For some reason I don’t often read history books set in this time period – the first ten years of the 1900s. At first thought it seems like a great time to be alive. There were plenty of things still to discover on the face of the earth, plenty of mysteries to explore and it took a month to get from America to Brazil by ship. But then I think that antibiotics were still 10-20 years away and my mind changes quickly.
This book was all about Theodore Roosevelt’s trip down the River of Doubt – which was renamed to Roosevelt River. The book details how the idea got into the former president’s head, and includes the preparations, choosing companions, and of course the trip itself. Luckily it was well-documented at the time, and all the details were re-written to bring things to life. It is a great travel story along with a whole lot of historical background to put things into perspective.
The writer’s style was a little bothersome for me – they seemed to always be overemphasizing the hardship of the explorers on this trip. When things went well for them the author explains all the terrible things that might happened, and brings up all the terrible things that happened to previous explorers, bringing in horror stories from other expeditions. I get it – it was no picnic – but the author really wanted to get across that this was a harrowing journey.
Towards the end of the book they describe the exhausted Roosevelt riding in the boat down the river, and the book said that he had to sit on metal cans rather than a comfortable seat – but the author added in that the metal cans were hard-edged, to really make us feel bad for Roosevelt’s poor behind.
And the section on some of the parasites and where they might enter the human body – yikes!
But I learned a lot from the book and it was an enjoyable read. I’m glad I wasn’t born in that particular age of adventure.
Next I am reading Offseason by Avigayl Sharp.
