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| The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey | 
 enlarge | Author: Candice Millard
Publisher: Broadway
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $6.69
You Save: $8.26 (55%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (211 reviews)
Sales Rank: 2819
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.1 x 1
ISBN: 0767913736
Dewey Decimal Number: 918.113045
EAN: 9780767913737
ASIN: 0767913736
Publication Date: October 10, 2006
Release Date: October 10, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Wonderful and fascinating tale of courage and determination. February 23, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Great book, couldn't put it down. Just one observation, why would an author with such good knowledge on Brazil and the Amazon reagion chooses to spell the city of Manaus as Manaos? As a Brazilian I find that strange.
 Fascinating story of survival February 19, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This remarkable story tells of how Theodore Roosevelt led an expedition down one of the mightiest Amazon tributaries, and lived to tell about it. Candice Millard does a fantastic job of making her readers feel as if they are actually accompanying Roosevelt and his party as they descend into the Amazonian rain forest. Her book is a fabulous account of human courage and survival, as well as a tale about the power of nature. For those of us who live comfortably in the Northern Hemisphere, it is easy to forget how vast, diverse, and deadly tropical rain forests can be. Millard brings this vicious environment to life. [...]
TOUGH AS NAILS February 8, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
TR must have been one of toughest men ever to live in the White House. Until you read books like this you really do not know a person. Very interesting!!
A Great Book About Roosevelt's Character January 31, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Several months ago I highlighted Endurance. (www.hungerisgood.blogspot.com) It was an epic battle of man against nature. At the time, Brad suggested I read The River of Doubt, by Candice Millard. It is a riveting story centering around Theodore Roosevelt's journey down an unexplored river through the Amazon jungles of Brazil in 1914. The expedition was led by Candido Mariano da Salva Rondon, one of Brazil's greatest heroes.
You would think that battling the jungle would be stressful enough, but they also had to contend with a murderer in their midst. Roosevelt's description of the piranaha makes me shiver. He writes, "The head with it's short muzzle, staring malignant eyes, and gaping, cruelly armed jaws, is the embodiment of evil ferocity; and the actions of the fish exactly match its looks."
There is another description of a tiny, almost transparent catfish known as the candiru. They are only about an inch long, and survive solely on blood. They feed in the gill chambers of larger fish, and drop off after having eaten their fill. However, they can be lethal to humans in the wrong circumstances. Candice Millard describes the following:
"In this case, however, the victim reported that, just before the attack, he had been standing in a river urinating, but the water had reached only to his upper thighs, and his penis had not even touched the river, much less been submerged in it. The candiru, he claimed, had abruptly leapt out of the water, shimmied up his urine stream, and disappeared into his urethra. He had made a desperate lunge for the fish, but it was too fast and too slippery. The incident occurred in a small town more than a hundred miles from Manaos, and the local doctors had been at a loss to help the man. By the time he was finally moved to Manaos for treatment, he had been unable to urinate for more than a week, and his stomach has become so distended that he looked six months pregnant. The doctor who eventually operated on him was able to successfully remove the candiru--without resorting to amputation."
Roosevelt survived the journey, but just barely. Through the latter part of the journey bacterial infections and malaria made an almost lethal combination. He never completely regained his health, and died just four years later at the age of 60.
This book is primarily a tribute to Roosevelt. He was a man of courage and iron discipline. As a child he was plagued by asthma, but used harsh physical exercise to conquor his weaknesses. He followed this formula for the rest of his life, and after major setbacks or disappointments, would often retreat into great adventures and will himself to prevail.
Like Endurance, this is a study of leadership. Rondon lead this journey, and Roosevelt would defer to his decisions, but sometimes there would be heated exchanges. The two men had great respect for one another, and after returning to the states, Roosevelt called Rondon one of the four most accomplished explorers of his day.
I have purposely not commented on the good parts. Otherwise, why would you want to read it?
Fascinating and Compelling January 27, 2008
I couldn't put down Candice Millard's engaging account of Theodore Roosevelt's journey through a hostile and unexplored region of the Amazon along the treacherous River of Doubt. It is an amazing tail that conveys the horror, adventure and triumph Roosevelt and his fellow explorers must have experienced.
The account is made even more interesting because of the information Millard weaves through her narrative about the river and Amazon, both of which are central characters in this story. Her experience as a writer for the National Geographic is a real plus.
I recommend this book to readers curious about Pres. Roosevelt, South America, exploration in the early 1900s, or who may simply love a story of adventure and triumph. This book would appeal to them all.
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