“If it is necessary for me to leave my bones in South America, I am quite ready to do so.” Those words, written by Theodore Roosevelt before he embarked on the most challenging expedition of his life, nearly became prophecy. Determined to chart the course of a mysterious waterway known only as The River of Doubt, he and a brazen team of explorers set off on a death-defying adventure that, until now, has languished as a little-known chapter in history. Drawing on never-before-seen diaries and extensive resources as a former writer for National Geographic, Candice Millard at last uncovers the startling details of Roosevelt’s final, and arguably most fantastic, feat -- one that would forever change the maps of the Western Hemisphere.

A national bestseller that won coast-to-coast praise, The River of Doubt sets the stage with Roosevelt’s stinging election defeat in 1912, a humiliation that would spur him to accept an invitation to South America. He soon spun the invitation into an elaborate plan to travel one of the planet’s most dangerous rivers, which snakes through one of the planet’s most dangerous jungles. Roosevelt and his men would face innumerable hardships, and not everyone on the team would survive. Cannibals, disease, and starvation were but a few of the threats, against a landscape where the flora and fauna were by turns gorgeous and nightmarish. Combining the suspense of Into Thin Air with the rich history of a presidential biography, The River of Doubt makes for an exhilarating journey. We hope that the following topics will enhance your experience of this riveting tour.