Reviews

The Black Penguin by Andrew Evans

jonapelson's review against another edition

1.0

Oh boy. I abandoned this at pg 106. I cannot deal with his privileged, judgemental and casually racist ramblings. As a queer woman dedicated to improving the lives of cis and trans POC folks in my community and constantly working to dismantle my own privilege, I find white cis gay men like Mr. Evans the most egregious and won't waste my time finishing this book.

peterjjones's review against another edition

3.0

He just left Marvin passed out in that truck?

sydnihilton's review against another edition

5.0

4 stars
powerful and beautiful journey - literally on the trip but mostly his love story despite so much opposition

liralen's review against another edition

4.0

I had no car, nor did I have any money, but I had the bus. I had been riding buses since kindergarten—it is the simplest and most accessible form of public transportation that exists. If I could just keep connecting from one bus to the next, the eventually I would reach the bottom of the world.

My rules were simple: take the nearest bus to the farthest point south, then hop on the next one, and another after that. I traveled this way for over ten thousand miles—without any planed route and without any advance tickets. When I felt too tired to go on, I took a break. Sometimes I checked into hotels—to sleep, to wash, and to write. Sometimes I rode the bus all night long and all the next day. (ix)

Evans' story of taking busses to Antarctica isn't quite as offbeat and I-did-it-alone as he initially suggests (he had the backing of National Geographic, but it's a fun romp farther and farther south as he gets closer to his destination. Did I want more about Antarctica itself? Yes. And I'd like to read a book about the Darién Gap, which Evans (for very good reason!) skipped. But at its best, The Black Penguin is both a meditation on slow travel and a look back at the reasons Evans was so desperate to travel—to find a world beyond the suffocating conformity of his Mormon upbringing. A different kind of travel to a different kind of place.

meekorouse's review against another edition

3.0

Was following Andrew & his hike across Jordan & thus found out about his book "The Black Penguin." I looked forward to reading it, and I enjoyed the story of his life and his relationship with his family and how he grew along his path... I am hoping he does a book (or film!?) about his hike across Jordan.

uchuflowerzone's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

bennyclare's review against another edition

5.0

A great read full of interesting travel stories and a beautiful memoir of his life growing up gay and Mormon. The two stories are interwoven beautifully.