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The Adventurist: My Life in Dangerous Places
The Adventurist is one man's story, a story that will change the way you think about travel, survival, where you have been, and where you are going.
Enter the world of Robert Young Pelton (if you dare), adventurer extraordinaire, author of Come Back Alive and The World's Most Dangerous Places (required reading at the CIA), and host of his TV series, Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places.
A breakneck autobiography, The Adventurist blasts across six continents and spans four decades of hard-core living with its dispatches of mayhem, adventure in exotic locales, survival against formidable odds, memories of the pivotal events, and memorable portraits of the people that have shaped Pelton's obsessive spirit.
Be shelled with the Talibs on the front lines of Afghanistan; hang out with hit men and rebels in the Philippines; survive a plane crash in Borneo; narrowly escape a terrorist bombing in Africa; dance with headhunters in Sarawak; crew with pirates in the Sulu Sea; explore the events that led Pelton to his unusual calling (including how he honed his survival skills at "the toughest boys' school in North America"); and, perhaps most important, discover Pelton's secret mission--to understand the hearts and minds of the people he meets.
The Adventurist is a real book about the real world, an inspirational read that takes you places you might never willingly go.
Enter the world of Robert Young Pelton (if you dare), adventurer extraordinaire, author of Come Back Alive and The World's Most Dangerous Places (required reading at the CIA), and host of his TV series, Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places.
A breakneck autobiography, The Adventurist blasts across six continents and spans four decades of hard-core living with its dispatches of mayhem, adventure in exotic locales, survival against formidable odds, memories of the pivotal events, and memorable portraits of the people that have shaped Pelton's obsessive spirit.
Be shelled with the Talibs on the front lines of Afghanistan; hang out with hit men and rebels in the Philippines; survive a plane crash in Borneo; narrowly escape a terrorist bombing in Africa; dance with headhunters in Sarawak; crew with pirates in the Sulu Sea; explore the events that led Pelton to his unusual calling (including how he honed his survival skills at "the toughest boys' school in North America"); and, perhaps most important, discover Pelton's secret mission--to understand the hearts and minds of the people he meets.
The Adventurist is a real book about the real world, an inspirational read that takes you places you might never willingly go.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
45 people are currently reading
272 people want to read
About the author
Robert Young Pelton
26 books62 followersRobert Young Pelton is an author, journalist, and documentary film director. He is known for his conflict reporting and interviews with military and political figures in war zones. He reported from the Battle of Qala-i-Jangi in Afghanistan, the Battle of Grozny (1999–2000) in Chechnya, the rebel siege to control Monrovia in Liberia, and the siege on Villa Somalia in Mogadishu. He spent time with the Taliban, the Northern Alliance (pre-9/11), the CIA during the hunt for Osama bin Laden and with both insurgents and Blackwater security contractors during the war in Iraq. He also hosted the Discovery Travel Channel series "Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places" from 1998 to 2003.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
August 16, 2008
On the way to a 24-hour trail ultramarathon race, a friend of mine lent me “The Adventurist”. It is the autobiography of Robert Young Pelton, a guy who essentially travels around the world trying to have adventures and then writes about them. He deliberately goes to the most dangerous places on earth, including war zones, unexplored jungles, and areas with high rates of violent crime. Although he is not a journalist per se he does write books about his travels, including the popular “The World's Most Dangerous Places”, a sort of guide book to the places Lonely Planet will not send their writers.
In “The Adventurist”, Pelton describes important events in his life in a patchwork sort of way. Short stories, rarely more than a couple pages long, cover his childhood, teenage year, early adulthood, and his current life of adventure. The sections about his childhood growing up in Manitoba are interesting but tend to get tedious; his stories tend to have a “back in my day, we walked twenty miles in the snow everyday, uphill!” kind of feel to them. The author fluctuates between talking about these experiences as being traumatic and tortuous, and being identity shaping trials that he is proud to have gone through. This kind of thing made me feel that he is a little too impressed with himself and how hardcore he is, in the same way that Dean Karnazes comes off in his writing. This is also true when he talks about two close encounters with marital infidelity; we bought this book to read about dodging bullets and poisonous snakes, not unhappily married American housewives. Does he really need to tell us that he's attractive to women and that he has had chances to cheat on his wife but didn't?
