Rating: 
Summary: Triumphant and Tragic
Review: Were it not for fascinating books of American history, like this one, episodes of our illustrious, and tragic, past might be easily forgotten. That the Lewis and Clark expedition is an interesting story is an understatement, but what sets this book apart from other interesting books of history is that Ambrose does not allow the reader to shelter himself/herself from the hard personal questions about leadership and personal tragedy. I found myself reflecting on my own style of leadership, and my own personal failures and triumphs. A novel of exploration could not have been better written nor conceived.
Rating: 
Summary: A detailed history lesson w/something missing
Review: Like many Americans, my knowledge of the Lewis & Clark expedition was from high school history books and a visit to the St. Louis arch. For those of you in my shoes wanting to learn more, this is a great starting place for a general overview of this sadly overlooked episode in our history. Some reviewers here think the book started out slowly. There is some truth to that, but without background information, a lot of the author's analysis of different situations would not make sense. For example, Ambrose discusses the lack of crop rotation by Virginia tobacco farmers and their insatiable appetite for more land at length. Later, this discussion makes sense because it partly explains (among other reasons) Jefferson's desire to make the Louisiana Purchase and to pursue the dream of Western expansion to the Pacific. Overall, the book is detailed and interesting as it puts together information from a lot of other scholarly sources. Ambrose is clearly an expert on the subject and you'll finish the book thinking you are too. However, I found it a bit disappointing for 2 reasons: 1) Sacagewea's role as interpreter/guide does not seem as important to the success of the venture as the author would like us to believe (I wanted more details about her--even some physical description of her was lacking except the comment that she was a mere 15 yrs. old at the start), and 2)the slow disintegration of Lewis in the end left me feeling deprived of a satisfactory explanation for the way it came about. This last criticism may not be the result of any flaw in the book, but a result of the frustration many historians feel over the lack of concrete information available. Even Ambrose thinks about "what if's" in the end. What if Lewis had not returned, what if he had published his journals immediately, what if his life hadn't ended so young? Would he now be a bigger hero rather than a fading memory?
Rating:
Summary: Explore strange new worlds, meet new people, kill things!
Review: Like all of Stephen Ambrose's books, "Undaunted Courage" is very well written, extensively researched, fascinating, and entertaining. I strongly recommend this book, as well as other Ambrose books like "Citizen Soldiers." Having said all that, and even though I think "Undaunted Courage" is overall an excellent (4 stars) book, I have several problems with it. First, as Ambrose himself laments several times, there are large gaps in Lewis' journals (for unkown reasons, although possibly related to spells of serious depression?), which means that some of the most interesting parts of the Lewis and Clark expedition are essentially blank voids or at best second-hand or lesser accounts. This is a tremendous loss to history, and possibly irretrievable. Highly unfortunate -- and a major bummer! Second, although Lewis was excellent at recording important details of flora, fauna, latitude and longitude, he is absolutely clueless (or uninterested) -- as Ambrose also admits/laments -- about human emotions, especially his own. Although Ambrose tries to fill in the gaps, Lewis' lack of psychological/emotional awareness severely harms his narrative (the most glaring is Lewis' rapid deterioration from heroic expedition leader to alcoholic, drug addict, and ultimate suicide. Unfortunately, we really have no clue why this was the case.) Meanwhile, Lewis makes matters even worse by combining his emotional/psychological myopia with a nearly unremitting, condescending, patronizing attitude towards blacks, women, and Indians. Admittedly, this was in character with aristocratic, slave-owning, Southern white males of his day, but still, I personally find it to be a constant annoyance, at the least. Also, Lewis' actions at various points were extremely reckless, and potentially disastrous, based largely on his view of the Indians as children/simpletons who could be manipulated at will. Great commander and leader? Questionable at best! Finally, although Lewis and Clark's expedition certainly was an amazing one, I couldn't help but feel a sense of disguist and sadness at both the behavior of Lewis and his men (I understand the danger of applying today's moral standards to history, but still!). Basically, what we're witnessing here, when you remove all the romanticism and adventure, is an esentially cold-blooded, realpolitik stab by young America at empire building, which in the end would lead to brutal destruction and near-total devastation (of Native Americans and the buffalo, for starters), and ultimately the creation of a country where even all WHITE MEN (let alone non-whites and women)were (are?) not equal. What we're also witnessing if we look below the surface romanticism of the whole expedition (and also the knowledge gained, which is impressive and important) is a bunch of young American men cutting an amoral, not-particularly-attractive swath through Louisiana territory, across the Rockies, to the Pacific and back, leaving a trail of destruction, deception, and disease in their wake.
