|
I had no idea Teddy was such an adventurist. The book was a little slow to begin. I wish the book would have included more details about the dangerous foes they faced in the jungle. Overall though, the book was solid and enjoyable.
A fascinating,beautifully written account of one of America's iconic heroes.A look at TR and family outside of the more often chronicled political and military arenas.
This is one of the most gripping adventure tales I've ever read. During most of the journey down the River of Doubt, they were in territory controlled by Indians that even Rondon had never had any contact with, and they knew the dangers. (Later anthropological studies documented that these Indians, now known as the Cinta Larga, were cannibals). The Brazilian highlands and the Amazon jungle were unlike anything that Roosevelt had faced before, and the trip almost killed him and most of his companions from exhaustion, starvation, and disease.It tested every man's resolve and strength to the limit, even Roosevelt's, who died all too early a few years later from complications due to the injuries and illnesses he sustained on this trip. Overall an exceptional book on a fascinating topic.By the way, in the Acknowledgments section of the book, the author mentions that Tweed Roosevelt, his great grandson, reprised the journey in 1992 for his 50th birthday, resulting in a documentary on the subject, 78 years after the original journey. You get to know many of the other members of the expedition, including Colonel Candida Rondon, the Brazilian explorer who co-commanded the expedition. It's not a cheery read by any means, because through poor planning and bad luck, the expedition turned out to be one unremitting litany of misery and disaster from beginning to end as the intrepid voyageurs encountered obstacle after obstacle that they just weren't prepared for. Expeditions both before and after Roosevelt's were almost killed off by these Indians, and they were lucky to make it out alive.
Rondon was a tough, smart, and experienced explorer of the Amazon, and without his leadership the group probably wouldn't have made it. Other major players were the intrepid naturalist and ornithologist, George Cherrie, and Roosevelt's son, Kermit, who also distinguished himself by his hard work and bravery, and Roosevelt was very proud of him.The author does a fine job of describing the perils and predicaments that they faced on virtually a daily basis, from tropical disease to dangerous rapids to hostile Indians. The author has also done considerable reading and background research on the natural history of the region and gives a vivid picture of its complex and varied ecology, and why that proved such a problem for the expedition's ability to find food and game, which were far scarcer than they had expected. It would be interesting to see this documentary if it could be located somewhere.
which I will anxiously await. Candice Millard's ability to tell a story is remarkable.
I had just finished reading James Bradley's Imperial Cruise and was struck by how Mr. I happened upon this book by chance.
What a wonderful strike of gold that was.the book is engaging from the first page and chronicles the life of a man on an incredibly dangerous expedition to an obscure tributary of the Amazon River and whom, in so many regards, was (unlike the pansy- assed presidents in our present days) ' A Man's Man '. Bradley painted such a negative image of our first President Roosevelt.
so I looked for a more human account and found The River of Doubt by Candice Millard. I found out that she is presently working on another novel about President Garfield.
For those of you who enjoy adventure books that reflect upon our condition of being human.you owe it to yourself to read this wonderful account of a man of whom I have gained a new-found respect.
And this to me was the best part of the book. After losing a bid for a third presidential term, Theodore Roosevelt set off for South America. The River of Doubt, so named because of the uncertainty surrounding it's connection to the Amazon River, started in the Brazilian highlands near the border, but dropped through a punishing series of rapids and cascades over 400 miles of dense rain forest. She not only discusses the expedition, it's beginnings and preparations and the people involved, but the jungle itself. I was also impressed by the naturalist George Cherrie, and may look for a biography on him sometime, as it sounds like he led an exciting life as well. Roosevelt saw it as a sort of therapy to his defeat, but the river and the jungle nearly killed him.
The ecology of the forest made the story so much more full, and helped to illustrate the point of why it was such a dangerous journey - not to mention the constant sickness and disease they all suffered with.But beyond the ecological information, the history itself was fascinating as well. It started out as a speaking tour but soon evolved into a poorly prepared expedition to explore an unknown river that passed through an unmapped portion of the Amazon forest. She describes the fish in the river, the dangerous piranhas and the one inch candiru that quickly burrows into bodily openings; the animals of the forest and why the expedition couldn't find enough to replenish their food; the trees and how they were spread throughout the forest; the indians who constantly monitored their progress and could have silently killed them at any moment. Although he was traveling with Candido Rondon, Brazil's most famous explorer, he had allowed friends who were not familiar with the area to plan and provision the trip. Three porters died on the expedition and it's extremely lucky the number wasn't much higher, given the quickly dwindling food provisions, hostile indians, sickness and diseases, treasonous porters, and numerous other dangers.Candice Millard does a great job of bringing the Amazon to life in all it's weird beauty. I'm not familiar with much history surrounding TR (always wondered how he got himself sculpted alongside men like Washington and Lincoln) but I enjoyed learning more about him; his relentless drive, thick head, and (to some degree) thin skin.
Overall, a very interesting book, and for readers further interested in the history of the Amazon and exploration I recommend the following: Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City, The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, and Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage.
|
