| | |  | People | Home » » The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey | | | | | | | 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. | | | Features: | |
• ISBN13: 9780767913737
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Candice Millard | | Paperback:
| 432 pages | | Publisher:
| Anchor | | Publication Date:
| October 10, 2006 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0767913736 | | Package Length:
| 8.0 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.2 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.1 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.7 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 248 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Meticulously researched, wonderfully descriptive, and wildy adventurousNov 21, 2009
As children are wont to do, I had my heroes ranging from sports figures to Wyatt Earp to various Presidents of the United States. Among those elite people was the ever complex and fascinating Theodore Roosevelt, a man whose accomplishments politically and personally continue to attract biographers. Yet in spite of the extensive scholarship and documentation of Roosevelt's life, there has remained a gap and an element of mystery surrounding the events of his last great adventure into South America.
Using letters, diaries, interviews, information, and careful study of the environment, the author has pieced together the events that took place when Roosevelt and 22 others descended into an unknown river called The River of Doubt. This marvelous book includes personal anguish, depth of emotion, scientific evidence, and almost non-stop adventure. While it reads like a novel, replete with all the characteristics that make a great novel, it retains its historical accuracy and attention to detail. Mostly this this book demonstrates the "lion" spirit of one of our greatest Presidents, Theodore Roosevelt.
Upon concluding book, a reader often has many reactions such as enjoyment or anger or sadness or pleasure, and a reader might feel enriched from the experience or in some cases rather apathetic. River of Doubt left me feeling enriched and desiring to visit South America. The several pages of naturalistic detail, rather than being ponderous, supplemented an already exciting story by painting a complete picture of the territory. Careful attention given to insects served to provide the reader with a strong sense of the challenges the party faced. The complexity of the adventure itself is well-chronicled in terms of the environment, the culture, the people involved, and mostly the fear of the unknown.
Truly a great addition to the wealth of material on Theodore Roosevelt, this book is highly recommended for fans of adventure books, naturalism, history, and South America. Perhaps the only disappointment is that it is not longer! Page-turning anticipation, smooth prose, depth of character, and scientific discovery all come together to form an outstanding contribution to the life of Theodore Roosevelt.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
FantasticOct 21, 2009
This is a fantastic and gripping tale of a exploration into an unknown land. Maybe I liked it better then others because I was actually there, in that region.
I only wish I would have had that book available to me then (many moons ago) because I would have appreciated my personal journey better.
The journey of this expedition is so amazing no-one could have made it up.
If you live in NYC go to the Museum of Natural History and view the small River of Doubt display to compliment this book.
0 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 GoodOct 20, 2009
Book was in the same quality as listed. Shipping time was as to be expected.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Thrilling adventure, insightful biography, and naturalist handbookOct 19, 2009
Rarely does one find, in one package, an extraordinary adventure of exploration, a biography of a larger than life figure, and an in-depth naturalist guide. "The River of Doubt" provides all of these.
Teddy Roosevelt can be roundly criticized for many of his actions towards other peoples and nations; however, he overcame a mountain of personal obstacles to become a giant of a man. This story brings forth the man and the exploration of an uncharted Amazon wilderness which nearly killed him. In doing so, the author provides a thrilling adventure, but also an in-depth education on the life of the Amazon rainforest - a feat in itself.
Each thread of the story, seamlessly wound together, will be of value to those with expertise in any of the subjects - Roosevelt, the Amazon, and exploration - and, written with emotion and the attraction of a great novel, will be memorable for all.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Journey into the UnknownOct 09, 2009
"River of Doubt" has been out for about three years. I picked it up about a month ago. I shouldn't have waited so long.
The River of Doubt was so-named because even as late as 1914, no one was sure that this 1,000 mile-long river with its origin in the uncharted Brazilian highlands even existed. When former President Theodore Roosevelt was invited on a speaking tour of South America, the Brazilian Foreign Minister offered up a challenge that was irresistable: to explore an unknown, uncharted river in the heart of Amazonia.
The age of exploration was still in its glory with the North and South Poles conquered only in the decade prior to 1914. Teddy Roosevelt was a man of that era. This opportunity coming in the wake of his bitter defeat in the 1912 Presidential election as a third-party, "Bull Moose" candidate, came at just the right time.
This is a roller coaster of a story, a tale told well by a fine writer, Candice Millard. There is just the right amount of Roosevelt family history, Brazilian culture, botany and Amazon Indian practice to pepper and salt this tale of adventure. I found that I had to slow down my reading; if I was too tempted to "cut to the chase," I would have missed this compelling material.
In addition to Theodore Roosevelt, three other parties stand out: Roosevelt's son Kermit, who ostensibly came along at his mother's request to "look out for father;" the naturalist George Cherrie, a top scientist affiliated with the American Museum of Natural History in New York, along to catalog and identify species. Finally and most important, was Brazilian military officer and co-leader, Candido Rondon, a natural leader of men and explorer who would to go on to become a great Brazilian hero. Rondon had explored the wilds of Amazonia for more than half his life. He had led the effort to extend the first telegraph line into the Brazilian interior. Rondon was an experienced leader of men, who knew and understood more about the native Indians, the Amazonian jungle and survival in this harsh environment than any other person who could have made this journey.
"River of Doubt" deserves five full stars. The book includes more than a dozen pages of historic photographs, a period map which the wise reader will frequently refer to and a bibliography of resources and related books.
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