Ordeal By Hunger: The Classic History of the Donner Party―Pioneer Survival and Tragedy in the 1846 Sierra Nevada

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!

418 pages5 starsThis book has held up remarkably since its original publication date of 1936. It is a very comprehensive and detailed description of both the journey undertaken by those who decided to travel to California in 1846 and the privations and hardships they suffered when taking the “Hastings short cut.” I formed my own opinion of Mr. Hastings...The reader must remember that this book is a product of its time in history. So while some of his comments may seem insensitive or downright offensive, Mr. Stewart's writing in 1936 is clear and well done. (Prejudices aside...)Broken axles, petty squabbles that escalate to violence, sickness, accidents and Indians all combine to make the trip seem even longer. As time passed, the emigrants became more disheartened, the journey seemed longer and the route became abysmal.I have read much on this subject (from the speculative to pure fiction and all in between), and I must state that this is the definitive work on the travails of the Donner Party and those who attempted to rescue them.The typos are pretty annoying – if I had read “die” for “the” one more time... but the overall scholarship was so very well done, that it overrode my annoyance. Included in this volume are footnotes, copies of letters by some of the participants and a bibliography for those who would like to further explore the subject.

The most complete telling of the Donner Party I've read. It reveals the harsh realities of crossing the country before most of the west was settled. There were incidents of courage as well as selfishness, cruelty, and greed not only among the emigrants but the relief parties as well.At the beginning of the journey even within the emigrants there were divisions of the wealthier emigrants from those less well-off. When the extravagance of the larger wagons became a burden it was as if some of the less well-off took smug pleasure in their troubles and loss.As their struggles increased, it broke down into each person for himself in many cases. This all become more evident when the emigrants were stranded in the Sierras.What was most revealing about human nature were the rescue parties. Many were truly interested in helping people pushed beyond human endurance. Still there were those who were willing to allow children to freeze and starve after being paid to take them to safety and others in the last rescue mission whose sole purpose was to plunder the emigrants' camp rather than look for survivors.It is really worth reading for the historical details. It also tells a lot about human nature.I would have appreciated more information about the survivors and how their lives returned to normalcy after the rescue.

This account is intelligently written as it contains just the right amount of information, manages to be both factual and insightful, as the author tries and succeeds in recreating more than the story itself. The members of the Donner party come back to life. Their personalities and character traits are dealt with which allows the reader to get more involved in the telling. At the same time the writer never goes for eloquence and melodrama which saves the book from becoming trite and cheap. The ordeal that the pioneers suffered is recreated in all its horror but without any histrionics. It is fitting as it gives dignity to even the most appalling deeds necessity forced on them. A very interesting account of an extraordinary tragedy.

I came to this book after watching several documentaries and looking at online sources, so I already knew a reasonable bit about the Donner Party. It goes into really great detail, and I found that some of the points differed from those presented in the documentaries, for example the exact moment when the Snowshoe Party began to resort to cannibalism, and the route taken through the Wasatch. You also get more of a sense of the characters of the individuals, as it goes into details such as who refused to help others when the situation gets difficult.The only negative is unfortunately the printed maps are very small and of poor quality.For those who know about the history of this party, the book cuts out the first part of the journey along the main route from Independence, and starts at the Little Sandy river, where the party splits for Fort Bridger.

An excellent account of the events that the Donner party endured. Factual but very well told, allowing the reader to fully grasp both the horror and the bravery that ensued. Nice touch too that the book has maps, some images and various letters inserted.

"For though despair is close at hand, it never triumphs, and through all the story runs, a sustaining bond, the primal force which humanity shares with all earthly creatures, the sheer will to live"George R Stewart

Read this true account of hardship.endurance and suffering and never again will you reach for a McDonalds when you're "hungry", turn the heating up when you're "cold", or bother the A and E Dept when you've twisted your ankle.It should be compulsory reading in schools.