{"schema_version":"bf_book_companion_v1","release_id":"20261010T034321Z-reviewed-full-unique-works","book":{"amazon_purchase_url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003V1WVYS?tag=bookfrontie00-20","asin":"B003V1WVYS","authors":["Julian Smith"],"book_id":"9780062030610","canonical_url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/crossing-the-heart-of-africa-9780062030610","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780062030610.jpg?v=71161563063b386a","description":"Banff Mountain Book Awards WINNER The spellbinding true story of retracing the extraordinary trek of Ewart \"the Leopard\" Grogan—the legendary British explorer who, in order to win the woman he loved, attempted to become the first person to cross Africa In 1898 the dashing British adventurer Ewart Grogan fell head-over-heels in love—but before he could marry, he needed the approval of his beloved's skeptical, aristocratic stepfather. Grogan, seeking to prove his worth and earn his love's hand, then set out on an epic quest to become the first man to cross the entire length of Africa, from Cape Town to Cairo, \"a feat hitherto thought by many explorers to be impossible\" ( New York Times ). A little more than a century later, American journalist Julian Smith also found himself madly in love with his girlfriend of seven years... but he was terrified by the prospect of marraige. Inspired by Grogan's story, which he discovered by chance, Smith decided to face his fears of commitment by retracing the explorer's amazing—but now forgotten—4,500-mile journey for love and glory through Africa. Crossing the Heart of Africa is the unforgettable account of these twin adventures, as Smith beautifully ineterweaves his own contemporary journey with Grogan's larger-than-life tale of cannibal attacks, charging elephants, deadly jungles, and romantic triumph. SOCIETY OF AMERICAN TRAVEL WRITERS WESTERN WRITING AWARDS WINNER: GOLD PRIZE (TRAVEL) BANFF MOUNTAIN BOOK COMPETITION WINNER: SPECIAL JURY MENTION AMERICAN SOCIETY OF JOURNALISTS AND AUTHORS AWARDS BEST-BOOK WINNER: MEMOIR","forthcoming":false,"isbn13":"9780062030610","publication_date":"20101207","publisher":"HarperCollins","slug":"crossing-the-heart-of-africa","subtitle":"An Odyssey of Love and Adventure","title":"Crossing the Heart of Africa"},"discovery":{"categories":{"all":[{"bisac_code":"TRV002010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Central Africa Travel","score":0.8875,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"TRV002050","confidence_band":"high","label":"North Africa Travel","score":0.8814,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"HIS001020","confidence_band":"medium","label":"East African History","score":0.7594,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"hint":[{"bisac_code":"TRV002010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Central Africa Travel","score":0.8875,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"TRV002050","confidence_band":"high","label":"North Africa Travel","score":0.8814,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"HIS001020","confidence_band":"medium","label":"East African History","score":0.7594,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"publisher":[{"bisac_code":"FIC002000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Action & Adventure","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"FIC014000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Historical Fiction","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"TRV002010","confidence_band":"high","label":"Central Africa Travel","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"TRV002020","confidence_band":"high","label":"East Africa Travel","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"TRV002050","confidence_band":"high","label":"North Africa Travel","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}]},"genres":[{"label":"Central Africa Travel","score":0.8875,"slug":"central-africa-travel"},{"label":"North Africa Travel","score":0.8814,"slug":"north-africa-travel"},{"label":"East African History","score":0.7594,"slug":"east-african-history"}],"reader_fit":["Good for readers interested in interwoven travel and explorer narratives","Readers drawn to memoirs about love and commitment fears"],"related_lists":[],"series":null,"similar_books":[{"authors":["Jeffrey Gettleman"],"book_id":"9780062284105","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780062284105.jpg?v=1bfd323c3a2aec8c","score":0.7851,"title":"Love, Africa","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780062284105"},{"authors":["Frank T. Kryza"],"book_id":"9780062030375","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780062030375.jpg?v=76db1da2e139cd1b","score":0.7309,"title":"The Race for Timbuktu","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780062030375"},{"authors":["E. R. Braithwaite"],"book_id":"9781480457690","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781480457690.jpg?v=676af0fa10ae261c","score":0.6964,"title":"A Kind of Homecoming","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781480457690"},{"authors":["Mark Owens","Delia Owens"],"book_id":"9780395647806","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780395647806.jpg?v=7120c95cabd6fb04","score":0.6927,"title":"Cry of the Kalahari","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780395647806"},{"authors":["Anthony Sattin"],"book_id":"9780312336431","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780312336431.jpg?v=d33b54ca01cd3216","score":0.691,"title":"The Gates of Africa","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780312336431"},{"authors":["Tudor Parfitt"],"book_id":"9780375724541","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780375724541.jpg?v=6c10dc3ae38127dd","score":0.6894,"title":"Journey to the Vanished City","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780375724541"}],"topics":[{"evidence_refs":["keyword:history"],"label":"History","score":0.4536,"slug":"history"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:historical fiction"],"label":"Historical","score":0.1137,"slug":"historical"},{"evidence_refs":["phrase_map_match"],"label":"Book Club","score":0.0215,"slug":"book-club"}],"what_you_get":["Themes: Love and commitment, Exploration across Africa, Facing fear of commitment.","Story elements: A journey to face commitment fears.","Themes: History, Historical, Book Club."]},"llm_signals":{"confidence":0.94,"pacing":"unknown","reader_fit":["Readers interested in interwoven travel and explorer narratives","Readers drawn to memoirs about love and commitment fears"],"themes":["Love and commitment","Exploration across Africa","Facing fear of commitment"],"tropes":["A journey to face commitment fears"]},"source_presence":{"amazon":true,"book_detail":true,"goodreads":true,"llm_signals":true,"similarity_seed":true},"stats":{"amazon_ratings_count":288,"goodreads_ratings_count":684,"goodreads_reviews_count":111,"quality_score":0.9237}}