Official Review: Conga Line on the Amazon

Gabriel Merêncio · Post by **Gabriel Merêncio** » 03 Jan 2020, 12:37

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Conga Line on the Amazon" by David Myles Robinson.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Do you have an adventurous spirit? Does meeting new cultures and witnessing the wonders of nature sound exciting? If so, you’ll love David Myles Robinson’s Conga Line on the Amazon, a compilation of fun stories from the author’s countless travels. Having traveled to all seven continents, he met many interesting people and saw amazing sights that he shares in this book.

Robinson is an accomplished fiction writer, which definitely shows in this title. His characterizations and descriptions are delightful, making it seem like the people and environments were taken straight out of a novel. Even those who don’t typically read nonfiction should find themselves enjoying the adventures. There are ten chapters in total, each describing different events, not necessarily in chronological order.

A strong characteristic of the book is the humor in its observations. With lines such as "So off we went, following our dicks to Scandinavia" and "She’s always coming up with weird sh*t for us to do," you’ll likely have quite a few chuckles. The author also takes jabs at the various colorful personalities he encountered throughout the years, some more deservedly than others. He does come off as somewhat judgmental at times, especially when classifying a man as a “complete doofus” for being different; the guy simply minded his own business and never bothered anyone, however.

I particularly enjoyed Robinson’s adventures in Europe as a young man. Sleeping on trains, getting involved in a sketchy venture with Middle Easterners, being chased by Spanish drunks, trying (and failing) to impress Scandinavian girls… there’s no shortage of fun and not so fun anecdotes. The tale about botfly maggots is also quite gripping, though incredibly disgusting.

The book also takes the opportunity to talk about important issues, especially terrorism and the relationship between Americans and other cultures. The author echoes the sentiment of Mark Twain, urging people to leave their comfort zones and see the world with their own eyes rather than being blinded by fear and ignorance: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.”

Conga Line on the Amazon is a wonderful compilation that will please many different audiences. It’s also exceptionally edited, as the only issue I’ve found was a random backslash in one paragraph. As such, I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars and recommend it to most people, except those who dislike travel stories. Also, since there are quite a few profanities, I don’t recommend the book to young readers.

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Conga Line on the Amazon
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tristenb · Post by **tristenb** » 04 Jan 2020, 17:14

This sounds like an interesting and funny tale about the author's travels. I love it! It seems like it touches on some deeper issues as well. I think this sounds intriguing. Thanks for the review!

Gabriel Merêncio · Post by **Gabriel Merêncio** » 05 Jan 2020, 11:43

tristenb wrote: ↑04 Jan 2020, 17:14 This sounds like an interesting and funny tale about the author's travels. I love it! It seems like it touches on some deeper issues as well. I think this sounds intriguing. Thanks for the review!

It's a great book for readers interested in travel stories. Thanks for the comment!

Charlyn Tuzon · Post by **Charlyn Tuzon** » 06 Jan 2020, 02:59

The book seems like a fun read especially as it's based on the author's travels. I like that it talks about important issues in society. Thanks for a great review!

Gabriel Merêncio · Post by **Gabriel Merêncio** » 06 Jan 2020, 11:27

Charlyt wrote: ↑06 Jan 2020, 02:59 The book seems like a fun read especially as it's based on the author's travels. I like that it talks about important issues in society. Thanks for a great review!

It's quite fun indeed. Thanks for the comment!