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33rd out of 71 books
—
102 voters
Ordeal by Hunger: the Story of the Donner Party
The tragedy of the Donner party constitutes one of the most amazing stories of the American West. In 1846 eighty-seven people -- men, women, and children -- set out for California, persuaded to attempt a new overland route. After struggling across the desert, losing many oxen, and nearly dying of thirst, they reached the very summit of the Sierras, only to be trapped by bl...more
Paperback, 416 pages
Published
January 30th 1992
by Mariner Books
(first published 1936)
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Mar 19, 2009
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
read-adult-nonfiction,
read-disasters
Gripping account of the Donner Party's struggle to survive during the winter of 1846 in the Sierra Nevada mountains, by an author who interviewed that last living survivors of the party. I couldn't believe what they suffered before they even got to Donner Pass, much less afterward. I read the book all in one sitting-- just couldn't put it down. Incredible! Highly recommended!
I read this for a book club. I wasn't excited about it, and it wasn't the normal more fun books I normally like to read, but I did find it very interesting and informative. Even though I knew what happened, I still was sad at all of the hardships they experienced and rooted for them to triumph. A still shocking look at the horrific desperation of long term starvation and it's effects.
Some react to the hardships with humility, selflessness and heroism. Others became bitter, heartlessly self-serv...more
Some react to the hardships with humility, selflessness and heroism. Others became bitter, heartlessly self-serv...more
Ordeal by Hunger: George R. Stewart's Story of the Donner Party
The Donner Party Monument, Truckee, California State Park
I happened to be in Reno, Nevada, in late March, 2012. It was strictly business, assisting a family with whom I have had a significant bond for many years. Casinos have no allure for me. However historical sites have drawn me to them like a magnet since childhood. I owe that to my grandfather with whom I would travel during summers on his business trips. As the rest of my fami...more
The Donner Party Monument, Truckee, California State Park
I happened to be in Reno, Nevada, in late March, 2012. It was strictly business, assisting a family with whom I have had a significant bond for many years. Casinos have no allure for me. However historical sites have drawn me to them like a magnet since childhood. I owe that to my grandfather with whom I would travel during summers on his business trips. As the rest of my fami...more
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I’m really glad I read this detailed historical account, because I found out I had a lot of ignorant, naïve conceptions. For example, I had assumed the gist of their story and difficulties were when they got snowed in before they could make the pass to California. But I found out they had many life-threatening difficulties along the way, which were so serious that they almost didn’t even make it to the mountains where they became the famous “Donner Party.”
I also assumed that they and their trag...more
I also assumed that they and their trag...more
This is a thorough and very well written account of the Donner expedition. One of my favorite aspects is the writing style in vogue back in 1936 when it was first written. For instance, the book opens with this passage: "To observe the scene of this story the reader must for a moment imagine himself taken backward many years in time and raised in space some hundreds of miles above a spot near the center of the state of Nevada. Poised there at an aery point of vantage, facing toward the north and...more
This history of the Donner Party was first published in 1936, then updated and republished in 1960. The basics of the story of this group of Illinois settlers bound for California are known to most - they got stuck in a storm in the Sierras and eventually resorted to cannibalism to survive. But there is much more to the story, and it's told well in this book.
I particularly enjoyed the description of the party's passage from Wyoming down through the Wasatch mountains into Salt Lake valley in 1846...more
I particularly enjoyed the description of the party's passage from Wyoming down through the Wasatch mountains into Salt Lake valley in 1846...more
I read this book for two reasons -
1.) I grew up in northern California and we would drive through Donner's Pass from time to time.
2.) I've been into true survival stories lately, most notably 127 Hours and the 1972 Uruguayan plane crash.
It's almost hard to believe what they went through, even before getting trapped in the mountains. They got lost, had to carve their own trail, got lost, attacked by Indians, and almost died of thirst on the Salt Lake flats. That's before they got trapped in the...more
1.) I grew up in northern California and we would drive through Donner's Pass from time to time.
2.) I've been into true survival stories lately, most notably 127 Hours and the 1972 Uruguayan plane crash.