Fortunately this sort of self-love is fairly rare, especially in the later half of the book, and when he is in his element Pelton has some cool stories to tell. To a Westerner who gets most of his news filtered through the news media, it was worth it for me to be reminded that most journalists research and write their stories from a safe distance, rather than being in the thick of things. Pelton gains access to places that others would fear to tread, and these stories are fast paced and exciting. Throughout it all, he is seeking not danger for its own sake, but for the people who exist in dangerous places. What are the circumstances that led someone to live in a war zone? Who are the people fighting on each side of the front lines? Towards the end of the book, the author muses that danger, violence, and upheaval draw the best, most passionate and most resilient people, and that these are people he wants to meet. On a few occasions this gets a little heavy: “We were destined to meet. The man who made a country and the man who was determined to find him”.
My main complaint with “The Adventurist” is that developing countries are often described in a simplistic and colonial way. For example, he describes the Great Lakes region of Africa as “a place so devolved that there is no law, no hope, no money, no future. Only warfare and survival”. There are several instances where he talks about how happy and perfect the noble savages of Africa or East Asia were before the White Man came. His description of the politics leading to the conflicts that he is involved in are sophomoric and seldom more than a few sentences long. This is alright when Pelton describes meeting with civilians who are caught in the middle of the conflict; those stories are about the people. This is less forgivable when he tries to explain the motivations behind the warlords, commanders, and heads of state that he visits with. In this case a more nuanced approach would be appreciated.
As I read “The Adventurist”, I kept asking myself “ok, but how does he really get to these places?” What does he do or what it is about him that makes him special and allows him to survive in places where he is instantly identifiable as an unwanted outsider? He answers this question towards the end of the book, in a page long chapter called “The Light”. He explains that there is a look in his eyes that is “open, nonjudgmental, and chillingly focused. It is in the eyes of misfits, people who have chosen their own way to live their lives”. It's a pretty good answer. Although it might sound arrogant of him, it does make me want to meet him, and want to see how his personality comes through his eyes and opens doors that would be closed to so many others.
In “The Adventurist”, Pelton describes important events in his life in a patchwork sort of way. Short stories, rarely more than a couple pages long, cover his childhood, teenage year, early adulthood, and his current life of adventure. The sections about his childhood growing up in Manitoba are interesting but tend to get tedious; his stories tend to have a “back in my day, we walked twenty miles in the snow everyday, uphill!” kind of feel to them. The author fluctuates between talking about these experiences as being traumatic and tortuous, and being identity shaping trials that he is proud to have gone through. This kind of thing made me feel that he is a little too impressed with himself and how hardcore he is, in the same way that Dean Karnazes comes off in his writing. This is also true when he talks about two close encounters with marital infidelity; we bought this book to read about dodging bullets and poisonous snakes, not unhappily married American housewives. Does he really need to tell us that he's attractive to women and that he has had chances to cheat on his wife but didn't?
Fortunately this sort of self-love is fairly rare, especially in the later half of the book, and when he is in his element Pelton has some cool stories to tell. To a Westerner who gets most of his news filtered through the news media, it was worth it for me to be reminded that most journalists research and write their stories from a safe distance, rather than being in the thick of things. Pelton gains access to places that others would fear to tread, and these stories are fast paced and exciting. Throughout it all, he is seeking not danger for its own sake, but for the people who exist in dangerous places. What are the circumstances that led someone to live in a war zone? Who are the people fighting on each side of the front lines? Towards the end of the book, the author muses that danger, violence, and upheaval draw the best, most passionate and most resilient people, and that these are people he wants to meet. On a few occasions this gets a little heavy: “We were destined to meet. The man who made a country and the man who was determined to find him”.
