Theodore Roosevelt and The River of Doubt Summary

After a sad loss in the 1912 election against Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt was ashamed and became a social pariah. A miraculous opportunity showed itself in the form of an opportunity to speak in Brazil, which also happened to be the place where his son Kermit lived. After arriving in Brazil he was faced with an opportunity to amazing to give up, an expedition down the Rio Da Duvida, or the River of Doubt with renowned Brazilian explorer Colonel Candido Randon and his son. The trip started out as an innocent tour to map out the river and discover its source and find where it deposited. Soon after the expedition began, things began to go awry. Theodore contracted malaria and a serious and potentially deadly infection from a seemingly minor cut on his leg. With a rising fever reaching the 105 degree mark, the expedition reached a section of river that contained apparently impassible rapids and all they had to pass them on were a few shoddy dugout canoes. At this point the expedition fell apart, one member of the party drowned in an attempt to pass the rapids and another was to be murdered from the insanity of a different member, not to mention the death of expedition leader Candido Randon by attack of the natives of the land (Cinta Larga). At this point, the expedition was falling apart and the survival of Teddy rested upon Kermit’s shoulders. During the final stretch of their journey, they faced a 30 ft waterfall, with the wit of Kermit and his knowledge of ropes and bridges the group survived along with the majority of the dugout canoes. At the conclusion of their journey the last survivors were taken back to New York via ship, after the expedition, Roosevelt never fully recovered from his sicknesses and was plagued with recurring malaria.