Description:

In her first full-length essay since her second book, How Did You Get This Number, New York Times bestselling author Sloane Crosley attempts to overcome the biggest hurdle of her life. Literally. Crosley’s “Up the Down Volcano" delivers a hilariously honest account of her trip to South America to climb one of the highest volcanoes in the world. Armed with a prescription for malaria pills, a fleece vest, and a few feminine hygiene products, Crosley’s attempt to channel her inner Jon Krakauer doesn't go exactly as planned. As she experiences the effects of altitude sickness on her way up the volcano, her guide tells her to simply be “tranquillo.” Crosley expertly describes the misunderstandings that arise through interacting with another culture in another language, turning the classic adventure story on its funny bone. The results are, of course, touching and amusingly disastrous. ** ### Amazon.com Review International travel is like childbirth, in one way, and likely one way only: although the experience itself is often uncomfortable, painful, and confusing, in retrospect all you remember are the good parts. That trip to Paris last year, where you lost your wallet, slaughtered the French language, and had a half-dozen major meltdowns? Now all you can recall are the sunsets, the Louvre, and the wine. Well, in Sloane Crosley's new single, *Up the Down Volcano*, she resists that disease of selective short-term memory and instead delivers a hilariously honest account of her trip to South America to climb the second highest volcano in the world armed only with a bikini, malaria pills, a fleece vest, and a few feminine hygiene products. A self-described "profoundly lazy person in real life," Crosley finds a gruff "spider monkey of a guide" named Andrés, who seems indifferent to her suffering and who speaks only a few sentences to her during her long ordeal. One being "Do you eat beans?" Another, to quell her growing alarm and fear as she experiences the effects of altitude sickness on her way up the volcano, is simply "tranquillo." Crosley expertly describes the misunderstanding that arises through interacting with another culture in another language, which can lead, especially in her case, to disastrous results. And although Crosley barely makes it off that mountain alive, you will laugh your way through this armchair traveler's trainwreck, thanking Crosley all the way for keeping it real, and not boring you with stories of sunsets. --*Benjamin Moebius* ### About the Author Sloane Crosley is the author of *I Was Told There'd Be Cake*, a finalist for The Thurber Prize, and *How Did You Get This Number*, both *New York Times* best sellers. She is the editor of *The Best American Travel Writing 2011*, a frequent contributor to a variety of publications such as *The New York Times* and *GQ*, and is included in *The Library of America's 50 Funniest American Writers According to Andy Borowitz*. She lives in New York City.