First published 2006
Michael Coe opens his personal story from privileged beginnings on Long Island, where archaeology seemed an unlikely path for an indifferent college student. His journey takes unexpected turns through CIA work on the China coast and Taiwan before Harvard Graduate School redirects him toward ancient America in 1955. Coe faces the physical demands of remote Guatemalan excavations and the intellectual challenges of dating the mysterious Olmec culture. His discoveries reshape how scholars understand Mesoamerican civilizations. Between digs, he restores a crumbling Massachusetts farmhouse with his wife Sophie and five children, pursues fly fishing from tropical waters to Siberian rivers, and travels to Russia under Brezhnev and Cambodia after the Khmer Rouge. The memoir reveals a man who approaches both ancient puzzles and modern adventures with equal curiosity, building a career that brings archaeological discoveries to popular audiences while maintaining enthusiasm for family, art collecting, and global exploration.
Genres: 20th-century, adventure, archaeology, autobiography, 21st-century, adventurers, academia, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, global-adventure
Setting: Cambodia, China, Guatemala, Long Island, Massachusetts, Mesoamerica, Russia, Siberia, Taiwan
Period: 1955, Brezhnev Era, Khmer Rouge
224 pages · Hardcover · Thames & Hudson