One snowy day in Ushuaia, Argentina, the self-proclaimed "southernmost city in the world," writer Eric Simons picked up a copy of Charles Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle. He had just hiked the mountains overlooking Beagle Channel, and found himself engrossed in Darwin's account.

Like Simons, Darwin was in his mid-twenties when he traveled to South America. Simons followed Darwin further into the continent—to stand where Darwin had, and to explore the histories, legends and people that had fascinated the great scientist two centuries before. He trekked to as many of the locations Darwin wrote about as he could find, to see if he could view these places through Darwin's eyes, and to learn what South Americans know about Darwin.

Innovative and amusing, Darwin Slept Here offers a new look at a familiar subject, by a fresh, compelling writer to watch.