Discover GEEO’s recommended books to read before you travel to Bolivia. Our book club is a way for travelers to learn through literature about the places they’ll be visiting.
These are some of our favorites about Bolivia, so if you’re heading there, take a look (the GEEO book club is not a required element of our programs, just a bit of added fun)! We hope you will enjoy the books we have selected and they will enhance your experience.
You should be able to find most of our selections through the links below and in your local library system as well. Do you have any feedback on our selections or suggestions for additions? Contact us and let us know!
Recommended books to read before traveling to Bolivia:
Fiction:
- American Visa by Juan de Recacoechea (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
- Our Dead World by Colanzi Liliana (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
Nonfiction:
- The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
- The Other Latinos (Series on Latin American Studies) by José Luis Falconi and José Antonio Mazzotti (Amazon)
For those looking for more suggestions, here are some other books you may want to consider:
- The Puma Years: A Memoir by Laura Coleman (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
- Myths and Legends in Bolivian Literature: Anthology by Marcial Villarroel Siles (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
- The Bolivian Diary by Ernesto Che Guevara (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
- Marching Powder: A True Story of Friendship, Cocaine, and South America’s Strangest Jail by Thomas McFadden (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
Recommended films and videos to watch before traveling to Bolivia:
GEEO travelers can register with SIMA Academy for free using a unique access code that we provide after our programs end. Feel free to contact us if you would like to receive the access code early. For this program, we recommend watching A Turn For The Better and Minerita. SIMA Academy utilizes the storytelling power of award-winning global short documentaries to nurture globally competent and socially active learners worldwide.
GEEO utilizes both Bookshop.org and Amazon Associates links for the above-suggested books. If you purchase a book through one of the links above, you’re supporting us as a nonprofit and helping more teachers travel through GEEO!

