The Boiling River

By Andrés Ruzo

Part of the TED series: The Boiling River

This fantastical tale - which sent scores of Spanish conquistadores to their death during the great age of discovery - paints an intoxicating image of shamans and spells, forest-dwelling creatures and a river so hot it can boil your tea - or cook you alive. Ruzo relays the thrill of scientific discovery, the challenge of ecological conservation and the exuberant knowledge that natural wonders still holds many secrets.

Ruzo's underlying message is one that will resonate deeply with readers around the world. He makes the compelling case that there are still extraordinary natural wonders to be discovered, but the chance of finding them is in jeopardy if we don't actively protect the environment.

A National Geographic Young Explorer, Ruzo's fresh and exciting voice brings to life the Peruvian legend of the river, deep in the Amazon, that boils as if a fire burns below. The story haunted Ruzo throughout his childhood; until twenty years on, Ruzo - now a geologist - heard his aunt mention visiting this strange and mysterious river. Determined to prove it a legend, Ruzo set out on a journey deep, the results of which would astound him and lead him to a new obsession, discovering the secret behind this boiling river.

Ultimately, The Boiling River is more than a quest for scientific discovery - it's the journey of a young man trying to understand his moral obligation to protect a sacred site from misuse, neglect, and even from his own discovery.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Feb 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9781471151590

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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.