Congo Journey

Congo Journey

To say this book was heavy, would be an understatement. However, it is much, much more than that. This epic tale is a fact based account of a troupe of men who traverse up the Congo River, in search of, among other things, a prehistoric dinosaur. Not knowing whether there is any truth to the claim that a dinosaur exists,or whether it is Pygmy folklore, O'Hanlon and the only other white man on the trip, an American by the name of Lary Sheaffer must make gruelling sacrifices, live in squalid conditions, eat horrible food, and risk the disease and pestilence that thrives in the dark, and very scary jungle. For O'Hanlon to be able to relate this tale so graphically and concisely, while literally wasting away and in the throes of jungle fever is an incomparable literary achievement, to my mind. Although this book is quite long, I enjoyed every single page of it, both for the information presented on a very much unknown part of the planet, but the undeniable human element O'Hanlon presents of his Congo Journey.