"Ordeal by Hunger"

Paper Summary:

This paper tells the story of the Donner Party's attempted trek from Illinois to California in 1846-1847. The author uses George Rippey Stewart's book, "Ordeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party," to tell the story of the one of the many ill-fated attempts follow that generation's dream of moving westward. The book tells a riveting tale of some of America's earliest pioneers, and the hardships they faced.

From the Paper:

"We see in the story of the Donner Party stupidity and courage, an inappropriate faith among some of the party in the rightness of their own course, and a willingness by others to put the needs and wisdom of others before their own. Certainly part of the reason that this story remains so compelling for us today is its lurid details (for some reason, cannibalism always seems to help sell books). But the ways in which people respond to tragedy and great challenges also makes for compelling stories, and this book is such an enjoyable one because it focuses on the latter rather than the former."

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