'Ordeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party' by George R. Stewart is a comprehensive and detailed account of the harrowing journey undertaken by the Donner Party in 1846. The book vividly portrays the struggles, privations, and hardships faced by the emigrants as they attempted to travel to California, including incidents of selfishness, heroism, and unimaginable acts of survival such as resorting to cannibalism. Stewart's writing style, although from a different era, effectively brings to life the personalities and character traits of the individuals involved, making the reader feel deeply immersed in the tragic story of the Donner Party.
Genres:
Topics:
Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The content warnings include graphic descriptions of suffering, starvation, and cannibalism, which may be distressing for some readers.
From The Publisher:
Award-winning author George R. Stewart's history of the Donner Party is "compulsive reading ??-?? a wonderful account, both scholarly and gripping, of horrifying episode in the history of the west" (Pulitzer Prize-winner Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.)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 attempt 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 R. Stewart wrote the definitive history of that ill-fated band of pioneers. Ordeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party is an astonishing account of what human beings may endure and achieve in the final press of circumstance.
Ratings (1)
Incredible (1) |
Reader Stats (4):
Read It (1) | |
Want To Read (2) | |
Not Interested (1) |
What can you read after
Ordeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party?
About the Author:
GEORGE R. STEWART (1895-1980) taught for more than fifty years at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of Pickett's Charge, Names on the Land, and the International Fantasy Award-winner Earth Abides, as well as numerous other books of history, biography, and fiction.
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.
