The River of Doubt

Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey

By: Candice Millard

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

At once an incredible adventure narrative and a penetrating biographical portrait, The River of Doubt is the true story of Theodore Roosevelt's harrowing exploration of one of the most dangerous rivers on earth.

The River of Doubt; it is 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, rapids-choked tributary of the Amazon. Together with his son Kermit and Brazil's most famous explorer, Candido Mariano da Silva Rondon, Roosevelt accomplished a feat so great that many at the time refused to believe it. In the process, he changed the map of the western hemisphere forever.

Along the way, Roosevelt 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. The River of Doubt brings alive these extraordinary events in a powerful nonfiction narrative thriller that happens to feature one of the most famous Americans who ever lived.

From the soaring beauty of the Amazon rain forest to the darkest night of Theodore Roosevelt's life, here is Candice Millard's dazzling debut.

©2005 Candice Miller (P)2005 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"Millard...nails the suspense element of this story perfectly, but equally important to her success is the marvelous amount of detail she provides on the wildlife that Roosevelt and his fellow explorers encountered on their journey, as well as the cannibalistic indigenous tribe that stalked them much of the way." (Publishers Weekly)

more than the man, more than the expedition

wonderful combination of the story of Roosevelt, the story of the expedition down the River of Doubt and the science and sociology of the Brazilian jungle. I learned so much more listening to this book than I ever anticipated and found the details of the ecology just as fascinating as the details of the journey.

Transports you to a time of true savage adventure.

Men were real men. Adventure came with great risk. A president was selfless and ready to give his life so that others wouldn't risk their own on his behalf. I loved it!

😍 mucho bueno

Roosevelt is the man we all wish we could be. He was a man who defined an era. Rip homie

Chasing another like this one

What made the experience of listening to The River of Doubt the most enjoyable?

This was my first audiobook, and I've been chasing similar ones ever since. Well done book.

Keeps your attention chapter after chapter!

You will want to keep reading and not put it down... Author describes every detail and educates throughout the book...

Interesting to me, maybe not every reader

This book is the True story of teddy Roosevelt’s exploration of the Amazon. For me, I loved the detailed description of the hardship of the journey, interaction amongst the players, detailed 411 about the plant life insects Wildlife. Especially because so much is taken from the original diaries of Roosevelt, his son Kermit, and others. This book might not be for everyone, as there are long passages about all of the above and if the reader is not interested in that amount of detail, they might not enjoy it as much

Wonderful book! Teddy Roosvelt! A man upon men!

What an adventure! Could not stop listening! I feel like I was there! You will rethink Amazon and the Amazon river!

The story we need now

Just excellent. I highly recommend this story and this audiobook. All hail the great TR.

Simply Excellent

Candice Millard’s work is always amazing and this is no exception. This is thoroughly researched, yet written with just the right amount of detail and reads like fiction.

Incredible story

Great story and great narrator. This book has got me on a Teddy R kick