My main complaint with “The Adventurist” is that developing countries are often described in a simplistic and colonial way. For example, he describes the Great Lakes region of Africa as “a place so devolved that there is no law, no hope, no money, no future. Only warfare and survival”. There are several instances where he talks about how happy and perfect the noble savages of Africa or East Asia were before the White Man came. His description of the politics leading to the conflicts that he is involved in are sophomoric and seldom more than a few sentences long. This is alright when Pelton describes meeting with civilians who are caught in the middle of the conflict; those stories are about the people. This is less forgivable when he tries to explain the motivations behind the warlords, commanders, and heads of state that he visits with. In this case a more nuanced approach would be appreciated.
As I read “The Adventurist”, I kept asking myself “ok, but how does he really get to these places?” What does he do or what it is about him that makes him special and allows him to survive in places where he is instantly identifiable as an unwanted outsider? He answers this question towards the end of the book, in a page long chapter called “The Light”. He explains that there is a look in his eyes that is “open, nonjudgmental, and chillingly focused. It is in the eyes of misfits, people who have chosen their own way to live their lives”. It's a pretty good answer. Although it might sound arrogant of him, it does make me want to meet him, and want to see how his personality comes through his eyes and opens doors that would be closed to so many others.
August 29, 2021
I thought about Robert Young Pelton because of the recent developments and frenzy of coverage of the Afghanistan morass. I vividly remember years ago when we had him on The Savvy Traveler with his book The World's Most Dangerous Places, and him saying "Afghanistan, that's like my daily commute." This man has gone and goes everywhere and anywhere, not despite danger but because of it. In this book, The Adventurist, we glimpse fragments of life in some really jacked up world locales, involved mostly in the overthrow of some authority or another, but occasionally just general mayhem, or maybe headhunters: untouched plateau of Borneo, Sula Sea islands of the Philippines down past Mindanao where kidnapping is a daily occurrence, crossing the border from Tajikistan to Afghanistan, hanging with rebel soldiers in South Sudan, meeting warlords in eastern Turkey or Bougainville. That last one is an autonomous republic in Papua New Guinea. You probably haven't heard much about the people who fought back against corporate strip mining control there. Who has? Robert Young Pelton, that's who.
Anyway, this particular book alternates between vignettes abroad and vignettes of close to home, i.e. North America, dangers. And that is its genius. Because you see how his childhood in Canada -- basically, dysfunctional parents and then a boys' outdoor "character-building" harsh backwoods boarding school -- did not provide him any idyllic safety and security. And you see the death defying, unreasonable menace of rodeo bull riding juxtaposed with the young men riding at death with AK-47s instead on faraway continents. You see women tricked into and then trapped in massage hotel prostitution juxtaposed with someone just as lost making a play for him in a Brooklyn bar.
We're all fucked up, and his gig is to travel the world looking for kindred spirits whose eyes reveal that they too can reckon honestly with it all.
If you're like me, you might find in this book a line that perfectly encapsulates what you need to do with your life.
Anyway, this particular book alternates between vignettes abroad and vignettes of close to home, i.e. North America, dangers. And that is its genius. Because you see how his childhood in Canada -- basically, dysfunctional parents and then a boys' outdoor "character-building" harsh backwoods boarding school -- did not provide him any idyllic safety and security. And you see the death defying, unreasonable menace of rodeo bull riding juxtaposed with the young men riding at death with AK-47s instead on faraway continents. You see women tricked into and then trapped in massage hotel prostitution juxtaposed with someone just as lost making a play for him in a Brooklyn bar.
We're all fucked up, and his gig is to travel the world looking for kindred spirits whose eyes reveal that they too can reckon honestly with it all.
If you're like me, you might find in this book a line that perfectly encapsulates what you need to do with your life.
December 27, 2007
God this guy loves himself.
