audiobook whimsical and fun.”
— AudioFile
“Full of…gags, anecdotes, local color, and touches of the cheerfully bizarre…making [it] indispensable.”
— New York Times“As informative as it is funny.”
— Chicago Tribune“Wryly observed essays…[with] insight and humor in unexpected encounters on the road.”
— Citizen-Times“Fast-paced, informative, and funny…Hely’s hilarious descriptions of the stunning sights and quirky people he encounters along the way will delight experienced globetrotters and armchair travelers alike…Highly recommended.”
— Library Journal (starred review)“A very funny book.”
— Outside MagazineBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Steve Hely was a writer for 30 Rock, The Late Show with David Letterman, and the acclaimed animated comedy American Dad! He also wrote the Thurber Prize–winning novel How I Became a Famous Novelist and coauthored the comic travelogue The Ridiculous Race.