Crocodile Rock

Imagine if Christopher McCandless, instead of heading into the barren Alaskan wilderness, had traveled into the wilds of backwoods Australia. And instead of trying to become one with nature, he was trying to become the first Westerner to walk down the Prince Regent River to the King Cascade Falls, a brutally remote area heavily populated by the saltwater crocodile, hyper-aggressive cousin to the alligator and a creature not at all above dining on the other white meat. And what if, instead of being thwarted by a rising river, the boat that was supposed to take him never showed up, and he was forced, after having already spent 40 days in the wild, to walk another 43 miles at the brink of starvation while being actively hunted by a crocodile sensing weakness. If that’s boring to you, don’t show up at Books & Books this Tuesday to hear author Will Chafey read from his memoir, Swimming with Crocodiles.

Tue., May 19, 8 p.m., 2009