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Some books that describe a particular place in vivid detail make you really want to visit that place. This is not one of those books. The lush descriptions of the deadly flora and fauna of the rainforest made me perfectly happy to enjoy it all from a distance. But the same descriptions make Roosevelt and his fellow explorers very real, and gave me a good appreciation for the dangers they faced and the risks they took.
Excitement, interest, and history: Seldom does one find all three in one book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and learned that for sure I do not want to venture down the Amazon.
This is a gripping account of Roosevelt's harrowing trip down the River of Doubt in 1914. I found the parts about the flora and fauna to be more interesting than the expedition, because I kept shaking my head at the party's insanity. Millard gives thorough, but not overwhelming, background information on each of the expedition's members, the political situation in South America, and the ecosystem of the Amazon River basin. She is a bit repetitive, but it serves to underscore the gravity of the situation and how the explorers were in way over their heads. I hope this is made into a mini-series on PBS. If you like a well-written exploration story, you must read Undaunted Courage : Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen Ambrose, a fascinating account of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Beware of foreign guides. Teddy Roosevelt and his friends had carefully planned a jungle river adventure in Brazil, but an exuberant guide manages to change their plans and takes them on one of the greatest explorations in South American history. The adventure is long, thrilling, and desperate, and the author portrays the stature and history of a truly great American. Dancing on the Edge of an Endangered Planet
This incredible story almost sounds like a Hollywood script, but it really did happen. Can you imagine a former popular U.S. President traveling with a group of explorers and naturalists into a wild and remote part of the world, not knowing if they will even be able to make it out alive. Candice Millard does an outstanding job describing the events of this ill-fated expedition, which nearly cost Theodore Roosevelt, one of America's greatest Presidents, his life. For those who enjoy a good adventure story, this book is a great read and highly recommended.
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