The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey | 
 enlarge | Author: Candice Millard
Publisher: Broadway
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $8.43
You Save: $6.52 (44%)
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Rating:  202 reviews
Sales Rank: 3372
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 0767913736
Dewey Decimal Number: 918.113045
EAN: 9780767913737
ASIN: 0767913736
Publication Date: October 10, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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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, Candido 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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 197 more reviews...
 Best book I've read in a long time August 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If the events in this book weren't so well documented I would have accused the author of making them up to increase the drama. I haven't been so engaged in a story in a long time.
An amazing story, extremely well excuted by the author.
 Rich Guys do Dumb Stuff --Surprise? August 14, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I really looked forward to this book and will give it kudos for being nicely written. Quite frankly though I found the story lame. It follows the poor planning, bad decision making, and vast ego of Teddy Roosevelt. He picks the wrong people and endangers many others for an expedition that if anyone else were involved the book would be called Fools Rush In. Right from the start you know their doomed and sure enough its let the suffering begin. By the time the book was over I hoped never to hear another thing about good old Teddy and his over indulged family again. He stands despite attempts in the book to make him bigger than life an exploded ego driven by celebrity. If your a Teddy fan I'd pass on this book. If you like reading about people making really dumb decisions (ie picking a guy who failed at an artic expedition to plan you tropical one) and almost dying from them then this is the book for you.
 Like watching the history channel July 31, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I first bought this for my brother in law, and he couldn't stop raving about it. I had planned on buying myself a copy at some point anyway, but after hearing him talk about it, I decided to buy it a little sooner than planned. I wasn't sure what to expect from it, but it turned out to be a very good read. It's not written as an adventure novel - It's simply a play-by-play of what happened, and what some of the participants wrote about it. One could liken it to watching something on the History Channel - basically just giving the facts, but less dry than being told in a textbook. The passages of quoted letters, etc. work like the personal commentaries would - just giving a little extra insight to what the people were feeling. What I really liked about it though, was that it didn't focus solely on Roosevelt and his party - you also were given insight into the previously unknown inhabitants of the rainforest (both people and animals). The author also didn't try to paint the native people as "savages". While their violent acts were depicted, their reasons for such were explained. Their way of life, of "kill or be killed" was how they survived the violent unpredictable world around them. I think Millard did a wonderful job with this book, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who's even remotely interested in history.
A Real Gem July 26, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought this book on a whim, not knowing much about Teddy Roosevelt and knowing nothing about his voyage to the Amazon region. What an eye-opening book this was for me. I learned so much about this great historical figure and his adventure. It's so much more than a history book, though. There is geography, Brazilian culture and a whole lot of Amazonian biology that together combine to form a fascinating read. While the river may be called "The River of Doubt", there is no doubt that the author has extensively researched this book to produce a real gem of a non-fiction read. Highly recommended.
Wonderful book...where have the heros gone? July 9, 2008
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a magnificently written book about a true American hero. This is not a book about a photo op failed man. The book focuses on the important issues of preparation for an endeavor; but, the focus is through the eyes of people with "true grit." It is a must read in this current era of failed preparation. It is beyond belief that the Washington Post would write "...imagine it: George W. Bush loses re-election by a landslide and, undeterred by the humiliation of it all, sets off on a journey of unspeakable danger and hardship into the darkest depths of the Amazon jungle." George W. Bush would never set off on such a journey because he is a coward, an alcoholic personality, who would not survive one minute in the real world of Teddy Roosevelt. It is an insult to Teddy, to his true grit and to America to confuse a silver spoon idiot such as George W. Bush with a true American hero like T. Roosevelt. This book is a must read for fans of Teddy and for those who wish to better understand the struggles of this American icon.
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