Rating:
Summary: Undaunted Courage
Review: I was given this book as a gift by my future Father-in-Law who is a big Lewis & Clark fan. I started reading because...well he was my future father-in-law, come on! What I wasn't prepared for was the way in which Ambrose is able to project his love of Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery onto the reader.Ambrose is able to skillfully blend the text of the original journals with his own prose in such a way as to keep you feeling a sense of dialogue within historical non-fiction. His descriptions of the sights that the expeditioners saw and excite the mind and inspire a person to want to follow the trail. If you ever thought that the Lewis & Clark journey was not worth much more than the paragraph it gets in most history books, you'll be pleasantly surprised and intrigued to find a lot more depth here. The book does slow down near the end, however. Once Lewis & Clark return to St. Louis from their amazing journey, the book becomes extremely anti-climactic.
Rating:
Summary: Undaunted Reading
Review: Ambrose does a splendid job of making the Lewis and Clark voyage come alive again for the 21st Century reader. This work provides a helpful glimpse into Jefferson and Lewis that is not often heard. Becoming familiar with this story makes one appreciate the bravery and adventurous spirit of those that went before us in America's history. The start is a little slow due to voluminous details, but once the voyage reaches St. Louis, the book keeps the reader on the edge of his seat. Ambrose's passion for Lewis and Jefferson makes the reader feel like he or she is a companion with Lewis and Clark on their expedition across the country and an advisor for Jefferson in the White House. Instead of analyzing history, Ambrose succeeds fairly well in helping us relive it. There are points where Ambrose is a bit overconfident in his explanations, but this doesn't tarnish his marvelously informative and entertaining work. Too bad Ambrose couldn't change the tragic outcome of Lewis' life at the end.
Rating:
Summary: Undaunted Courage
Review: This book reads like a best selling novel, only it's true. If our high schools would use books like Undaunted Courage, history classes would become real for students. I've read several Ambrose books and for me this was the best. I very seldom read books twice, but after two months I zoomed back through this one.
Rating:
Summary: True Americana--Fascinating!
Review: I just read Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose and I can't get enough of the Lewis and Clark expedition. I was so taken by Mr. Ambrose's book that I'm now planning a vacation this summer in part to discover the Lewis and Clark trail. Thank you Mr. Ambrose! You've gotten me re-interested in one of my passions in life--the study of American History! Steve in Berea, Kentucky
Rating:
Summary: The Adventure of a Lifetime
Review: Ambrose is a great storyteller of history. His narrative of UNDAUNTED COURAGE reads like a novel, he paints colorful pictures of the land and wildlife and his characters come to life. I've read just about every book Ambrose has written (his work on W.W. II is unsurpassed), however, I believe this is his best work. This is really what Ambrose loves. His family has spent years of summers following in Lewis and Clark's footsteps. Some people buy a cd for just one song; some see a movie because of one scene from the previews. I think you would buy this book just for pages 464-465 (hardcover edition). The power of these two pages stirs deep poignant emotions of life and death. They are the two best pages written in any history book I've read. Buy it and see for yourself. You'll find yourself revisiting, many times, this journey that helped make our country what is today.
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational Insight
Review: I began reading this book on an airplane flying from Washington's Dulles airport in Virginia to San Francisco. While not exactly the route of Lewis & Clark, it was similar. I was struck by the incredible challenges faced by these explorers, and the ease and speed of my journey, both to accomplish the same thing, travel from Washington to the Pacific Ocean and back again. The hardships encountered by the Lewis & Clark party, and the commitment needed to complete the journey are nothing less than amazing, and truly inspirational.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best American History books ever written
Review: Not to be hyperbolic, but Stephen Ambrose has written a history book that should be required reading in every American high school. He brings the Lewis and Clark story to life with such vibrancy that the book reads like adventure fiction. Surprises abound for those only marginally familiar with the Lewis and Clark story. One simply cannot underestimate their contribution to their country. Most fascinating is Ambrose's critique of them as military commanders, which they were. Simply put, an outstanding and monumental historical work.
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