|
|
The Adventurist. My Life in Dangerous Places by Robert Young Pelton. New York: Doubleday. 2000. 229 pages.
The Adventurist is an autobiography by renowned traveler Robert Young Pelton. Pelton gained his fame by traveling to the world’s dangerous places. His prior book, The Worlds Most Dangerous Places introduced us to warlords and war zones across the globe. In The Adventurist, Pelton seeks to make the reader understand why he does what he does and take the risks of venturing into some of the worlds most dangerous places. Pelton was born and raised in Canada. He writes “I was born in trivial times. Other generations fought wars, survived depressions, and made westward treks. I came to be in a time when people were harvesting the benefits of hardship and perseverance.” Pelton’s childhood was marked by separated parents and trouble in school. This led to St. Johns, touted as the toughest boys’ school in North America. Harsh in physical discipline and outdoor education, the school hardened Pelton. The trail of his life becomes harder to follow after he leaves school. He worked in advertising and media production. This led to his moving to Southern California and success in multi-media production. His adventures in Africa, Borneo and the near east take over from there. He has explored the jungles of Borneo, met and befriended warlords and revolutionaries in many parts of the world. My favorite character, other than Pelton himself, is Francis Ona. Ona is now President of Bougainville. A small Island east of Papua New Guinea, the People of Bougainville rose up against the mining interests of Australia and the environmental carnage they were causing. In the ensuing conflict, the people of Bougainville were cut off from normal trade. Depried of trade goods, Ona led his people to become totally self-sufficient. Pelton writes that he wanted to meet Ona “because I assumed that all rebels have darker motivations, backroom deals, or burning hatred. Francis had none of these.” He further describes Ona as a “simple man and a complex man, of both violence and humor, who is building a country from the ground up. A believer in the power of the people, of innate goodness, and of a spiritual force that will prevail over evil machinations.” Alas, Pelton observes that Ona is doomed to failure as the forces of the “business interests” are too strong and will ultimately prevail over people power. Pelton’s adventures are not driven by the rush of adrenaline or the thrill of adventure. Rather, he goes to these dangerous places because he wants to understand the people who are in these hot zones. It is curiosity, not fame that drives him. While Pelton travels the world to find and understand those who live outside the conventions of our stable and safe lives, he writes The Adventurist as an attempt to reach out to the reader to make us understand him. Why is Robert Young Pelton? Unfortunately, the book falls short on several levels. By bouncing back and forth from Pelton’s childhood to his various travels, he never develops his life or his adventures. It’s as if you received a series of short postcards from Pelton. Interesting and colorful, but not giving you a true feel for the man or the place. Pelton’s travels have given him an abundance of experiences and a unique perspective which I hope he will one day write down in a longer and more in depth book. Notwithstanding these shortcomings, I would recommend The Adventurist. It is a good read and an interesting look into the life and travels of a true adventurer Robert Young Pelton. To find out more about Robert Pelton, visit his website at ComeBackAlive.com
By Michael J. Reinhart
|
Photo Gallery Photo's courtesy of Robert Pelton.
Pelton with rebels in Africa
Pelton in Borneo
Pelton as prisoner in Columbia
Pelton with private security Blackwater in Iraq
|
