Pat Spain got and lost his dream job, survived stage 3 cancer, and laid down in a pit of 200,000 snakes for this book.
Pat Spain got and lost his dream job, survived stage 3 cancer, and laid down in a pit of 200,000 snakes for this book.
Adventure, Canada (general), Prairie provinces (mb, sk)
Pat Spain was living the life he had always dreamed of. He had just finished filming his first National Geographic TV series Beast Hunter, put in an offer on his first house with his girlfriend, was in the best physical shape he’d ever been in, had paid off the massive debt he’d incurred filming a web-based wildlife series and was getting to hang out with his TV and punk-rock idols like Harry Marshall, Henry Rollins and Brady Barr when he started getting stomach pains. A diagnosis of stage-3 colon cancer brought Pat’s world crashing down around him in an instant. He went from planning a press tour and an appearance on The Tonight Show to learning how to change an ostomy bag, re-learning how to walk, and finding out if he liked pot brownies.
On the Hunt in Manitoba is the darkly comedic story of how Pat became a wildlife TV host, lost his dream job, almost lost his life and came back from the depths the only way he knew how - covered in 200,000 snakes.
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This is undoubtedly one of the funniest books I have ever read; mind you, any book with the subtitle, ‘How I Found The Worst Bathroom on Earth and Learned to Love Cheese Flavoured Vodka’, kind of gives a clue as to the contents. This is essentially a travel guide by Pat Spain, a presenter on the Travel Channel, while he searches in Mongolia for the truth (if any) behind the notorious and semi-legendary ‘death worm’. It is, however, much more than that, as he tells of his escapades while in the Gobi Desert searching for the critter. There really are some laugh-out-loud moments as he describes his introduction to the horrendous ‘long drop’ toilet (the only one available) after it had been used by dozens of Mongolian herdsmen who had all downed copious amounts of fermented mare’s milk and eaten nearly raw meat (a delicacy apparently)...as indeed had Pat, hence his predicament. Too horrible for words, both the horrific stench and the splattered interior of the hut, but just so funny, as indeed is the rest of the book. Does he find the death worm, or is it an amalgamation of many creatures with unpleasant and deadly habits? I’ll leave you to find out as you chuckle your way through the pages. I have no hesitation in recommending this book as a must-read cure for the blues. Phenomena magazine MARCH 2023 - ISSUE 167 ~ Phenomena Magazine, Review
Pat Spain is that rare thing; a rationalist who still embraces the possible and knows that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of. A grown-up who has lost none of the childhood wonder and curiosity that makes the world magical. A scientist who keeps an open mind and rejoices in the fact that absence of proof is not proof of absence. There is nobody I’d want to travel with more to explore the wild side of our literally extraordinary planet. Buckle up and prepare for adventures. ~ Harry Marshall, Chairman and Co-Founder of Icon Films
I’ve heard Pat’s stories in person, on TV, on weekly pandemic Zooms, and in front of one of the most demanding audiences there is: teenagers. But when you’ve got a living, breathing YouTube video like Pat Spain—who actually knows what it’s like to go literally, biologically viral—the stories never get old, whatever the age. Pat’s message is exactly what my teens—all the rest of us—want and need to hear. Be yourself unapologetically. What makes you weird makes you special. Love the people who love you for that. And cherish every moment you have while you’ve got it. It won’t last forever. ~ Luke Kirkland, Award-Winning Librarian & Teen Department Head, Waltham Public Library
Life after cancer is not a 45-degree angle upwards. Pat’s experience embodies the need to anchor yourself to the unknown, with style. ~ Matthew Zachary Founder of Stupid Cancer and Off-Scrip Media
