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The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by: Candice Millard List Price: $14.95 City Travel Guides Price: $10.17 You Save: $4.78 (32%)Prices subject to change. |
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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 918.113045 EAN: 9780767913737 ISBN: 0767913736 Label: Broadway Manufacturer: Broadway Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 432 Publication Date: October 10, 2006 Publisher: Broadway Release Date: October 10, 2006 Studio: Broadway Sales Rank: 3794 Related Items:
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Editorial Review: Product 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. Customer Reviews
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 Rating:  - A Magnifent Portrayal Of An American HeroHow delightful to read of a former president who was truly a man of honor. In Teddy Roosevelt's treacherous expedition down the River Of Doubt, a previously unchartered tributary of the Amazon River, you see a man who consistently could have used his status to gain privilege. However, this Roosevelt, time and again, rather than being an elitist, shows himself to be a true meritocracist, always honoring hard work, determination, and discipline over rank. The circumstances the men on his expedition found themselves in, constantly tested the metal of each of them. Roosevelt, fell deathly ill. Rather than burden the others, and put them at peril, he decided to take his own life. Realizing the damaging effect his death would have on ... Read More: Rating: - Teddy takes a South American vacation!After Theodore Roosevelt ran and lost the election for President on the Bull Moose ticket in 1912, he felt he needed an adventure into the depths of South America. Indeed TR was prone to these excursions since he was an experienced Cowboy in the West and he had done safaris in Africa. Candice Millard tells a true story which few people know about. Theodore Roosevelt was looking for adventure in South America. By God he did indeed get the adventure of a lifetime. Teddy's friend suggested a survey of the Rio da Duvida, The River of Doubt an unchartered capillary of the Amazon River. This area was both treacherous, unmapped and very dangerous. The team he assembled for this expeditionary force was both ill equipped and ... Read More: Rating: - It's a great book!It should not be easy to mix history, action, geography, ornithology...in one book, but this book is exceptionally well balanced. The author gives not only the details of Theodore Roosevelt and his companions heroic journey across the uncharted rain forests of the Amazon, but provides amazingly deep insight of the wild life of the rain forests, and it's first explorers. I rarely find books that makes me 100% satisfied, but this was that kind. It is a really great book! Rating:  - Holy Jumping Monkeys!What an amazing story this was! Reading this book blew my mind in so many ways I'm not sure where to begin. Let's start with saying Teddy Roosevelt was one amazing man and an incredibly tough SOB. They sure don't make them like they used to. There was just so much in here that I didn't know about and I can't believe that I didn't know about. Did you know that TR was shot immediately before a campaign speech? The bullet was partially slowed by its passage through the folded speech and his glasses case he had in his jacket but it still penetrated five inches into his chest. Then, with a bleeding chest wound, he still gave the speech before getting medical attention! That's just one little anecdote in this book about the amazing exploration ... Read More: Rating: - The River of Doubt Has Many TributariesThis fascinating account of Theodore Roosevelt's disastrous trip on the River of Doubt is well-written and meticulously researched. It has many "micro histories" on the flora and fauna of Brazil (hint: don't read this outside around a lot of bugs) as well as the native peoples of the region. My only frustration had to do with all the diversions when, on a few occasions, I just wanted to find out what happened next. The epilogue tells the reader the sometimes tragic personal stories once the journey ended and was one of the portions of the book that I shall remember the most. I read this as a book club assignment and we had a lengthy and lively discussion on Roosevelt, his son, and the men who played such a critical part of their journey. If you like ... Read More: |
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