Book Reviews on a Music Blog

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While bookended with fascinating & eminently readable history and highlighted in its main thrust by bits of thrilling narrative, several aspects of this book cause it to fall short of the high pedestal on which it seems to have been placed by most readers.

Unnecessary and baseless forays into evolutionary theory in regards to the Amazon Basin and uneven pacing interrupt what could have been one of history’s most interesting untold adventures. Time consuming descriptions of wildlife and environment that end up never being encountered by Roosevelt’s expedition, for instance, seem like attempts at either misdirection or simple filler. Furthermore, the brutality and drudgery of wilderness survival – with its mind-numbing redundancy – is difficult for an author to convey to the reader without themselves becoming redundant in their writing. With all due respect to Ms. Millard, I don’t believe she adequately handled this aspect of this story’s retelling.

And, perhaps most notably for this reader, the construction of models of human greatness for the purposes of their own admiration always seems to me a hollow and precarious pursuit. Theodore Roosevelt was certainly notable not only amongst US Presidents, but perhaps throughout all of history, for his adventurous spirit and fearless character. But, for those willing to read between the lines, tragedy and futility always seem to accompany those inordinately consumed with achievement & accomplishment – and Roosevelt comes across no differently here. Our 26th President was luminary during a time in history when people were more than willing to risk not only their lives, but the lives of everyone in their exploratory parties, to be the very first to get somewhere, see something, or put something on a map. What results here is not only the description of an expedition characterized by bad decision following bad decision ad infinitum, but a loss of empathy and relatability for people willing to place inevitable burdens on loved ones in the name of taking unreasonable risks to achieve unnecessary goals.

‘The River of Doubt’ is a good book, and one worth reading for anyone interested in either the life of Teddy Roosevelt or the exploration of the Amazon. But, for me, it did not quite stack up to some of the other acclaimed micro-histories released in the past few years. There are simply too many distractions and bumps in the road for me to agree with the mantle of greatness so many seem eager to place upon this one.


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