Summary
The true story of Theodore Roosevelt's harrowing 1914 exploration of one of the most dangerous rivers on earth, 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 t... Full description
Summary: |
The true story of Theodore Roosevelt's harrowing 1914 exploration of one of the most dangerous rivers on earth, 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 tributary of the Amazon. He 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. Yet he accomplished a feat so great that many at the time refused to believe it.--From publisher description. |
---|---|
Physical Description: |
xi, 416 pages, [16] pages of plates : illustrations ; 21 cm |
Bibliography: |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 395-402) and index. |
ISBN: |
0767913736 9780767913737 |
Author Notes: |
Millard's first book, The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey, was a New York Times bestseller and was named one of the best books of the year by a number of publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, and Christian Science Monitor. The River of Doubt was also a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection and a Book Sense Pick, was a finalist for the Quill Awards, and won the William Rockhill Nelson Award. Millard's second book, The Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine & the Murder of a President, was released in September 2011. Millard's book, Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill, made the New York Times Bestseller list in 2016. (Bowker Author Biography) |