The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard

I absolutely loved this book.  Alex and Nate read it too and Joe will soon.  She is a great writer and I love this adventure.  It gave me such respect and understanding for Teddy Roosevelt!

Here’s a review by Nik Dirga:

Now, in The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey, author Candice Millard examines just one fascinating year in Roosevelt’s life. After a painful loss running as an independent for a third presidential term in 1912, TR needed something dynamic to keep his mind occupied. Instead of leaning back and relaxing, he decided to take on an ambitious South American tour, and throw some pioneering exploration in along the way. The destination? “The River of Doubt,” a 600-mile long waterway in the heart of the Amazon only recently discovered, completely uncharted.

At this time — 1913 — much of the Amazon was utterly mysterious, with only a few outposts. Entire tribes of Indians remained to be discovered. The river turned out to be full of rapids, waterfalls and obstacles for the small party of Roosevelt, his son Kermit, a few helpers and a crew of camaradas, Brazilian laborers.