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)

A story that I have been told since I was a kid

Great story all the way around. I enjoyed looking up locations on maps. The narrator was easy to understand.

Worth the time

Excellent story and performance. Details how amazing the Corps of Discovery expedition under Lewis and Clark was.

Very informative depiction of Lewis and Clark.

loved it. very detailed showing lots of different viewpoints on the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Narrator's Not as bad as people say.

Narrator's Not as bad as people say. It could be worse not perfect but also people complain too much.

Undaunted Courage

An in-depth look at the Lewis and Clark Exhibition. We travel on their journey, meet the Indians they met. Discover their discoveries of animal, trees and plants. Most interesting, is learning about Lewis and Clark, the men. I highly recommend this book.

Wow

Feels like I went with them. Easy to listen to. Very informative! This was new depth for me concerning the core of discovery and the Lewis and Clark adventure, so I cannot speak to the truths and historical facts like others can. Great connection to the politics of the day and as they related specifically to this event. Let’s raise a glass to Sacagawea.

This is a do not miss story of a remarkable adventure and life

The first chapters start out a bit slow as they are laying an important foundation for the adventures and marvels to come. I have a completely new understanding of and appreciation for Meriwether Lewis.

How daring of a exploration this was - I had no idea

I thought it was fascinating. The focus was primarily on Lewis, I would have liked to have heard more of the biography of Clark - that is my only critique and not even enough to highly recommend. One of the best non-fiction books I have read.

Excellent chronicle of the famous expedition

Ambrose brings Lewis and his times to life in this excellent biography focused on the Lewis & Clark expedition. Agree with others that the detailed preparation leading to the trip was too long and that the return journey was rather abrupt. Apart from the details on the physical challenges of the expedition, I appreciated Ambrose’s comments on key decisions by the captains and their interactions with the indigenous peoples, which provided more context.

The narrator however has a tinny annoying and robotic delivery that made it challenging to continue. I persevered by listening at a faster speed.

A True American Adventure

I loved the content of this book, I was looking for a tale of courage and adventure in America and this was it. Lewis and Clark, along with their crew, accomplished so much with what little they had in terms of technological, medical, and other type of advancements in their day and age. Stephen Ambrose did a masterful job at weaving in their first-hand journal entries along with other useful sources to place you along the journey yourself. Only negative was the narration as others have mentioned. It felt like the book was inserted into a robotic text-to-speech generator. It was an abrasive listen in that regard but I forced my ears to adapt and got through it.