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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 979.438
EAN num: 9780395611593
ISBN number: 0395611598
Label: Mariner Books
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 416
Printing Date: January 30, 1992
Publishing house: Mariner Books
Sale Popularity Level: 203867
Studio: Mariner Books
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The tragedy of the Donner party constitutes one of the most amazing stories of the American West. In 1846 eighty-seven people -- men, women, and children -- set out for California, persuaded to endeavor a new overland route. After struggling across the desert, losing many oxen, and nearly dying of thirst, they reached the very summit of the Sierras, only to be trapped by blinding snow and bitter storms. Many perished; some survived by resorting to cannibalism; all were subjected to unbearable suffering. Incorporating the diaries of the survivors and other contemporary documents, George Stewart wrote the definitive history of that ill-fated band of pioneers; an astonishing account of what human beings may endure and achieve in the final press of circumstance.
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Rated by buyers 
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I cannot tell you how intense this book is! I just could not stop reading because I was so worried about the characters. I have never felt so much suspense from any book, and this is non fiction! The author writes with skill to keep the pace moving while explaining historical facts and details. Each chapter, whether describing the party's preparations, their adventure through a desert, or their extreme ordeal in the snow, was informative and captivating. I loved how the reader got to know most of the characters, and when it came time for them to suffer their terrible ordeal, you will be left on the edge of your seat rooting for certain people to make it out alive! The decisions these people make are so fascinating, the action so thrilling, and the story so swift, that you will be completely engrossed! This book is as good as it can get!
Rated by buyers -
Ordeal by Hunger is George Stewart's definitive book on the Donner Party. The Donner Party was a pioneer wagon train on it's way to California in the 1840's. After a series of setbacks caused by unfortunate decisions, they are forced to spend the winter high up in the Sierra Nevada. Low on food, and in a harsh environment, the families do unspeakable and sometimes incredible things to survive.
The story is well told. The participants are portrayed neither as heroes or ghouls, but as ordinary people who act both heroic at times and cowardly at others. The travelers were forced by hunger to make decisions and accomplish feats that one finds hard to imagine. Stewart does not center the story around the cannibalism, although he doesn't run away from it either. The book is about survival and human endurance, and the character of men when we are tested. As Stewart writes toward the end of the 1935 edition, "Few, I fear, will find it always easy reading. But after all, the merely pleasant is thin and bloodless; a picnic in the park scarcely gives humanity a chance to show of what it is capable."
Rated by buyers -
For those who seek adventure and history at the same time this book is for you.The tale of the Donner Party is well known, at least to those who find the formation of the west exciting. What makes reading it all worth while is that it truly happened.For want of a shorter route to California this wagon train opted to take a different way.They were informed of it by a well known and respected source they had no reason to doubt.This proved their undoing and in the race against time and weather they most assuredly lost more than they bargained for.The book is practically a day by day chronology of the progress or lack thereof and the flight into cold,dwindling supply,starvation,death and ultimate survival of the fittest over the period of about a year.Then, of course, there is that other notable facet of this particular successful failure which set it apart from the rest.The inclusion of the unspeakable taboo known as cannibalism which got some of them through, just barely.The rescue attempts, the incredible, unbelievable depth of the snow, the arctic type temperatures and the animalistic,subhuman existance these party members had to endure makes for some intense, incredible reading.The book which has undergone several revisions also include actual diaries of some of the party and supplimental material by the author which add to the story and tend to back up the facts which went into the writing of the book. It is clear he took his work seriously. Originally written in 1936, it is a labor of love and truly a definitive reference of the tragedy.If real, actual history coupled with horrible,palpable and dire circumstances is your meat then you have found a winner in Ordeal by Hunger.You won't put it down for long.As you progress you feel as if you are part of the intensity,anxiety and fear as you experience not only one race against time but a second race where each day that passes meant the difference between life and death for young and old alike.Not unlike Scott returning from the South Pole after his struggle toward it only to face second place to Amundsen.Returning was a daily struggle against loss of strength,food and weather that wouldn't let up.He did not make it back and died on the ice frozen harder than a popsicle,but that's another story.There are other books about this unique episode in American history you could read and you should watch the available documentaries but this book has stood the test of time and is all you would need if questions or interest about the Donner Party should come up in your safe,warm,dry,well fed,happy, uncomplicated life.Barbequed ribs,flank steak and beef jerky will never look the same again and you might turn down an offer to spend a winter vacation in a cabin in the woods as well.Read this book to appreciate what you have and what the Donners et al. sacrificed to get some for themselves and their families.Some made it through and some never knew what hit them or bit them.Enjoy!
Rated by buyers -
We bought this book at the Reno Nevada airport after spending a week in the Truckee area. My wife and I both went through the book in record time. It's hard to put down once you start.
Rated by buyers -
Written over 70 years ago, this account of the Donner Party is still captivating and contemporary. Stewart was a fastidious historiographer as well as a gifted storyteller. This fascinating drama unfolds crisply and frankly. Despite the gruesome details, or perhaps because of them, one becomes engrossed and enticed to keep turning the pages to learn what happened next.
The 1960 supplement was interesting but drier than the original 1936 text. The diary entries and letter from three of the survivors provide a unique view into the ordeal, and the reference summaries are useful aids for keeping the characters and itinerary straight.
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