Whenever I travel, I enjoy having regionally appropriate reading material for downtime–waiting at airports, on flights, in the evenings, etc. Here I’d like to share some of my selections for traveling through Peru. I will note that not all of these are necessarily set in Peru, because I am looking more to get a feel for the region through literature. Therefore I have a few selections set in places like the Amazon of Brazil or the Andes of Ecuador which can still give a sense of the Peruvian Andes or Amazon. Read on for eight recommended readings when traveling in Peru!
Note: this article contains affiliate links to help you find the books I’ve recommended. If you click them, you won’t pay anything extra but I may earn a small commission to help keep the blog going.
- Death in the Andes by Mario Vargas Llosa
This book is probably one of the most famous set in Peru and written by one of Peru’s most famous authors. I read Death in the Andes while we were in Cusco. It was quite good and showed a really interesting part of the culture and a very dark time in the country’s history… so be forewarned that if you’re looking for a lighter read, this one won’t give you the warm fuzzies! Mario Vargas Llosa is a Nobel laureate who has written many other novels as well, so you can also check out The Time of the Hero or Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter depending on your interests and what area of Peru you’re visiting.
2. The Queen of Water by Laura Resau & Maria Virginia Farinango
This novel, based on a true story, is set in the Ecuadorian Andes and provides a bit more of a heartwarming view of the region (though it doesn’t shy away from the struggles of indigenous people either). Laura Resau is one of my favorite writers, and in The Queen of Water she pairs up with Maria Virginia Farinango to help her write about coming of age in Ecuador. I highly recommend this one since it’s based on a true story and gives some insight into what it was like to grow up in the Andes as an indigenous girl.
3. Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto “Che” Guevara
I think Che’s log of his nine-month, eight-country trip through Latin America in 1952 has to be one of the most interesting perspectives of South America, especially if you are at all interested in global politics and history. I brought the Spanish-language version of this book to Peru but didn’t end up having time to read it. It’s still on my list, and I’ll likely bring it along next time I head down to that continent. Consider reading Motorcycle Diaries on your trip to Peru, or maybe just watch the movie of the same name starring the amazing Gael Garcia Bernal. 😉
4. The Lost City of Z by David Grann
This one is the awesome true story of how the author, David Grann, while researching different tales of obsession, became himself obsessed with knowing what happened to Percy Fawcett, an explorer who disappeared in 1925 while searching for the legendary City of Z. The way The Lost City of Z is written completely draws you in, both to the story of Percy Fawcett’s life and to David Grann’s journey around the globe to research and finally visit the Amazon himself, trying to solve the tantalizing mysteries of what happened to Fawcett’s expedition and whether the City of Z ever existed. Be warned, though: I was glad I read this one toward the end of our time in the Amazon because some of the dangers of the region described in the book are horrifying!
There is also a movie based on the book but I found it rather disappointing. It was quite long and never showed David Grann’s journey or any of the answers that were to be found in the book. Check it out if you’re interested though–it shouldn’t spoil the book for you either!
5. Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
Eva Ibbotson is another one of my favorite authors, and she writes about the Amazon as an extraordinary, almost magical place, which is how she saw it in real life, I think. The book was written in honor of her late husband, a naturalist. Journey to the River Sea, set in and around Manaus, Brazil, gives a much warmer perspective of the Amazon than The Lost City of Z does, and it’s very enjoyable. It is technically a children’s book, but I think people of all ages can enjoy it. If it seems too young for you, though, you could check out a historical fiction that Ibbotson wrote for adults–A Company of Swans–which was also set in Manaus.
6. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
If you can find the documentary of the same name, give that a watch, otherwise, read the book. Guns, Germs, and Steel isn’t about Peru specifically (it covers a large period of European colonization), but it discusses the conflict between the Inca and the Spanish and Diamond’s theory on the three components (you guessed it–guns, germs, and steel) that tipped the balance in the European’s favor. It’s a really fascinating theory, well-presented, and a look at a period of great change for Peru.
7. Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams
Turn Right at Machu Picchu is the travelogue of the author, Mark Adams’, journey to retrace Hiram Bingham’s steps of his 1911 rediscovery of Machu Picchu. Full disclosure: I haven’t read this one but tons of people recommend it, so if you want an interesting and more in-depth take on Machu Picchu specifically, be sure to check it out!
8. The Heights of Machu Picchu by Pablo Neruda
This one’s not actually a book but a long poem, written by one of South America’s most esteemed poets in honor of the most famous Inca site… Give “The Heights of Machu Picchu” a try if you’re finding the other books on this list to be too much, or if your literary tastes run to a more poetic bent. For full effect, I think you’d best bring your copy to Machu Picchu and read it while experiencing the glorious Inca city!
How about you? Have you read any of these books? Any Peru books spring to mind that I missed? Let me know in the comments below! Happy reading, and happy travels.