My Name Is America: The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds, Donner Party Expedition, 1846

By Benjamin Holmes This is about the Donner party. Well the Donner party started in Missouri. They wanted to get to California . There was a 15 year old boy. 800 people were in the Donner party when they started the trip. They took the cut-off which was not known as well as the other way. So they had a vote which the cut-off won. The wagons broke down, and only 8 people lived. I liked the story because they ate people.

I have enjoyed all of the series My Name is America. This book was no exception. Great read and a great way to learn history.

In May 1846, a large wagon train of settlers left Independence, Missouri, heading West. Many Easterners were on the trails at that time, looking for land, business opportunities, and better lives. They traveled across the country in wagon trains to California and Oregon. But the people who headed for California on May 12, 1846, under the leadership of George Donner, did not arrive at their destination safely. Instead, they headed into history. To readers, the name "The Donner Party" = cannibals. Beset with bad leadership, bad luck, bad timing, and bad decisions, the tragic Donner Party suffered unbelievable hardships. Trapped in the Sierra Nevada Mountains during a bitter winter, only 60 miles from their destination, the survivors began eating the bodies of those who had died.THE JOURNAL OF DOUGLAS ALLEN DEEDS tells the story of The Donner Party through the eyes of a boy. Douglas is a 15-year-old orphan moving West to build a life for himself and become somebody. All he has is his horse. Without a wagon or any money to buy one, Douglas is grateful that Mr. Donner lets him hitch his dreams to the wagon train. He can shoot well, and he shares whatever. He becomes good friends with Edward Breen, whose generous family takes him in and makes him feel loved and needed. Douglas and Edward share their plans for making their fortunes when they get to California.But the settlers don't make good time. They travel only a few miles a day. Months go by, during which other wagon trains arrive at their destinations, but The Donner Party just keeps slogging along the trail. All of them are greenhorns, even the leaders. And they are following the advice in a book written by Mr. Lansford Hastings. Everybody on the wagon train believes Mr. Hastings' book as if it were the Bible. Following his trails and his shortcuts, they ignore the advice of a mountain man who tells them that the trails Hastings took on horseback can't be followed by wagons and oxen. The settlers in the Donner Party believe that it's the mountain man who's lying, and that Mr. Hastings will meet them at Fort Bridger, just as he promised he would, and lead them to California. In fact, they believe Mr. Hastings all the way to their entrapment in the Sierra Nevadas.In this book, you will meet every kind of human being there is --- the gullible, the boastful, the self-sacrificing, and the stingy. There are those who give their lives so others can live, and those who refuse to share their food with people who are starving to death. There are those who reduce themselves to cannibalism, and those who refuse to justify such acts. Who survives? At what cost? Reading this book will make you think about what's really most important in life. --- (...)

"The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds : The Donner Party Expedition, 1846" is the best "My Name Is America" book that I have read so far. Giving just the right amount of details, Philbrick was able to show the horrors the emigrants suffered, while trying to make a new life in California. I read this book after "Against All Odds: The Lucy Scott Mitchum Story" which always referred to what happened to The Donner Party. Having not knowing what happened exactly, this book helped me understand why they were so scared. The historical note at the end was very, very interesting, but not for readers with weak stomachs (it doesn't go into great detail, but could let your imagination go wild.). I most definitely recommend.

In 1848 newly orphaned Douglas with just $100 dollars with him decides to leave Missouri and join the Donner Party on their expedition to California. Douglas expects the journey to be quick and easy. He expects them to definetly get there by the first snow fall. Little does he imagine the disastrous journey ahead. Neither can he imagine the horrors he will see. Leaders decide to take the unknown Hastings drive in order to shorten the journey. However the unexplored Hasting drive is totally different then expected. Long periods of time in deserts with no water and animals dying totally paralizes the party. However nothing will prepare them for the bitter freezing cold Seirra Neveda as the first snowfall comes. This is a powerful journal and all fans should like this book!