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Buddy Levy

Goodreads Author

Born

in New Orleans, The United States

Website

http://www.buddylevy.com

Genre

Nonfiction, History, Travel

Influences

Hemingway, Steinbeck, Carver, Stegner.

Member Since

August 2008

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Buddy Levy BIO--
Writer, educator, public speaker and entertainer, Buddy Levy is the author of Realm of Ice and Sky (St. Martin's Press, 2025); Empire of Ice & Stone (St. Martin's Press, 2022); Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition (St. Martin’s Press, 2019); No Barriers: A Blind Man’s Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon (co-authored with Erik Weihenmayer, Thomas Dunne Books, 2017; a national bestseller and Honorable Mention Award Winner in the Outdoor Literature category of the 2017 National Outdoor Book Awards); Geronimo: Leadership Strategies of An American Warrior (with Mike Leach, Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster, 2014); River of Darkness: Francisco Orellana’s Legendary Voyage of Death and Discovery Down the Am Buddy Levy BIO--
Writer, educator, public speaker and entertainer, Buddy Levy is the author of Realm of Ice and Sky (St. Martin's Press, 2025); Empire of Ice & Stone (St. Martin's Press, 2022); Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition (St. Martin’s Press, 2019); No Barriers: A Blind Man’s Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon (co-authored with Erik Weihenmayer, Thomas Dunne Books, 2017; a national bestseller and Honorable Mention Award Winner in the Outdoor Literature category of the 2017 National Outdoor Book Awards); Geronimo: Leadership Strategies of An American Warrior (with Mike Leach, Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster, 2014); River of Darkness: Francisco Orellana’s Legendary Voyage of Death and Discovery Down the Amazon (Bantam Dell, 2011). His other books include Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs (Bantam Dell, 2008), which was a finalist for the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award, 2009, and nominated for the Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award, 2009, and the PEN Center USA Award 2009; American Legend: The Real-Life Adventures of David Crockett (Putnam, 2005, Berkley Books, 2006); and Echoes On Rimrock: In Pursuit of the Chukar Partridge (Pruett, 1998). His books have been published in six languages. CONQUISTADOR is currently being considered for a television series.
As a freelance journalist Levy has covered adventure sports and lifestyle/travel subjects around the world, including several Eco-Challenges and other adventure expeditions in Argentina, Borneo, Europe, Greenland, Morocco, and the Philippines. His magazine articles and essays have appeared in Alaska Airlines Magazine, Backpacker, Big Sky Journal, Couloir, Discover, Denver 5280, Hemispheres, High Desert Journal, Poets & Writers, River Teeth, Ski, Trail Runner, Utne Reader, TV Guide, and VIA. He is clinical associate professor of English at Washington State University, and lives in northern Idaho with his wife Camie, and his black Labs Dugan and CJ.
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Buddy Levy’s books

Average rating: 4.31 · 18,553 ratings · 2,253 reviews · 12 distinct works • Similar authors

	Conquistador: Hernán Cortés, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs 4.31 avg rating — 5,106 ratings — published 2008 — 27 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition 4.47 avg rating — 3,701 ratings — published 2019 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	River of Darkness: Francisco Orellana's Legendary Voyage of Death and Discovery Down the Amazon 4.21 avg rating — 3,817 ratings — published 2011 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Empire of Ice and Stone: The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk 4.44 avg rating — 2,995 ratings — published 2022 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History's Greatest Arctic Rescue 4.18 avg rating — 1,184 ratings — published 2025 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	No Barriers: A Blind Man's Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon by Erik Weihenmayer (Goodreads Author), Buddy Levy (Goodreads Author), Bob Woodruff (Foreword) 4.11 avg rating — 870 ratings — published 2017 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Geronimo: Leadership Strategies of an American Warrior by Mike Leach, Buddy Levy (Goodreads Author) 4.05 avg rating — 462 ratings — published 2014 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	American Legend: The Real-Life Adventures of David Crockett 3.88 avg rating — 324 ratings — published 2005 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Crockett: The Real-Life Adventures of the Frontier Legend 4.38 avg rating — 39 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Coleccion Miniabremente 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Buddy Levy's Blog

Realm of Ice and Sky Nominated

My most recent book is AMAZINGLY nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award: Favorite History and Biography. I'm up against some of my heroes in narrative history (Rick Atkinson, Ron Chernow, David McCullough, Brad Meltzer) and they are heavy hitters. Still, if you liked Realm and want to see it move on to the next round, please vote for it by Nov 23! And as always, thanks SO much.

https://urldefense. Read more of this blog post »

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Published on November 18, 2025 12:24

Need another excuse to treat yourself to a new book this week? We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day, according to early...

