The Boiling River

Written by Andrés Ruzo

Narrated by Andrés Ruzo

In this exciting adventure mixed with amazing scientific study, a young, exuberant explorer and geoscientist journeys deep into the Amazon—where rivers boil and legends come to life.

When Andrés Ruzo was just a small boy in Peru, his grandfather told him the story of a mysterious legend: There is a river, deep in the Amazon, which boils as if a fire burns below it. Twelve years later, Ruzo—now a geoscientist—hears his aunt mention that she herself had visited this strange river.

Determined to discover if the boiling river is real, Ruzo sets out on a journey deep into the Amazon. What he finds astounds him: In this long, wide, and winding river, the waters run so hot that locals brew tea in them; small animals that fall in are instantly cooked. As he studies the river, Ruzo faces challenges more complex than he had ever imaged.

The Boiling River follows this young explorer as he navigates a tangle of competing interests—local shamans, illegal cattle farmers and loggers, and oil companies. This true account reads like a modern-day adventure, complete with extraordinary characters, captivating plot twists, and jaw-dropping details—including stunning photographs and a never-before-published account about this incredible natural wonder. Ultimately, though, The Boiling River is about a man trying to understand the moral obligation that comes with scientific discovery —to protect a sacred site from misuse, neglect, and even from his own discovery.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio / TED
• Release date: Feb 16, 2016
• ISBN: 9781508212782

Andrés Ruzo

Andrés Ruzo is a geoscientist and a National Geographic Young Explorer. The Boiling River is his first book.

Reviews for The Boiling River

[marshapetry · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Quick, interesting tale, hard to follow in places. It could use some editing, or cut'n'paste, as some areas seemed to not belong in the right spot. But, overall, worth a read.

[starbox_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Mildly interesting account of the journey by the author- a student of geothermal science- into Peruvian Amazonia to see whether an account of a 'boiling river' could possibly be true. Despite being known to locals - and certain foreigners- it had pretty much escaped any geographical scrutiny, and Ruzo must work with the tribespeople, for whom it is sacred, as he tries to determine the cause for a large, almost 100 degree river....triggered by poor excavation practices on a nearby oilfield? Volcanic ? (but there's no volcanoes here)....or fractures in the earth serving as arteries allowing geothermal water to flow out?
Against his research, Ruzo observes continuing deforestation; not from the traditional culprits (the oil businesses operate to stringent guidelines) but casual loggers. He hopes sharing his discovery can have good, not detrimental, influences on the country.

[bgavagai · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Amazingly dull book given its fascinating topic -- natural geothermal springs causing a river in Brazil to reach boiling temperatures, and the obstacles to finding and verifying this phenomenon. John McPhee would have handled this a thousand times better! Can't believe this originated as a TED talk.

[readafew · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Boiling River is a book based on a TED talk by Andres Ruzo. I’ve heard of TED talks and I’ve watched quite a few of them online. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. They cover a very wide range of topics usually interesting new discoveries and understandings about the world around us.

The Boiling River is about a river that is close to boiling, bubbling away in the Amazon. The two things that are so special about it is first, no one knew about this amazing place and people living in the area denied its existence. And even more impressive was the sheer volume of water that was flowing at that temperature.

The first problem Andres had was even finding out if it actually existed. He had heard about it in a story from his grandfather who claimed to know all about it. It was years later after he died that his interest in geology came to fruition, long after his grandfather died before he decided to look into the possible truth of the legend.

The people who he expected to know about such a place all claimed it did not exist, this included the countries geologists and the specialists in the oil fields. Eventually he spoke with his aunt to not only claimed to know about it, but had visited it years before, and knew the man ‘in charge’.

Even after he finally had a chance to observe the legend in his own right, he still worried and had misgivings. Because even though it was obviously a hot river and the locals claimed it had been that way for generations, he still feared it had been caused by the oil drilling. He needed proof that it preexisted the oil wells in the area.

A large part of this book was in Andres trying to find the river and prove it existed and then most of the rest trying to find proof it was a natural phenomenon. We follow his story from beginning up until he gives his TED talk and what he is trying to do to help protect it for future generations. It is a great story and is a fast and easy read.