Desperate Passage

The Donner Party's Perilous Journey West

By: Ethan Rarick

Narrated by: Christopher Prince

Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

In late October 1846, the last wagon train of that year's westward migration stopped overnight before resuming its arduous climb over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, unaware that a fearsome storm was gathering force. After months of grueling travel, the 81 men, women and children would be trapped for a brutal winter with little food and only primitive shelter. The conclusion is known: by spring of the next year, the Donner Party was synonymous with the most harrowing extremes of human survival. But until now, the full story of what happened--and what it tells us about human nature and about America's westward expansion--remained shrouded in myth.

Drawing on fresh archeological evidence, recent research on topics ranging from survival rates to snowfall totals, and heartbreaking letters and diaries made public by descendants a century-and-a-half after the tragedy, Ethan Rarick offers an intimate portrait of the Donner party and their unimaginable ordeal: a mother who must divide her family, a little girl who shines with courage, a devoted wife who refuses to abandon her husband, a man who risks his life merely to keep his word. Rarick resists both the gruesomely sensationalist accounts of the Donner party as well as later attempts to turn the survivors into archetypal pioneer heroes. "The Donner Party," Rarick writes, "is a story of hard decisions that were neither heroic nor villainous. Often, the emigrants displayed a more realistic and typically human mixture of generosity and selfishness, an alloy born of necessity."

A fast-paced, heart-wrenching, clear-eyed narrative history, Desperate Passage casts new light on one of America's most horrific encounters between the dream of a better life and the harsh realities such dreams so often must confront.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2009 Ethan Rarick (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Desperate for sure!

What did you love best about Desperate Passage?

I cannot say enough about this book. What an incredible story. One of the best things about this book is that there is quite a bit of psychological insight to the mindset of these people.

I highly recommend this book.

Wow

Couldn't stop listening and I never write reviews! The story was very easy to follow even with many differs characters involved.

Horror...suspenseful...but ultimately inspiring

What other book might you compare Desperate Passage to and why?

Many true artic and sea survival stories...but much closer to home and more powerful...

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Several...but I won't spoil the story...

Any additional comments?

Well worth the listen...interesting history of American exploration and expansion westward...with details of daily life and personal accounts from journals, diaries, and letters... a fascinating look back into the past...

It made me imagine..." what if...???"

loads of information

a unique and honest perspective of an infamous American tragedy. The author weaves the tale from the onset of the adventure and culminates in a reflective pondering of the trials of humanity.

Outstanding

I have read many books on the Donner party. This one is so riveting and full of things we didn’t know. Outstanding.

You Think You Know The Story But You Don't!

Wow! I bought this book on sale and waited months to listen to it because a) I thought I knew the story already (pioneers caught in the dead of winter with no food forced to partake in cannibalism blah blah blah) and b) I thought it might be kind of boring but I couldn't have more wrong! One day I ran out of books to listen to and found this one in my library so I decided to give it a try and all I can say is WOW! This book is brilliantly written, the details have been thoroughly researched and the narrator is excellent! I found this story so engaging I did not want to turn it off! After it was over I told EVERYONE I knew about it!

The story itself is probably one of the most difficult I've ever listened to and yet it tells of a part of history I feel every person should know. Descriptions of the suffering and pain these people endured is in depth and not for the faint at heart however it's also so much more than just about the gore! So much more than JUST cannibalism and that is saying a lot!

This book made me appreciate my life, made me not want to complain or stress out over stupid things but above all this book gave me an excellent perspective on not only how much suffering, neglect & pain one can endure but how truly STRONG the human spirit is and how the will to live can turn a simple human into a super human!

This book is incredible! If you're hesitant to buy it just remember this is not the story you read in high school. You may think you already know this story but until you listen to this book you really don't!

Sorry, couldn't enjoy this

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not really. I would have much rather enjoyed another more captivating book.

Would you ever listen to anything by Ethan Rarick again?

Possibly. Depends.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator sounds like a dad scolding his 10 year old son up in the bedroom. The tone could be expressed by the phrase " How many times have I told you not to etc., etc, etc, "

Did Desperate Passage inspire you to do anything?

No.

Any additional comments?

I appreciate the research put into Desperate Passage but it could have been written in a more concise manner, and certainly could have had a better narrator.

Fascinating, entertaining

Would you listen to Desperate Passage again? Why?

Yes, because so much is missed with the first listen.

What did you like best about this story?

Love history.

What does Christopher Prince bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Expression

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, Thank you.

Any additional comments?

No, Thank you.

VERY INTERESTING

Any additional comments?

This book taught me a lot about this time era of the pioneers and the harsh stuff these people went through. Amazing what they did and has made me very greatful I haven't had to travel on foot and live through the conditions they had too.

Excellent

The tale opens up a view of the overland emigrant that shows their fallibility and strength. Not ghoulish, but showing the depth of emotions and conflicts of the travelers. Well worth reading.