Through the Brazilian Wilderness

Description

Theodore Roosevelt was not only the youngest President in the history of the United States – he was also a hunter and an explorer, among many other things. In 1914, he set off on a six-week expedition down the previously uncharted territories of the Amazonas River, an adventurous and dangerous trip that he recounts in great detail in this extraordinary book.

The expedition was an adventure and a scientific endeavor at the same time. What started as a quest to see and to map the unknown soon became a journey that tested the courage, the endurance and the resourcefulness of all the participants. The explorers meet exotic animals, they see plants that no man has ever seen before, but they must also endure the extreme climate conditions, the heat, the cold, the humidity, the insect bites, and they must face diseases such as dysentery and fever.

The journey was a success and a triumph in all aspects. The participants proved their extraordinary qualities and the scientists brought back a huge number of previously unknown animal specimens to be further studied back home. The explorers discovered not only animal and plant species no scientist has ever seen before, but also a large river named the River of Doubt initially, but later on renamed Rio Roosevelt.

Through the Brazilian Wilderness is a great book to read not only because the adventure it tells about is unique and heroic, but also because of Roosevelt’s characteristic style. The hardships and beauties of the journey are recounted in a passionate and poetic style, the descriptions of the flora and fauna that the explorers see are detailed and inspiring and the fact that Roosevelt was accompanied on the trip by his son gives the entire book a distinct, personal and emotional touch, too.
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