December 15, 2010
While I'm sure Mr. Pelton has lead a very interesting life, you only get minor glimpses of this fact reading The Adventurist. The book suffers from too-short snippets of his adventures around the globe that are presented in no discernible order, interspersed with even briefer snippets of his childhood, education, work history, marriage, etc. I was interested enough to keep reading to the end, and some of the stories were very compelling. However, most of them end abruptly, often leaving me to wonder why the tales were worth telling to begin with. If he had extended the narrative for a few of the adventures and maybe elaborated more on his upbringing in a brief, focused section of the book, I would be more compelled to recommend it. According to the back page, his previous book, The World's Most Dangerous Places, is required reading at the CIA. I'll look for that one and see how it compares.
July 14, 2013
A short, somewhat chaotic memoir of one the greatest living travel writers - but not just any travel writer. Pelton has made a life of seeking out the most dangerous, god-forsaken spots in the world and going there fearlessly. Having grown up in a somewhat hard-scrabble life in Canada - survived growing up would be a more apt description - he was made for what he does. The book jumps from short travel vignette to his short memory of his youth and back which made it a tough for me to keep my focus. But iI learned a lot and it was entertaining - especially the portions of his time with the Taliban in Afghanistan BEFORE 9/11. I suspect there are very few westerners who know more about the Taliban, their leadership (those who haven't been droned yet) and what makes them tick than Pelton.
Read
February 7, 2017Jumped around a bit. Quick, one-time fairly interesting read.
March 11, 2019
Picked this book up at a book fair, without much knowledge about it beyond the interesting title. An book about a man who has made a life out of traveling to some of the worlds most dangerous places. Honestly, I felt let down. From the haphazard storytelling style, which jumps time-periods and locations with zero transition or warning, to the self-indulgent ego boosts. For a book about traveling to the worlds most dangerous places, I felt no sense of danger. He spent a great deal of time discussion the trials and challenges of his youth, and never fully fleshed out some of the places and locations that he mentions. The way he describes his exploits it seems as if he only meet the worlds friendliest people and had zero difficulties. Everyone he encounters loves him and helps him in anyway they can. I had hope to learn about the places he was visiting and the people there. Instead I walked away with some basic knowledge about the author childhood and almost nothing about what he actually did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2017
I picked this up on a whim because of the intriguing title and ended up really enjoying it, especially from the perspective that it's a first-hand account of places most of us will never go. It's written as a series of mini-stories; sometimes there just one short chapter on one of his adventures, other times there are several but they may be scattered throughout the book. I was most fascinated by his encounters with the wilderness because his interactions with people aren't always explored in much depth, but it works with the snapshot-like chapter format.
July 25, 2019
I read this travel memoir for a reading challenge. I love to travel, but I was disappointed in this memoir about dangerous places because mine and the author's ideas of dangerous are different. I was thinking dangerous as in terrain; for him, danger is political. He wants to visit countries in strife and warfare. No thank you. Also, the organization escapes me. At first, he alternates dangerous travels with boyhood recollections of the dangers of his childhood. He starts a later section with a trip to London to prepare for a dangerous trip, but then we go somewhere else.
Read
January 24, 2024What an interesting life! I got this book at a yard sale during my own little adventure. Finally got around to reading it now that I've returned home and glad I did. At times it felt that I had just gotten hooked into a story when that segment would end and another would begin but by the end I grew to embrace the here and then suddenly there format of the book. It's clear the author is a very "in the moment" guy and the passage style of writing reflects that. Makes me feel better about the all over the place kind of life I've made for myself and that maybe it is sustainable after all.
February 11, 2018
A glimpse into how to survive, and even thrive, in environments that would scare the bejesus out of most men. Well written and insightful, it has helped me to adapt when I find myself outside of my comfort zone. Plus some great adventure to entertain while lounging on my back deck.
May 11, 2019
When I was in grad school I loved taking breaks from assigned readings to consume a chapter or two in his "World's Most Dangerous Places." This memoir brought back those fond memories; I could've easily stayed up all night reading this book instead of working on what I needed to.
