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Summary: Journey of Doubt
Comment: Within the span of two months, Theodore Roosevelt's "last chance to be a boy," as he dubbed his South American adventure, permanently broke his health, and transformed him from a person of vigorous middle age into an old man.
The 1914 journey of exploration that he and his companions made by paddling down what had been called "the River of Doubt" in dugout canoes quickly became an unrelenting exercise in exhaustion, pain, disease and near starvation. Roosevelt wrote of the experience, "Under such conditions whatever is evil in men's natures comes to the front." By journey's end, the river had been rechristened "The Rio Roosevelt" and the former president was no longer capable of seriously seeking another term as chief executive.
Joseph Ornig's "My Last Chance to be a Boy" describes this excruciating odyssey from origins to aftermath. It makes a fine companion piece to Theodore Roosevelt's own account of his journey, "Through the Brazilian Wilderness." Mr. Ornig's story is strengthened by adding the perspectives of other voyagers, including T.R.'s son Kermit Roosevelt. It also describes the trip preparations and T.R.'s South American city tour which preceded the jungle adventure.
Surprisingly, some of the comments T.R. made in speeches during that progression touched on what are today still hot-button issues. In Buenos Aires, for instance, he counseled against judges acting as lawmakers.
Mr. Ornig also gives us a look at the kinds of contributions T.R's second wife, Edith, made to the success of the enterprise. It was she, according to the author, who encouraged Kermit to accompany his father into the wilderness. It was fortunate that she did. Kermit's Portuguese fluency and wilderness savvy contributed materially to the party's survival. By inference, we also see just how useful to T.R. Edith must have been during her husband's political career.
The book is filled with facts, descriptions and quotes. Fortunately, the writing is conversational, without wasting words. The story lifts effortlessly from the page to the reader's mind. Mr. Ornig's research for the story at hand is scrupulous, but his work also gives the impression of his being a Roosevelt scholar in a broader context. He mentions, for example, T.R.'s use of the expression "black care" to describe what we would today probably call depression.
T.R's great grandson, Tweed Roosevelt's foreword and the comprehensive photo section both contribute to an already first rate account. This is a story which should jack up the adrenalin level of armchair adventurers and T.R. aficionados alike.
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Summary: An amazing adventure
Comment: Ornig's book is the first full account of this amazing adventure since Theodore Roosevelt was alive to tell it himself. Thanks to the author's years of meticulous research, we get to see the ex-president up close as every ounce of courage and determination that can possibly be required of a human being is exacted by this perilous expedition. Why would a man, having already carved his name in history, literally risk his life in service to exploration? The book title is informative; it was the kind of thing he loved to do. Roosevelt's passion for for life was abundantly demonstrated on the River of Doubt as he and his party encountered one life-threatening obstacle after another. If it wasn't the hostile natives who tracked them, it was the piranhas. If it wasn't a lack of food and supplies, it was flesh-eating disease.... As if fighting just to survive the forces of nature weren't enough, there was also the recklessness of some, including his own son. And there were personal conflicts among the explorers--disagreements, arguments, theft--and a murder. This wilderness adventure had it all--and it wasn't reality TV. No camera crew, no global positioning system, no one to bail them out at any point. In this age of apathy and plasticized existence, this story is all the more striking.
Thus, out of this book emerges a fresh portrait of Theodore Roosevelt. We learn a great deal about him under conditions of maximum stress. We also get to know the group of explorers who accompanied him. And the generous 48 pages of maps and photographs are a real plus. Many thanks to the author for rediscovering this story and dusting it off for us with such literary finesse. For a non-fiction history work, it reads like a novel.
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Summary: Brilliant portrayal of TR as man, not legend.
Comment: TR's 1913-1914 expedition down the River of Doubt (subsequently renamed Rio Teodoro in his honor, and later Rio Roosevelt) is an astonishing piece of history - one often refered to in passing by other TR biographers, but not often fully explored, as it here. Author Ornig tells an exciting tale well, from the multitudious details of planning and executing a massive exploring expedition in the early 20th century, to vivid portraits of the characters involved. This book would be a wonderful companion for any adventure traveller (or even armchair adventurers).Best of all, Ornig is no run-of-the-mill TR hagiographer (and there are plenty of them out there), nor is he interested in taking unfair potshots at the great man (plenty of those folks out there, too). Ornig simply relates events as they occured, and doesn't care a whit whether they cast TR in a favorable or unfavorable light: TR was a poor shot (due to his poor eyesight) and became grumpy and embarassed when he missed easy targets. TR was delighted with the impact on his waistline when the expedition was forced to subsist on reduced rations -- and argued against the restoration of full rations even though others were suffering. Do these facts detract from the TR legend, or add to it? I have never been a fan of Marble Men, and found that I loved TR even more after glimpsing some of his human flaws in MY LAST CHANCE TO BE A BOY. No student of TR should be without this volume.
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Summary: Details one of the great adventures of the 20th century.
Comment: Ornig provides the first detailed account of one of the most exciting adventure stories of the 20th century -- Theodore Roosevelt's exploration of the River of Doubt in Brazil's Amazon. The story is more incredible when you think that Roosevelt was a 55-year old former President at the time of the expedition. As we approach the 100th anniversary of Roosevelt's presidency, and as we consider our relationship with the earth, it is worth taking another look at this great outdoorsman. Ornig weaves together the political and diplomatic origins of the expedition and how Roosevelt, his son Kermit, and the rest of the expedition got much more than they bargained for. There's murder, there's drowning (and a question of whether Kermit Roosevelt was accountable), there's frustration, and there's a former President on the brink of death. After you read it, you'll want to read Roosevelt's account, "Through the Brazilian Wilderness." You'll enjoy that one too
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