Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West Paperback – June 2, 1997

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Ambrose injects some personal opinions that may or may not be correct but not enough to deter one that may not agree. This book has entertained me as well as taught me a great deal about the history this great expedition. I would highly recommend.

This was an excellent book about the Lewis and Clark expedition. Ambrose wrote the book in such a way that it reads much like a novel rather than a history textbook, which makes for a very enjoyable reading experience. Before reading this book, I did not know much about the Expedition other than the small amount I learned in school. This book was a great resource to learn about the Expedition, from the origins to the death of Meriwether Lewis.The book speaks mostly from the view as Meriwether Lewis (as stated on the cover). The downside to this is that there are a couple parts of the Expedition that really aren't covered.; specifically, Clark's part of the return journey downstream on the Yellowstone River. There really is only 1 paragraph about this part of the Expedition (and this may be because there was not much recorded, of this I am not sure), but I would have appreciated if Ambrose went a little more in-depth on this section, even 1-2 pages describing the route and Pompey's pillar would have been great.There are several maps of the route of the expedition, showing locations of events that happened along the way. These are a very valuable addition to the book and help the reader get a better idea of where Lewis and Clark visited on their journey.

I love reading historical stuff. however, this one took a bit more effort to get through. Don't get me wrong, it's well written and all, I just needed more focus to get through some of the parts.

Just finished "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose. Earlier this year, I had read "Golfing with Lewis and Clark" by Lex McMillan, and many who read my review recommended I take up Ambrose's account of the expedition."Undaunted Courage" is a riveting exploration of the Lewis and Clark expedition with a major emphasis on the life of Meriwether Lewis. Ambrose skillfully weaves historical facts with a compelling narrative, providing valuable insights into leadership, risk-taking, and resilience. The book is a captivating read that highlights the spirit of exploration and the discoveries and accomplishments of the remarkable cross-country journey. Some great inspiration for those tackling a major project or facing challenges.

On our vacation out west last month I saw a few historical markers for Lewis and Clark. I had to admit to myself that, though I knew their names and vaguely what they'd done, I was not aware of any of the details of their expedition. I either missed that day in American History or that knowledge has left my head to make room for song lyrics (which I assume take up most of my brain's hard drive space.). So I looked on Amazon and saw that Stephen E Ambrose had written a book about them and I recognized his name so I purchased it and have been reading it since the vacation.What an epic story of an incredible journey! I learned so much, starting with Lewis' first name, Meriwether, and the fact that it was Thomas Jefferson who not only completed the Louisiana Purchase but then commissioned the expedition, mainly in hopes of finding an all water route from the east coast to the west coast (spoiler alert: those damn Rocky Mountains get in the way.) One of the things that fascinated me was how bereft Jefferson (and everyone else back east) was about how the trek was going. In our day and age where you can video chat with someone halfway around the world in real time, it's impossible to imagine a day and age when it would take two years to learn whether Lewis and Clark and their small group made it safely to the Pacific Ocean or were slaughtered along the way.The book itself was rich with details, culled mainly from Lewis and Clark's individual journals which they kept dutifully during the entire expedition. But Ambrose doesn't shy away from editorializing either. He very openly discusses all the broken promises made to the Native American tribes the expedition encountered, as well as how growing up as slaveholders influenced Jefferson, Lewis and Clark in their thinking that certain races are superior to others. That is the true dilemma of this great nation, and one that cannot be ignored when discussing something as monumental as Lewis and Clark's expedition. Did the good outweigh the bad? If history, as they say, is the story of the winners, then the answer is Yes. Could we as a nation have prospered any other way? That, we'll never know.After the expedition was complete, there were still about 80 pages left in the book. I didn't see how there could be. Other than getting their journals published, what more was there to the Lewis and Clark story? Silly me. I had no idea about Meriwether Lewis' sad and tragic ending. It actually wept a little when I read it.I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves a good adventure story, especially if you're like me and you somehow missed out on all the details of this great expedition in school. It's a true American story of bravery and exploration. And next time I'm out west I'll be sure to pull over at one of those historical markers and appreciate it a lot more.

Keeps readers interest . looked forward to reading next chapter never knew much about challenges these explorers faced thank you