Undaunted Courage

By: Stephen E. Ambrose

Narrated by: Barrett Whitener

Length: 21 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to lead a voyage up the Missouri River, across the forbidding Rockies, and - by way of the Snake and Columbia rivers - down to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis and his partner, Captain William Clark, endured incredible hardships and witnessed astounding sights. With great perseverance, they worked their way into an unexplored West. When they returned two years later, they had long since been given up for dead.

Undaunted Courage is supported by a variety of colorful characters: Jefferson and his vision of the West; Clark, the artist and mapmaker; and Lewis, the enigma, who led brilliantly but considered the mission a failure. After suffering several periods of depression - and despite his status as national hero - Lewis died mysteriously, apparently by his own hand.

©1996 Ambrose-Tubbs Inc. (P)1996 Books on Tape Inc., All Rights Reserved

Critic reviews

"... a swiftly moving, full-dress treatment of the expedition." (The New York Times Book Review)
"Ambrose's epic, a combination of rhapsody and reality, feels like a final glimpse at a pristine Eden before the crowd of trappers and settlers altered it forever." ( Booklist)

Lewis and Sherlock Holmes

The parallel between Holmes and Lewis are amazing. Both manic depressives and drug abusers. It's astonishing that Lewis was able to accomplish what he did and that he was so revered by both Jefferson and Clark with emotional issues he had. It was a great story!

Great history

This is a well written history of the Lewis and Clark expedition. I remember studying a little about them, but this gives a solid understanding of, not only what they did, but what they had to endure. He gives a lot of the back story of the journey, which at times gets a little bogged down. It is a non-fiction book, so it is not always fun and exciting, but I found it very interesting.

Great historical story

Especially written for the historical layperson. Ambrose includes enough detail and historical references to give you all the context and color you need without turning it into a stuffy textbook. Everyone should know the history of Lewis and Clark; they are the American equivalents of Columbus, Magellan, Cook, etc. Excellent audiobook!

moving

We need more real heros like these men. American history is so deap and exciting, young poeople should be following these stories over todays hollywood junk.

Lessons in Leadership

Until recently, a long ago but decidedly substandard curriculum I'd had to study American history, with its deadly dull textbooks, relegated Lewis and Clark to little more than historical cardboard cut-outs. Stephen Ambrose brought the great explorers and their journey to life. Ambrose emphasizes the complete loyalty between the captains - Lewis refused to consider his fellow explorer anything else but a captain, despite a lowered army rank and official snub of Clark - and how they motivated, inspired and controlled the Corps of Discovery through thousands of miles of wilderness. With few exceptions, Lewis and Clark knew when to push forward, and when to turn back. They knew when to discipline and when to allow the men "a dram." The contributions of Sacajawea, and the Mandan and Nez Perce Indians were far braver and more critical to expedition’s success than the history books describe. Best of all is how Ambrose's vivid description of events, large and small, that make the listener feel as if they are watching the party from the other side of the riverbank. Grizzly bears die hard hours after multiple gunshots; Lewis shoots Class 5 rapids on the Columbia river in a dugout canoe; the medicines and careful treatments dispensed by the leaders, who had no physician along; and the agonizingly slow and laborious process of pulling three fully loaded boats upstream the shallow Missouri River. At the end of the story, you wonder, along with Ambrose, what Lewis was looking Westward for in those last moments of despair along the Natchez Trace. Capably narrated by Barrett Whitener, this ranks as one of the best audiobooks I have listened to from among dozens. I also recommend the National Geographic Documentary on Lewis and Clark, as well as Bernard DeVoto's "The Journals of Lewis and Clark" for the reader who wants to further immerse themself in one of the greatest explorations of American history.

good book

loved it. Full of history and accompanied woth great voice. Easy to listen to. liked.

Definitive.

An amazing effort of research and writing. a credit to the author as well as Lewis.

Ambrose Never Disappoints

Great story. I listened to it because I wanted to hear about the Lewis and Clark expedition, so I got impatient towards the end, which drug on too long in my opinion. But Stephen Ambrose is not one to cut corners, so I should have known!

Excellent!

I would highly recommend this book. I felt like I was transported in time with the accounts of Lewis and Clark’s journey so well described.

Great exsplores Lewis and Clark

It is a geat store in the many chapters of our America. Lewis and Clark paved the way for American exspantion in succeeding Generations to come.