It's almost hard to believe what they went through, even before getting trapped in the mountains. They got lost, had to carve their own trail, got lost, attacked by Indians, and almost died of thirst on the Salt Lake flats. That's before they got trapped in the...more
Stewart's writing style is a bit romantic here, but such an awesome adventure. Contemporary Donner Party historians have blamed Stewart and other older researchers for painting the good guys vs bad guys a bit too black and white, but it's obvious that some participants really did show their true colors in the face of adversity. Did Keseberg really prefer the taste of human flesh, even when oxen meat became available after the thaw? Who knows, but it makes a dramatic story. And Stewart has certai...more
I couldn't put this book down. It was one of the most powerful I have ever read and almost unbelievable. The experience of the Donner Party is one that is impossible for most of us to imagine. There were passages that brought tears to my eyes.
This book will leave you paralyzed with wonder and with horror. The Donner Party saga may be one of the greatest stories of all time that is both triumphant and terrible.
The Donner Party was a group of 87 American pioneers who set out in a wagon train heade...more
This book will leave you paralyzed with wonder and with horror. The Donner Party saga may be one of the greatest stories of all time that is both triumphant and terrible.
The Donner Party was a group of 87 American pioneers who set out in a wagon train heade...more
I read this book while passing through the Sierra Madre, the scene of the tragic emigration party, on a passenger train. The country is rugged and beautiful, but apparently merciless in winter. The Donners and others in their party suffered brutal hardships while enroute to a new life in California. Ironically, these travelers were rich in material goods when they started their journey. They had oxen, cattle, horses, and household goods as well as cash in gold coins. The livestock was lost - att...more
This book absolutely blew me away. I had heard of the Donner Party and knew something of their fate, but nothing can prepare you for their full story.
Most people know the story of the Donner Party but I doubt many know of the 5 rescue attempts that were made to save them. Men like the heroic Charles Stanton and William Eddy in addition to James Reed made every attempt to save the lives of the victims and this story is just as much theirs as it is the Donner Party survivors. James Reed's story alone is a miracle.
In 2005 when I lived in Sacramento Jenny and I camped at the original site of the Donner Party near the lake and I actually caught so...more
In 2005 when I lived in Sacramento Jenny and I camped at the original site of the Donner Party near the lake and I actually caught so...more
I've never read anything by George Stewart before and discovered him by way of Wallace Stegner's "Big Rock Candy Mountain". This was truly a page turner and well written. It was written in 1936 so was probably the first book about that incident. He seems to have done a lot of research; quite a few of the people had left journals and of course about half of them survived. He mentions that one of the survivors was still alive at the time of his writing but he/she must have been pretty old as the o...more
This book is required reading around here for all middle school and high school students. While some of the book is a bit dated and reveals some racial prejudices, most of the information is pretty sound. The author tells the story of the Donner party in a narrative with a few excerpts from journals, letters and other sources added. I liked this approach because focusing on the emotions of the situation rather than just the facts made this a much more interesting read. I knew the basic story bef...more
I picked up a used copy of this book on a whim, because I was tired of reading fiction and have an affinity for adventure/survival biographies. Ordeal by Hunter did not disappoint. In it, Steward provides a meticulously researched, historically accurate account of the plight of the 87 pioneers who set out for California from Illinois in the spring of 1846, and follows them as they make a series of unfortunate route choices while crossing from Wyoming to California. They traveled an essentially u...more
We just don’t know how good we have it today! I can’t even image traveling across country to California in a wagon, with all my worldly possessions and leaving loved ones behind. But that is what thousands of pioneers did to build our cities and towns. This is the story of one tragic crossing in 1846. The Donner party consisted of 87 people and was getting a late start in the season. They were duped by trail leader who claimed he knew a way that would take 350 miles off the trip and save them ma...more
This book was fascinating. I was not familiar with the Donner Party's ordeal until I heard some snippets from this book on NPR a few times (mostly from the very early part of their travels). I found a copy at the local library and could hardly put it down once I started.
