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The Black Penguin

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The Black Penguin

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Overview

As an awkward gay kid—bullied, bored, and eventually ejected from the Mormon Church—Andrew Evans escaped into the glossy pages of National Geographic and the wide promise of the world atlas. The Black Penguin chronicles his journey riding public transportation toward his ultimate goal: Antarctica. Part memoir, part travel tale, and part love story, with each new mile comes laughter, pain, unexpected friendships, true weirdness, and hair-raising moments that eventually lead to a singular discovery on a remote beach at the bottom of the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780299311445
Publisher:	University of Wisconsin Press
Publication date:	03/06/2018
Series:	Living Out: Gay and Lesbian Autobiography Series
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Andrew Evans has completed more than forty assignments for National Geographic, reporting from all seven continents. He is the author of the Bradt travel guides Iceland and Ukraine and lives in Washington, DC.

Preface
1 Cold Pitch
2 Sandy Cay
3 Sixteenth and M
4 Ohio
5 Virginia
6 Two Letters
7 Atlanta
8 Ethel, Doris, and Mabel
9 Dixie
10 Light Blue
11 Going Home
12 The Shape of the Earth
13 Telmex
14 Hannah
15 Utah
16 Chicken Bus
17 A Place without Guns
18 England
19 Milkman
20 Panama
21 Through the Plexiglass
22 Death in Colombia
23 Close Call
24 Court of Love
25 Middle Earth
26 Bananas
27 Medzhybizh
28 A Thousand Miles of Sand
29 The Laws of Physics
30 Rainy Season
31 Argentina
32 Marching as to War
33 The End of the World
34 Pionero
35 The Drake
36 Antarctica
37 The Black Penguin
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Transportation from Washington, DC, to Antarctica

From the B&N Reads Blog

Page 1 of

Editorial Reviews

What [Evans] was after…was to "take an old-fashioned expedition to the bottom of the world" but "to tell the story in real time, online." The Black Penguin relays the ups and downs of that journey, but the terra incognita Evans claims is his own pride.

The New York Times Book Review - Liesl Schillinger

03/13/2017
In this endearing stunt memoir, travel writer Evans combines an improbable trek to Antarctica with his struggles surrounding religion, family, and sexuality. Backed by National Geographic, Evans embarked in 2010 on a bus journey from Washington, D.C., to the tip of South America, where he caught a ferry to Antarctica. This book expands on his tweets and blog posts to capture the highs and lows of nearly two months riding in buses. Sketchy border guards, close calls with violence and natural disasters, and intriguing characters fill vignettes that range from hair-raising to hilarious. In between these tales, he more impressionistically recounts his experiences growing up and being bullied for his nerdish effeminacy. He also tackles the clashes between his Mormon family and his homosexuality and pays homage to the long-lasting relationship with his husband without letting these overwhelm his travelogue. These two distinct halves hold together surprisingly well, thanks to Evans’s excellent writing and eye for detail. The work will appeal equally to fans of clever travel writing and those looking for LGBTQ memoirs that don’t fixate on the angst of coming out. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"The exterior and interior landscapes are meticulously described, moving, and often totally unexpected. Compulsive reading." —Tim Cahill, author of A Wolverine Is Eating My Leg

"A traveler of boundless curiosity and compassion, Evans spins a globe-trotting tale of daring and discovery. His expedition proves that our inner and outward journeys can take us everywhere we need to go, from happiness at home to elation at the ends of the Earth." —George W. Stone, editor in chief, National Geographic Traveler

"I swear on a stack of National Geographic magazines that few writers possess a passion for travel and life matched by their storytelling talents. I love Andrew Evans's winning combination of both." —Patricia Schultz, author of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die

"As travel literature, the fascination of The Black Penguin lies in the difficulties Evans has undertaken by choosing to travel only by bus all the way 12,000 miles through the Southern USA, Central America and South America. . . . The long bus ride also provides the writer ample opportunity to ponder his life and gracefully weave thoughts about Andrew Evans, former Mormon and gay man into the story of Andrew Evans, travel writer on an adventure." —Traveler's Library

From the Publisher

The Black Penguin

The Black Penguin

Paperback

Paperback

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Overview

Product Details

About the Author

Table of Contents

Customer Reviews

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Overview

Product Details

About the Author

Table of Contents

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Customer Reviews