The Standard Reader
Books in Brief The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey, by Candice Millard (Doubleday, 432 pp., $26). The Theodore Roosevelt history remembers is the effervescent, tough-talking...
...Most caught malaria, dysentery, or some enervating parasite...
...Grueling tropical conditions consisted of intense humidity and heat, torrential rains, and a river made up of steep cascades and waterfalls that are not easily navigated...
...The River of Doubt is named for the uncharted Amazon tributary that spelled near-doom for the former president and his supporting cast of 20 men...
...In this seldom-revisited chapter of Roosevelt's life, during his daring scientific expedition to the Amazon jungles, following his failed attempt at a third term in 1912, Roosevelt was overtly frustrated, fatigued, and sick beyond comprehension...
...Candice Millard paints a thorough, gripping portrait of Roosevelt and his journey to South America...
...Eventually, the expedition took its toll: One man drowned, one was murdered, and the remaining men were left to fend for themselves while rationing food and trapping obscure wild animals to eat...
...The River of Doubt is a masterful description of personal determination and the will to live despite the worst possible odds...
...Each time he faced personal tragedy or weakness, he found his strength...
...This is a sobering account of TR not only at his most inspiring and courageous, but also near the end of his tether...
...While this is an accurate portrayal of TR, there was one particular instance when he stared at the face of death, and contemplated suicide...
...As the weeks passed, Roosevelt and his men soon realized they were in a difficult race against time and the elements...
...Roosevelt had always been known as someone who moved incessantly, always seeking "still greater tests . . . experiences that came to shape his personality and inform his most impressive achievements," and while he believed an excursion to the Brazilian jungle would be anything but strenuous ("uneventful"), those who knew him well understood he would find some way to make this particular journey interesting...
...Roosevelt jumped at the chance without knowing that the Rio Duvida was not only unexplored, but also demanding and unforgiving—its final destination, a mystery...
...And the terrain was horrible: Whenever the men approached waterfalls they could not navigate, they were compelled to carry their cargo down steep slopes, portaging through the jungle, always at the risk of being attacked by the invisible indigenes they never saw, but always seemed to hear, or animals threatening to attack...
...She depicts his decision to travel to South America as a coping mechanism...
...Yet, as Mil-lard points out, even at his most vulnerable, Theodore Roosevelt embodied strength: "Each time he encountered an obstacle, he responded with more vigor, more energy, more raw determination...
...Readers get a glimpse not only of how difficult surviving the Amazon can be, but also of the psychology of man's survival, especially when he is driven to a point of utter exhaustion and frustration, with no hope in sight...
...He also wanted to add to his lengthy list of travels in search of scientific and historic achievement...
...He had become horribly ill from malnutrition, a severely infected leg, and merciless jungle circumstances...
...The Theodore Roosevelt history remembers is the effervescent, tough-talking warrior who never walked away from a struggle, regardless of circumstances...
...This is an altogether different Roosevelt, anything but the paragon of vigor...
...Millard is worth reading for her contribution to the shelf of Roosevelt books, but mainly for her portrayal of TR at his most vulnerable, yet in many ways at his best—victorious even in the face of death...
...Once in South America, TR's Brazilian guide promised him an opportunity to venture onto a dangerous, unsur-veyed river...
...Walter S. Montano...
...But TR was willing, and probably eager, to face impregnable odds, as he readily admitted that he had already "lived and enjoyed as much of life . . . and if it is necessary for me to leave my bones [there], I am quite ready to do so...
...Roosevelt suffered most, succumbing to malaria, a persistent fever, and other ailments, and nearly died more than once...
...TR could not get past his defeat at the polls, and his aim was to embark on a journey that would enliven his circumstances...
Vol. 12 • January 2007 • No. 17
