James Westgate Snell

Gold Bloody Gold James Westgate Snell

"I just finished "Gold Bloody Gold" and I am very impressed. Drawing the reader through a decades-long personal journey, Snell has opened up his fascinating family past in the hopes of personal catharsis and the long overdue service of justice. From the snows of Alaska to the streets of Vancouver, the rivers of B. C. to the sands of Mali to the rains of London, Snell takes the reader through the pivotal events of his and his father's lives. These include so much more than the average geological mapping trip! Near-death wilderness adventures, plane crashes, assassination attempts, and explosions keep the pace moving, and the stories are peppered throughout with animated characters, including the many unscrupulous people who flood the ranks of the mining industry. The fall-out from this unmitigated greed and lack of recognition exacerbated the mental illness in his father, and led to the dissolution of Snell's family. The stunning injustice perpetrated on Snell's father (and highlighted by his tragic suicide) ultimately formed the nucleus around which Snell, infused with renewed purpose, crafted his amazing narrative. A personal and poignant memoir full of vivid descriptions of family and foe, and battles with both corruption with mental health, "Gold Bloody Gold" is an incredulous yet true story of the real discovery of the richest gold mine in the world. It is the story of how the men surrounding its discovery manipulated and conned their way to riches, all at the expense of the true genius who found it. Finally, it is the story of the author's struggle with coming to terms with his own mental health and his father's complicated legacy. Inspiring, exciting, and revealing - it is a must read for any adventure enthusiast, explorer, traveler, and geologist. I even want to try hang gliding after reading Snell's life-like descriptions of rising thousands of feet skyward..."up, up the long delirious burning blue." Jonathon Perrin