Discount The River of Doubt by Candice Millard
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The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey (Paperback)
by Candice Millard (Author)
Book Details
* Paperback: 432 pages
* Publisher: Anchor (October 10, 2006)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0767913736
* ISBN-13: 978-0767913737
* Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 1 inches
* Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
* Rating: 
Book Description
At once an incredible adventure narrative and a penetrating biographical portrait, The River of Doubt is the true story of Theodore Roosevelt’s harrowing exploration of one of the most dangerous rivers on earth.
The River of Doubt—it is a black, uncharted tributary of the Amazon that snakes through one of the most treacherous jungles in the world. Indians armed with poison-tipped arrows haunt its shadows; piranhas glide through its waters; boulder-strewn rapids turn the river into a roiling cauldron.
After his humiliating election defeat in 1912, Roosevelt set his sights on the most punishing physical challenge he could find, the first descent of an unmapped, rapids-choked tributary of the Amazon. Together with his son Kermit and Brazil’s most famous explorer, Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon, Roosevelt accomplished a feat so great that many at the time refused to believe it. In the process, he changed the map of the western hemisphere forever.
Along the way, Roosevelt and his men faced an unbelievable series of hardships, losing their canoes and supplies to punishing whitewater rapids, and enduring starvation, Indian attack, disease, drowning, and a murder within their own ranks. Three men died, and Roosevelt was brought to the brink of suicide. The River of Doubt brings alive these extraordinary events in a powerful nonfiction narrative thriller that happens to feature one of the most famous Americans who ever lived.
From the soaring beauty of the Amazon rain forest to the darkest night of Theodore Roosevelt’s life, here is Candice Millard’s dazzling debut.
The River of Doubt Review
There is a spate of books concerning Theodore Roosevelt’s life: his New York years and first marriage, his cowboy days in the Dakota’s, the Spanish-American War phrase and his presidency. Until last year, there were few books about his retirement decade until Patricia O’Toole’s “When Trumpets Call.” His dangerous exploration of the Amazon rain forest covers a mere 7 pages in Ms. O’Toole’s biography. That exploration is the subject of “The River of Doubt.” Does this brief three month trip of discovery on the Rio da Duvida (River of Doubt) warrent a full scale book? In Ms. Millard’s superb account of the near fatal expedition, the answer is yes. The former president was an adrenaline junkie who needed to forget his loss in the 1912 campaign for the White House. He found all the adventure he would ever crave on the Rio da Duvida, for he was way in over his head. If not for their guide, Colonel Candido Rondon, no one would have made it out alive — Roosevelt’s disappearance would have top Amelia Earhart as the mystery of the century. This adventure yarn focuses, not on the political animal, but on a man who would never quit and never did.
I loved this book. This book was great in so many ways. It is a great portrait of Teddy Roosevelt in his quest to explore an uncharted tributary of the Amazon after his presidency. It is a fascinating look at life in the unexplored rain forest – featuring the people, plants, animals and general ecology. It’s a riveting life-or-death adventure. The author does a great job moving between the people in the present drama, their backgrounds, and the “life of the forest.” It’s a beautifully written page-turner. It leaves one with a profound sense of the place, people and time. I can’t recommend this book more highly. Years ago, I read Undaunted Courage, the story of Lewis and Clark’s expedition. I liked it, but that never grabbed me like River of Doubt did. This sets a new standard for “exploration history” literature. Read it!
I shall be brief; for it is better to spend any free time that you might have reading or listening to this extraordinary book. It actually is three books in one. It offers every bit the insight as the historical writings of Ambrose, MuCullough or Ellis. It involves you every bit as much as the adventurous writings of Krakauer and certainly offers every bit of the fascination of the natural history narratives of Burroughs. I would suggest you listen and read along with this story. While at home you will not be able to put it down, so be advised to listen during your commutes. Almost as interesting as the story is the author herself and how she came to find the story. Near the end of her writing project, she herself had to draw upon the insipration of the expedition. But that is a story you will need to find on your own if you so choose. The bottom line is that this a superb book on so many levels, and destined to become a classic and, hopefully, a film. If you enjoy presidential history, natural history and adventure there is absolutely no reason you will not fall in love with this book as I did. I suspect as well, you will be reading passages aloud to your friends and family…sometimes to their dismay of the subject matter, perhaps. Also, one note of warning: it may bring a tear or two to your eyes as it winds down. I give it my highest recommendation.
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