Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Death Valley

Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Death Valley

by Brent Underwood

4.7 (886)

4.7 stars from 886 reviews. Top 91% of Contemporary Fiction books we track.

Published by Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/RodalePublished 2024-01-01

$1.9987% off peak

Last checked: May 25, 2026

Price history: $1.99 $14.99

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Fans of these authors will like this...

  • Ryan Holiday
  • Jon Krakauer
  • Cheryl Strayed

Fans of these books will like this...

  • Into the Wild
  • The Biggest Little Farm
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Perfect for you if...

  • You're tired of the conventional career path and want to see what's possible when someone actually walks away from it.
  • You love underdog restoration stories where the real battle is between a person and their own limits.
  • You're drawn to memoirs about leaving civilisation—think desert, isolation, self-sufficiency, and the lessons that come with it.

Maybe not for you if...

  • You prefer cosy, low-stakes narratives without genuine physical danger or extended hardship.
  • You're looking for a practical how-to guide on property investment or business building.
  • You need a tightly plotted story rather than a reflective account of one man's messy, ongoing transformation.

About this book

In March 2020, Brent Underwood purchased Cerro Gordo, an abandoned ghost town perched above Death Valley, only to be immediately snowed in for weeks. Once California's largest silver mine, the town had yielded over $500 million in ore during the 1800s and attracted figures like Butch Cassidy and Mark Twain. Underwood bet his life savings on restoring this remote, historically significant location that had challenged many before him. What followed were fires, floods, earthquakes, and unexpected widespread attention from millions of followers. To revive the town, Underwood developed new self-sufficiency and problem-solving skills under the guidance of mentors. Ghost Town Living documents his struggle against the elements, the clash between a forgotten historic place and the modern world, and the pursuit of an unconventional dream. The book explores what it means to dedicate oneself to an ambitious undertaking, to question conventional life paths, and to embrace risk and the unknown in pursuit of something meaningful and original.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

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Free$7.50$14.99Jul '23Apr '25Nov '25May '26
$1.99$14.99

Currently on sale at $1.99 — 87% off peak. Price has dropped 8 times over the last 3 years. Goes on sale roughly every 92 days. Typically stays discounted for 142 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

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#317#322,165#644,013Sep '23May '25Sep '25May '26

Currently around #34K in the Kindle store — a steady mid-list seller. Sales have softened 21% recently.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

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4.0★4.5★5.0★Apr '24Aug '24Oct '24Feb '26RatingReviews

Currently 4.7★ from 886 reviews

Gaining approximately 34 new reviews per month. Steady word of mouth growth. Rating has remained stable at 4.7 over the tracking period.

Sale Prediction

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Free$7.50$14.99Jul '23Apr '25Nov '25May '26PredictedMay '26

Actual Predicted

This book is currently discounted at $1.99. It typically returns to around $14.99.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.

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Brent Underwood

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