The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey in Reading with Style

Oct 02, 2016 Elizabeth (Alaska) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: twenty-first-century, 5-star-reads, history-and-biography, women, xx-2016-women

This is narrative nonfiction at its finest. I had not yet finished when I came here to see what else Millard has published. I already had her Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President on my virtual shelf, and will certainly consider adding the one with Churchill and the Boer War.

This, after an overland route of several hundred miles just to get to the uncharted river of the expedition:

After months of inattention, Roosevelt had now come face to face with t

This is narrative nonfiction at its finest. I had not yet finished when I came here to see what else Millard has published. I already had her Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President on my virtual shelf, and will certainly consider adding the one with Churchill and the Boer War.

This, after an overland route of several hundred miles just to get to the uncharted river of the expedition:

After months of inattention, Roosevelt had now come face to face with the acute logistical shortcomings and rapidly escalating risks that his own casual approach to the expedition and its route had produced. Roosevelt, Rondon, and their men were about to begin the most difficult leg of their journey, but they were already at the limits of their endurance.

As well as danger - this is an adventure story at its heart - there is also humor.

At this early point in the Roosevelt-Rondon Expedition, the insects had already become the bane of the men's existence. On the morning of March 4, Cherrie woke up to find that the poncho that he had spread underneath his hammock the night before was "literally alive with termites." Unfortunately for the expedition, termites swarm during the rainy season. The mass swarming may be an effort to increase their chances for reproducing, or it may better their odds for surviving their countless predators. Whatever the reason for this invasion, every man suffered because of it. The termites ate Cherrie's duffle bag, the red lining of Roosevelt's helmet, and even one leg of the former president' underwear. "When the Colonel held them up for our inspection there was a shout of laughter," Cherrie recalled. "But I don't believe he relished our mirth."

I learned more about the Amazon rain forest than I thought interested me, and I found it fascinating. The obstacles to exploring this barely known river, and the methods the men found to overcome those obstacles were also fascinating. I came to know many of these men. Millard ends her story in what was, for me, a very emotional way. I have insufficient praise for this.

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Jan 04, 2018 Linda rated it it was amazing

An interesting mix of politics and amazing adventure with emphasis on the adventure. Good read!

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Mar 26, 2015 Joy rated it liked it

Shelves: nonfiction, 3-star, audiobook, history, 2015

I would have enjoyed this book more if it contained less of the lengthy and detailed sections on the Amazon's plants and insects and focused more on Teddy Roosevelt. ...more

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Nov 06, 2015 Rachel N. rated it liked it

The story of how Teddy Roosevelt decided to travel down an uncharted river, the River of Doubt, in the Amazon basin. Roosevelt and his crew don't have enough supplies or decent boats for the journey and they barely make it through the trip alive. The book starts off slow and doesn't really pick up until the group reaches the River of Doubt. It is at times a harrowing story but I was so annoyed with the group for going into this situation totally unprepared that it lessened my appreciation for th ...more

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