May 28, 2024
The best book! Tons of action, very well-written with the perfect blend of insight into the author and his life, and the various people he encounters. It takes you places you would never dare to go, physically and mentally.
June 15, 2018
cool read. good length. some parts a little hokey. generally good vignettes and decent 1st person story telling
November 13, 2018
Beautiful memoir by an old friend.
February 3, 2019
Some great stories; some okay stories. The book is incredibly jumbled, so it’s hard to follow and there’s no continuity.
July 5, 2019
Read a while ago. It doesn't stand out in my mind.
January 9, 2022
very good book by my favorite author.
January 28, 2012
If you read DP and thought it was amazing, and wanted to learn more about it's author, thinking surely his autobiography would be an illuminating read about a fascinating person, then you are very much like me, and like me will probably be very disappointed.
When speaking in a shorter, more journalistic style about political situations, or logistics, or anything that doesn't require, or lend itself to waxing poetic or philosophic (as in DP), he excels. He doesn't 'do' introspective, apparently. This book is composed of (very) short stories excerpted from his life, switching back and forth from his childhood schooling to more current adventures, in no order that really gives you a sense of continuity, development, or the author's personal growth. I kept hoping that by the end all these disparate stories would tie together and there would be an 'aha' moment of understanding. There wasn't.
For someone who claims to travel to dangerous places so that he can understand and learn about people, and give voice to their suffering, he spends very little time talking about said people, and is given to very stereotypical generalizations, the most repeated being that of the 'noble savage'. He doesn't give any real insight into the lives of the people he is meeting, and he doesn't let you into his head either, so what you are left with are some very boring stories about what I'm sure was an incredibly interesting event. Never has the term "I guess you had to be there' resonated so strongly. He tells you all these little anecdotes, but seems to forget the point. Beyond that his insufferable arrogance gets very, very tiring. I mean, I'm not saying he doesn't have a lot to be proud of, he has done some amazing stuff for sure, but his perpetual self-congratulations, and self-adulations, combined with the occasional false nod to modesty (as in his comments about bull riding and how he was an idiot for wanting to give it a go, and the organizers of the rodeo who 'wisely did not let him ride/compete' is told in such a way that manages to congratulate his bravado, and scoff at the organizers for being overly cautious). It makes it hard to get an honest impression of this man, since it is of course told from his point of view, and he doesn't see fit to include any story that doesn't either paint him in a flattering light, or illustrate the horrors, or 'character building' trials to which he was subjected.
When speaking in a shorter, more journalistic style about political situations, or logistics, or anything that doesn't require, or lend itself to waxing poetic or philosophic (as in DP), he excels. He doesn't 'do' introspective, apparently. This book is composed of (very) short stories excerpted from his life, switching back and forth from his childhood schooling to more current adventures, in no order that really gives you a sense of continuity, development, or the author's personal growth. I kept hoping that by the end all these disparate stories would tie together and there would be an 'aha' moment of understanding. There wasn't.
For someone who claims to travel to dangerous places so that he can understand and learn about people, and give voice to their suffering, he spends very little time talking about said people, and is given to very stereotypical generalizations, the most repeated being that of the 'noble savage'. He doesn't give any real insight into the lives of the people he is meeting, and he doesn't let you into his head either, so what you are left with are some very boring stories about what I'm sure was an incredibly interesting event. Never has the term "I guess you had to be there' resonated so strongly. He tells you all these little anecdotes, but seems to forget the point. Beyond that his insufferable arrogance gets very, very tiring. I mean, I'm not saying he doesn't have a lot to be proud of, he has done some amazing stuff for sure, but his perpetual self-congratulations, and self-adulations, combined with the occasional false nod to modesty (as in his comments about bull riding and how he was an idiot for wanting to give it a go, and the organizers of the rodeo who 'wisely did not let him ride/compete' is told in such a way that manages to congratulate his bravado, and scoff at the organizers for being overly cautious). It makes it hard to get an honest impression of this man, since it is of course told from his point of view, and he doesn't see fit to include any story that doesn't either paint him in a flattering light, or illustrate the horrors, or 'character building' trials to which he was subjected.