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Barrow's Boys: A Stirring Story of Daring, Fortitude, and Outright Lunacy

by Fergus Fleming

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Aug 21, 2025 04:40PM

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Evader: The Epic Story of the First British Airman to be Rescued by the Comete Escape Line in World War II

by Derek Shuff

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Jul 01, 2025 04:48PM

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The Postwoman

by Michael Kenneth Smith (Goodreads Author)

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Jun 24, 2025 11:09AM

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Buddy’s Recent Updates

Buddy Levy wrote a new blog post Realm of Ice and Sky Nominated My most recent book is AMAZINGLY nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award: Favorite History and Biography. I'm up against some of my heroes in narrative Read more of this blog post »
Nov 18, 2025 12:24PM · 4 likes · like
Buddy Levy added a status update: Howdy Goodreads Readers! My book Realm of Ice and Sky is AMAZINGLY nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards: Readers Favorite History and Biography. I'm up against some of my heroes and they are very heavy hitters, so I'm really honored. If you liked Realm of Ice and Sky and want to see it make it to the next round of voting, please vote for it by November 23! And as always, thanks so much for the readership!
Nov 18, 2025 12:18PM · 9 likes · like · see status
Buddy Levy voted for Mark Twain as Readers' Favorite History & Biography in the Opening Round of the 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards. Cast Your Vote
Nov 18, 2025 12:02PM · like
Buddy Levy is currently reading Barrow's Boys: A Stirring Story of Daring, Fortitude, and Outright Lunacy by Fergus Fleming	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 21, 2025 04:40PM · like
Buddy Levy is currently reading Evader: The Epic Story of the First British Airman to be Rescued by the Comete Escape Line in World War II by Derek Shuff	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 01, 2025 04:48PM · 6 likes · like
Buddy Levy is currently reading The Postwoman by Michael Kenneth Smith (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 24, 2025 11:09AM · like
Buddy Levy is currently reading The Stoic Challenge: A Philosopher's Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer, and More Resilient by William B. Irvine	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 01, 2025 05:15PM · 3 likes · like
Buddy Levy wants to read Crockett: The Real-Life Adventures of the Frontier Legend by Buddy Levy (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 11, 2025 04:37PM · 3 likes · like
Buddy Levy wants to read Empire of Ice and Stone: The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk by Buddy Levy (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 11, 2025 02:06PM · like
Buddy Levy is currently reading Mrs Jewell and the Wreck of the General Grant by Cristina Sanders	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 10, 2025 04:41PM · 1 like · like

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Quotes by Buddy Levy (?)

“...fortune always favors the bold.”
― Buddy Levy, Conquistador: Hernán Cortés, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs

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“Ultimately, with ice pressing in on them from all sides, Greely had made the decision to commit the boats and men to the mercies of the floes, with the forlorn hope that tides and winds would propel them south to Cape Sabine. If that failed, they would abandon everything not essential and attempt to cross ice bridges from floe to floe until they reached land. Some of Greely’s men disagreed with him, muttering that his decisions were madness and amounted to suicide. One of the men said he feared “another Franklin disaster.” The expedition doctor scribbled furiously in his journal: “It is terrible to float in this manner, in the snow, fog, and dark. This seems to me like a nightmare in one of Edgar Allan Poe’s stories.” And in many ways, it was.”
― Buddy Levy, Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition

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“Just before noon on February 28, 1882, the thin outline of a glowing orb pierced the southern skyline and hung there, like a wafer pasted in the air. Though faint, the sight was glorious: It was the first time they had seen the sun in 137 days.”
― Buddy Levy, Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition

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