I listened to the audio version of River of Doubt. The story is masterfully written. President Theodore Roosevelt had recently lost his bid for a third term. As with every hardship and defeat, President Theodore Roosevelt decided to plunge forward with a new daring adventure or challenge.

His son, Kermit, who was always under the shadow of his father, decided to go with him even though he had been recently engaged to a beautiful socialite. An expedition was planned to go to the River of Doubt which is an incredibly dangerous one that included piranha-infested waters, malaria-carrying insects, termites, unpredictable currents, and stone-age Indians (some were cannibals). It was also extraordinarily difficult to find anything to eat outside of their rations.

One scene that I will never be able to get out of my head is that of President Roosevelt reciting the poem, Kubla Khan over and over again while fighting a very high fever.

My admiration for President Theodore Roosevelt doubled after listening to this audiobook, please give it a try. ( )