The story of the Donners and those who travelled with them on that fated journey is absolutely amazing. It seemed every paragraph found new, terrible challenges these people faced. The author does a decent job of balancing the de...more
The story of the Donners and those who travelled with them on that fated journey is absolutely amazing. It seemed every paragraph found new, terrible challenges these people faced. The author does a decent job of balancing the de...more
I found the subject interesting and I enjoyed how Stewart framed the survival narrative as a type of microcosm. His narrative approach to history made for a compelling, but sometimes questionable read, as he often found the need to look for heroes or villains and I often caught him slipping into calling historical people 'characters'. Stewart's unfortunate (and at the time of writing, common and reflective of the society in which he was writing) attitudes to native peoples, Mexicans and new immi...more
I first heard of this book while visiting Lake Tahoe and hearing it mentioned as a Book Club read for a group of Mormon woman. Then on our way home we stopped by the Donner Memorial State Park. There is a statue that showed how high the snow was that winter, over 25 feet. I looked about on that summer day and tried to envision what that would be like. But was unable. I knew I wanted learn more about this experience, so decided to find the book. The book at times is hard to go through because of...more
Apr 04, 2009
Renee
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Renee by:
forced to read for History of california class
Shelves:
forced-to-read
This book has scarred me. I know cannibalism wasn't even that much of the story but I just couldn't get over it. Especially the last part about the German guy left at the cabins. I wonder how much of this work is embellished. I have given up meat for a year now (before I read this) but it hasn't been until I read this that I am grossed out by meat. I can't even hear the words meat, limb, flesh...ect. without being disturbed. But other than that, it's an easy and somewhat...enjoyable? read.
Dated writing, but a very detailed accounting of the trials of these California pioneers. Half the book is them getting into trouble through following bad advice and bad weather. The second half is the story of the rescue almost footstep by bloody footstep through the snow. Shows just how tough people can be and how they can survive.
Today, "Ordeal By Hunger" is rather dated if only because there are no visuals. The maps are poorly detailed. But for those yet unaware of this historical footnote, "Ordeal By Hunger" should be the first step towards understanding the dark side of the human experience. Thus, there is wisdom to be found in these pages.
Having grown up in California this is a story very familiar to me. It is a story I think about at least twice a year as we go back and forth through the Donner Pass on our way to California. This story always begs the question, "Could I do what they did to survive?" I have never been able to answer it.
I grew up in this country. I spent summers with a friend whose cabin was situated on Donner lake. I skied those mountains as a teenager. How any of them survived is a miracle. There is a museum at Donner that is worth checking out. " Never take no shortcuts and hurry along the way...."
Mar 16, 2012
Heather Angel
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone that enjoys True Life Survival stories
This book was one of the few I have ever read that at certain sections, I had to put down after every few pages it was so incredible and difficult to read what the Donner Party had to endure. It is very well written and if you have the stomach for it, would be hard to put down.
A strange and sad story. It's about much more than the cannibalism it's famous for; some of the heroism of the individuals in the party and the rescue parties is amazing. In some ways, this reminded me of The Terror, a novel about an arctic expedition, you have a bunch of westerners struggling to survive and cross the pass and natives who seem to travel light and move quickly.
This book is very interesting right now I'm only on about page 10 but its about the Donner Party trying to survive in the wilderness. This tale is about men who are stripped down from everything and in order to survive the harsh cold weathers to make it.
I am always interested in books dealing with historical happenings. This was good but it was slow in parts - I suppose that would be because a fair amount of time the Donner party spent just hunkering down due to the cold.
The basic story of the Donner party is known, but this book is well worth reading for the rest of the story: of despair (which does not triumph in the end), of courage in the face of unbelievable odds and of the heroism of rescuer and rescued alike. The party followed a new, shorter 'cut off' that ended up being a mistake: they had to cut new roads, put up with the harassment of Indians, and ultimately misjudged time. You find yourself early in the story saying 'don't stop! Don't rest'....but ke...more
Everyone remembers the Donner party for cannibalism. This book made me realize that this was only a minor part of what this group endured, and atrocious as cannibalism is they saw even worse aspects of humanity.
Originally written in the 1930s, Stewart does an excellent job of creating and telling the story from original materials. 25 years later, Steward made revisions and clarifications based on further scholarship since the books original publication. Honestly, I skimmed through most of this m...more
Originally written in the 1930s, Stewart does an excellent job of creating and telling the story from original materials. 25 years later, Steward made revisions and clarifications based on further scholarship since the books original publication. Honestly, I skimmed through most of this m...more
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George Rippey Stewart was an American toponymist, a novelist, and a professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley. He is best known for his only science fiction novel Earth Abides (1949), a post-apocalyptic novel, for which he won the first International Fantasy Award in 1951. It was dramatized on radio's Escape and inspired Stephen King's
The Stand
.
His 1941 novel Storm , featuri...more
More about George R. Stewart...
His 1941 novel Storm , featuri...more
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