Ghost Town Living

Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Death Valley

By: Brent Underwood

Narrated by: Brent Underwood

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A long-abandoned silver mine for sale sounded like an adventure too great to pass up, but it turned into much more—a calling, a community of millions, and hard-earned lessons about chasing impractical dreams.

“Inspiring and meditative—the story of man vs nature and man vs himself.”—Ryan Holiday, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way

The siren song of Cerro Gordo, a desolate ghost town perched high above Death Valley, has seduced thousands since the 1800s, but few fell harder for it than Brent Underwood, who moved there in March of 2020, only to be immediately snowed in and trapped for weeks.

It had once been the largest silver mine in California. Over $500 million worth of ore was pulled from the miles of tunnels below the town. Butch Cassidy, Mark Twain, and other infamous characters of the American West were rumored to have stayed there. Newspapers reported a murder a week. But that was over 150 years ago.

Underwood bet his life savings—and his life—on this majestic, hardscrabble town that had broken its fair share of ambitious men and women. What followed were fires, floods, earthquakes, and perhaps strangest, fame. Ghost Town Living tells the story of a man against the elements, a forgotten historic place against the modern world, and a dream against all odds—one that has captured millions of followers around the world.

He came looking for a challenge different from the traditional 9-5 job but discovered something much more fulfilling—an undertaking that would call on all of himself and push him beyond what he knew he was capable of. In fact, to bring this abandoned town back to life, Brent had to learn a wealth of new self-sufficiency and problem-solving skills from many generous mentors.

Ghost Town Living is a thrilling read, but it’s also a call to action—to question our too-practical lives and instead seek adventure, build something original, redefine work, and embrace the unknown. It shows what it means to dedicate your life to something, to take a mighty swing at a crazy idea and, like the cardsharps who once haunted Cerro Gordo, go all in.

©2024 Brent Underwood (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"[Underwood’s story] continues to be of endless fascination."—The New York Times

"It is . . . a romantic way of life. But it hasn’t been without its share of difficulties, worries, and setbacks."—VICE

"Who knows? Maybe Cerro Gordo has one last boom in it after all."—CBS News

Captivating and inspiring story

Excellent storytelling and audio performance. The author weaves his own personal story with the history of Cerro Gordo and the two slowly become intertwined. The book is sprinkled with bouts of wisdoms and philosophy. I feel inspired to live with more clarity and intention.

Cerro Gordo

Loved the book! Felt like it jumped a little bit but was a great read (listen)

Golden

I’ve enjoyed watching Brent and Ghost Town Living from day one and this book is a great story of that journey and very well done. A captivating story that I look forward to seeing continue for many years. I hope someday to get there.

Fascinating and inspirational

I preordered cause I love watching the YouTube channel on Saturday mornings and find the discoveries fascinating. But hearing the authors thoughts and motivations I am walking away from the book inspired!

A moving, life changing book.

I don't know what I expected going into this book, but what I found was a story, a philosophy and deeper perspective.

chapter 9, tears.

I love the fact that Brent read it 900ft under ground! I will visit CG soon!

Author has a poets spirit

Good story telling with insightful thoughts on multiple subjects. I liked that the authors story includes his growth and the relationships with the people who have made a strong impact on him and the town.

inspiration

point of view breaks the cycle of everyday struggles and gives a new way to tackle your daily tasks. Started the book and couldn't stop listening till the end .

Love it. All of it.

This was an amazingly well written documentary. This is how you use curse words.... the 2 times I caught it was well placed and the fact that they were there truly emphasizes the point. Ty still subscribed on yt aswell.

fantastic audiobook!!!!

this book is a great listen. especially if you are a fan of his YouTube channel Ghost Town Living like myself, then you will appreciate it very much.