Undaunted Courage : Meriwether Lewis Thomas Jefferson And The Opening Of The American West

Rating:
Summary: America¿s greatest adventure story brilliantly told
Review: "Undaunted Courage" is historian Stephen E. Ambrose's masterfully told and compelling account of The Lewis and Clark expedition, one of the most historically significant journeys of exploration in American history.

Relying extensively on the Journals of Lewis and Clark, Ambrose has put together a highly entertaining, meticulously researched, wonderfully readable, and fast paced narrative that interweaves a fascinating biography of Meriwether Lewis with a spellbinding account of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Ambrose captures completely with his fast-paced narrative the key events of the Lewis and Clark expedition. With a keen eye for detail, he describes the formation of the Corps of Discovery; its ascent to the headwaters of the Missouri River and its many encounters with native tribes along the way; the crossing of the "Great Portage," the Continental Divide, and the Rocky Nountains; and its encampment in November 1805 on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, at the mouth of the Columbia River. Also described is the expedition's return voyage, when the expedition once again searched in vain for a water route to the Pacific, and also when the expedition had its one and only hostile engagement with natives. Finally, Ambrose describes the aftermath of the expedition - how the Journals of Lewis and Clark came to be published, and the divergent (and, for Lewis, ultimately tragic) careers of these two great explorers.

I found Ambrose's portraits of the key players in this real-life drama to be superb! Lewis is a born naturalist with a keen eye for scientific observation. He's also a gifted leader of men, ever conscious of his subordinates' welfare, and always gaining from them loyalty that is complete and willingly given. Clark, the "co-captain" (in reality the second in command), is a less gifted scientist, but equal to Lewis in leadership ability, and in many ways a more talented explorer and map maker. Jefferson, perhaps America's greatest genius of the Age of Enlightenment, is the man possessed with the vision to see that the voyage is undertaken. Sacagawea, the teenage Shoshone girl, kidnapped from her tribe, sold to Canadian traders, and the mother of a newborn son, is possessed with remarkable stoicism and diplomatic skills which become essential to the Corps of Discovery's survival. In addition, Ambrose proves himself to be a first-rate nature writer himself, with his breathtaking descriptions of the flora, fauna, and physical beauty of the American Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, and Pacific Northwest.

"Undaunted Courage" is America's great adventure story, told by one of this nation's foremost contemporary historians and biographers. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Underestimates the reader's imagination and memory
Review: I was disappointed in this book, which I listened to on tape. It was terribly wordy, and took every opportunity to drum in the obvious or reiterate the dangers, deprivations, triumphs, etc. It seems to be a characteristic of popular histories to assume that the reader has no imagination and lots of time, and that fattened-up-by-repetion-or-too-much-detail is better. I did think that the information delivered was interesting and balanced. Still, the L & C expedition, as well as the lives of its participants and leaders, are interesting and inspiring enough not to need alot of commentary.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read!
Review: Just like the great Lewis and Clark expedition, this book gets off to a slow start, but don't give up on it. It takes a while to lay the groundwork for this great true adventure in American history. And, being essentially a biography of Meriwether Lewis, it ends on the sad note of Lewis's suicide, leaving the reader melancholy at the sad ending of perhaps our greatest explorer. But what lies in between the start and the finish is a tremendous work of one of the great true adventure stories that has ever occurred.

The first one hundred pages are somewhat dry and tedious, but the reader finds a new found respect for the attention to detail that went into the planning and preparation for this expedition. American schools teach very little of this great event and Ambrose superbly picks up where our history classes leave off.

The reader learns that Lewis was, in effect, a jack of all trades when it comes to being an explorer. In addition to his already polished skills as an outdoorsman, Lewis readied himself by learning medical techniques, how to properly record animals, birds and fish, as well as flora and fauna, mapping, astronomy, mineralogy, and virtually every other necessary knowledge or skill that would be helpful in making the expedition a success.

I don't want to give away too much of the book, so suffice it to say, once the expedition begins, Ambrose puts the reader right there with the Corps of Discovery at every turn. The descriptions of plants, animals, Indians and mishaps along the way are near perfection. If you have ever traveled the route, you will see in your mind, exactly what Lewis and Clark must have been seeing for the very first time.

Ambrose has put together a true classic for every lover of American history. True life adventure is told here, only as can be told by one of Ambrose' reputation for interjecting suspense into true life events. You will not want to put down this book.