The Adventurer's Son: A Memoir

El libre está escrito con la urgencia de un padre buscando a su muy amado hijo, inexplicablemente desaparecido

The story of Roman Dial and his son Cody (Roman Jr.) is worthy readying for adventurers and parents alike. I, too, wonder if my adventuring with my son may lead him as a young adult into harm’s way. Mr. Dial's narrative captures that angst along fabulous journeys between father and son, and as a family. When Roman Jr. disappears during a Central America exploration Roman Sr. and family go into action to try to find and save his son, running into staggering roadblocks and misinformation from dubious sources. Every adventurer should read this. I will pass my copy onto my young adult son.That being said, the printer for my first copy managed to bungle the final chapter by repeating earlier chapters. On page 327 the text shifts back to and repeats portions of chapter 42 beginning at page 295, and then repeats chapters 43 through 47 ending, without the conclusion, on page 326. Quite a bummer to get to nearly the end and run into a printing error---with no conclusion to the story!I initially gave this book one star for the printing issue. However, Amazon turned around a correctly printed copy to my doorstep in a matter of a couple of days. I've revised my review to 5 stars.Again, a must-read for adventurers and their sons and daughters.Edit: Read Jon Krakauer’s “Into the Wild” after reading this book, even if you’d read it before, paying close attention to Krakauer’s visit to Fairbanks 142. Sad irony.

Roman Dial raises his son to be an adventurer. Unlike his father, Cody tends to be a soloist. After walking the dangerous Petén in Guatemala, he continues on to Costa Rica where he enters the Corcovado National Park illegally to travel off the official trails, w/o a guide in contravention to park rules. The rules are there for a reason, as the park is also inhabited by illegal gold miners (who turn out to be one of the most sympathetic set of people in this story) and is a drug transit route. When his father realizes Cody's overdue, Mr. Dial rushes down to Costa Rica to see if he can find him. As this part of the story went on (and on), I grew increasingly less sympathetic to Mr. Dial. People who help him are treated with passing generosity, people who won't drop everything and mobilize the resources he wants are characterized as arrogant and heartless. He particularly dislikes the man heading up the Red Cross team, but given how Mr. Dial was behaving, I'm sure the feeling was mutual. Over the course of two years he tries everything. He leverages his various relationships to try and get a US National Guard rescue team to CR, he gets in touch with Gen John Kelly, Commander of the fricking US Southern Command at the time and is miffed that the Obama adminstration won't do more. This is the part of the book where he really lost me. His son was an adult, he chose to do not only a risky hike but also a dangerous one, but Mr. Dial's expectation is that the full force of the Costa Rican government and then the US government should be mobilized to find him. I don't think so. Then to keep pressure on the Costa Rican government, he agrees to participate in a documentary/reality series that films the efforts of private investigators - one is an ex-DEA agent, big, muscular, the type who 'takes names and kicks ass'. That turns into a debacle. Mr. Dial is obviously driven by a deep love for his son, but also by a deep sense of guilt that (I think) he's trying to work through in this book. As an elegy to a great kid and a deep father-son bond, there is some beauty in the book and I hope it brings him some comfort. For the rest, its a portrait of a father mad with grief who behaves like an ugly American, when a less self-absorbed, entitled approach might have gotten him further faster.

A nice story of a young man growing in a science family and and following a different track as most kids in his generation. He made some amazing trips and adventures. As most of adventurers understand, exploring puts us in dangers that that could end your life. We still go!

This book shares the intimate story of a distraught family looking for their son “lost” in a Costa Rican National Park. A 27 year old son who had lived a life full of love and exploration. A heartbreaking tale of a family searching for a missing child. Hopefully his parents find comfort knowing what a rich full life they provided him. My heart goes out to the family.

**SPOILER** A very good read. I bought it on Kindle.Several chapters are spent setting up his, and his family's, life as explorer/scientists, At the minimum, he is establishing his and his son's expertise. I feel that this is the author's attempt to show that the life HE chose was not responsible for his son's death. He was an expert. His son was an expert. On retold adventures, other experts die in the book. Despite being a very well-prepared expert, his son died. Yet, as a father of two sons near Roman's age, I would still feel responsible. And I believe he does as well. Roman died living the life he taught him.Of note, I had to look up innumerable animals, plants, and places as I read it. Not sure if the paperback has more photos, but the Kindle version has few.

This memoir was such a good read. I felt that I was there in the jungle with them searching for their sweet son. I found myself googling the wildlife that they described as well as the flora so that I could get a perfect visual of what they were encountering on the dangerous and beautiful trails. I admire their courage and bravery as they searched for Roman. I don’t believe I could do it - I am terrified of snakes - but who isn’t? I could feel the love they have for him. I connected with the hope, the regret, the “what if’s”, the despair, denial, grief, the absolute roller coaster of feelings one goes through when their child is in trouble. I love the poem - it is perfect. I am so glad I read this book.

A heart-rending, yet strangely uplifting story about travel, adventure, tragedy and persistence.The writing style is instantly engaging and his descriptions of the rainforest vividly capture both its magnificence and menace. The frustration with both bureaucracy and corruption the author encountered are brilliantly depicted, as too are his feelings towards manipulative media outlets.This is a very open an honest account of an horrific family loss, in which you are with them every step of the way.Not a subject on which I would like to dwell more, but an incredible biographical tale about an extraordinary family bond.

A heartbreaking story and heart warming account of just how strong a Father’s love is for his son. Beautifully descriptive.

Very good

One of the best books I have ever read. The author agonizes over the "what ifs" of his son's upbringing. As the reader I was overwhelmed with envy of the life this young man was granted through his parents adventurous spirits. A wonderful time of discovery, and travel and love. And unrelenting determination to find their son and bring him home. A story that will stay with me.

È un libro che lascia il segno di una perdita incolmabile. La prima parte potrebbe essere più concisa lasciando alla seconda la principale trama del libro.