This was a tough book to read. Most have heard of the Donner Party, but this book covers the expedition in detail, mostly through the experience of Sarah Graves, a survivor. Mistakes, bad advice and motives contributed to the disaster. The lost and desperate emigrants resorted to not only cannibalism but also murder. Is this heroic? The author closes the book with this: " hope is the hero's domain, not the Fool's Because if we dare to hope even when doing so might undo us- we leave the worlds we create behind us, swirling in our wakes eternal and effervescent with the beauty of our aspirations. "
Something to think about. ( )

I read Alma Katsu's book [b:The Hunger|30285766|The Hunger|Alma Katsu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1497803277l/30285766._SY75_.jpg|50762090] a couple of years ago, and I loved it. It's a fictionalized horror story of the Donner Party's journey. It's an excellent book. But, while it is well researched, it's fiction. I've been curious about the real story since then.

This is an extremely well-written history of the Donner Party and the difficulties faced by so many American emigrants who went west in search of a destiny they believed was manifest. Their story is dramatic and horrific enough to be gripping. It's a tale of survivalist adventure that rivals that of any modern descent into a deep cave or a trek up a dangerous mountain.

I appreciated Brown's account because it was written without modern judgement. He wrote about them as people of their time in history and location. It enabled me to understand them as they were, not as people who understand the world as we do. They set out to change their futures and the futures of generations to come.

In his epilogue, Brown retraced their route. It was a heartfelt journey that allowed me to connect the past to the modern day. My heart broke for all of them: the heroes, the scoundrels, the loving, the children, the young, the adults, the living, and the dead. It also allowed me to see that they were just one group among so many. The epilogue drew Sarah's story to a satisfactory close. Everyone's history eventually comes to a close sooner or later. That's epically clear in Indifferent Stars.

After I finished reading the book, I sought out their diaries online and was delighted to find the diaries of Patrick Breen at the Online Archive of California (oac.cdlib.org). I will find additional sources of original information. Not for the sensationalism of cannibalism, but for the people who survived a series of horrible mistakes and a harrowing price for making them.

I'm so glad I read this book.

I'll clean the spelling and grammar mistakes later. Tired. ( )

Absolutely fantastic - highly recommend. ( )

Good account of Donner Party tragedy from the point of view of a family. Very poignant. ( )

True story of the Donner Party. The author makes it more personal by following the life of one of the party, Sarah Graves Fosdick, as she and her family leave Illinois and head to California via covered wagon. More than a story of cannibalism, it depicts life in the 1840’s, what was going on in politics and in the world, and the adverse factors that converged to lead the party to become stranded in the Sierra Nevada in the winter of 1846-1847. It examines the story through a lens of current technology, covering the science of psychology, physiology, survival, and meteorology. Brown’s research is thorough, and he knows what elements to include to move the story forward. He attempts to sort through a myriad of conflicting information to get to the heart of what happened. He also followed the path taken by Sarah and her family to see first-hand the type of land they covered and help the reader better appreciate the hardships endured. The Kindle edition could have benefitted from a map, cross-referencing of chapter notes, and a list of the almost 90 people and to whom they were related, so it would be easier to keep track of everyone. Given what they endured, it’s amazing that anyone survived.

The author tells an informative story in a way that both honors the memory of the people involved and puts it into historical perspective. I now live near the Sierra Nevada location where the Donner party was stranded and plan to visit the site to learn more. Recommended to those interested in history-related non-fiction, especially of survival stories, life in the U.S. in the mid-1800’s, western migration of the pioneers, and historic tragedies. Contains grisly descriptions of extreme deprivation, starvation, slaughter, and cannibalism. ( )