September 7, 2008
A wonderful idea, terribly executed and terribly written. The things the author has seen, the things he's done and and the places he's been, the unusual childhood he had....it should all make for fascinating reading. And it would, were it written by someone less irritating, repetitive and arrogant, less self-satisfied, less prone to vast simplification of complex themes. The great content of this man's life and adventures cannot overcome the utterly shitty writing.
On the positive side, having read this I have new hope for becoming a widely published author during my lifetime and I feel inspired to go on more adventures to boot.
On the positive side, having read this I have new hope for becoming a widely published author during my lifetime and I feel inspired to go on more adventures to boot.
January 27, 2011
This was a heck of a book that makes you really think about how mundane your 9-5 job really is. The author, Pelton, is a crazy bastard for sure. The one thing I remember about this book (and not liking) was that Pelton has a sort of boasting style to his writing. Yes, he's lived an unbelievable life, but he doesn't need to keep reminding us of that fact. His descriptions of his travels do that for us.
February 23, 2011
Early chapters alternate between his childhood and adulthood. In later chapters the alternation becomes less frequent and eventually stops altogether. I enjoyed this format/technique as it served to understand his early life's role in shaping his adulthood.
I appreciated the "anthropological" approach takes with other cultures. He seems to be able to avoid the kind of stereotypical gung-ho attitudes that are conjurered by the term "adventure travel".
I appreciated the "anthropological" approach takes with other cultures. He seems to be able to avoid the kind of stereotypical gung-ho attitudes that are conjurered by the term "adventure travel".
May 14, 2012
This one precedes the books where he buddies up to real deal BTDT guys in the airport lounge, milks them for their stories and then passes them off as his own. This is the charge leveled against him by some folks I know, who really dislike him. As one wag puts it, “I’d call him a bullshit artist, but that would be insulting to bullshit artists.” Still, reading this helps keep that “pack it all in and go wandering” flame alive.
January 28, 2016
While I only gave it three stars, this is not a bad book persay. Robert Young Pelton had undoubtedly lived an interesting life, one fit for an exciting autobiography. The disjointed style, self indulgence, and lack of focus left me unable to rate the book any higher. While I recommend reading the book, especially to young "adventurers," be forewarned that at times the book can get painful. It took me over a year to finish and it is a short book.
August 23, 2011
Some people lead interesting lives, but few can write about their lives in interesting ways. Pelton reminds us of that. Reading this, I kept thinking "This is the most boring book about the most interesting life that I've ever read." I guess that makes it a rare accomplishment. It's difficult to make an interesting subject boring but this book manages. So sad.
March 16, 2012
Robert Young Pelton is perhaps not the world’s best writer, but he has possibly the world’s best story, and he’s lived every single word. A highly recommended autobiography from the man who goes — usually safely — in search of adventure in the world’s most dangerous places, and is himself as interesting as any tale.
March 21, 2008
I'm finding the story Pelton's life just as interesting than the stories of his international adventures. To learn about the upbringing that led him to leave home and risk his life on a regular basis is an interesting study.
April 7, 2025
A lot of hot air. This guy is too high on himself. Frankly no matter how fascinating his adventures might have been, his attitude wears on you quickly. In addition the book is just not well-written. Clunky language. Skip it.
August 1, 2008
The title says it all. This is a book that chronicles the journey of a multimillionaire fed up with the rat race he was living in and left it all for adventure. The places he goes and the experiences he has are out of this world. The truest, purest adventure book I have probably ever read.
June 18, 2010
i actually finished this a while ago. it was a pretty good book in that it showed his start on his adventurist path and how he got to be the way he is. it mixed in some childhood memories with his current travels and made you feel his drive and sometimes his regret.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews