Customer Reviews

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

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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!

In the spring of 1848, newly orphaned after the death of his father and with only a horse and one hundred dollars to his name, fifteen-year-old Douglas decides to leave Missouri and head west to the paradise of California. He joins the Donner wagon train and expects to complete the journey in just a few months, and to be settled down in his new home by the first snowfall. Little does he imagine the disastrous journey and ghastly horrors that lay ahead. The men of the wagon train insist on following the unknown Hastings shortcut, believing it will shorten the journey by a month. They never expected to encounter scorching hot deserts and long stretches with no water. They never expected that their food would run out, that their animals would be stolen. But most of all, they never expected to be stranded by the first snowfall in the bitter cold Sierra Nevada Mountains. Making camp by a frozen lake they come to call Starvation Lake, the survivors can do nothing but wait for what may come, be it rescue - or death. Through it all, Douglas chronicles his experiences in his journal. I recommend this book to all readers who enjoyed the previous My Name is America books.

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.

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"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.

The Journal of
Douglas Allen Deeds
The Donner Party Expedition
Summary by Nick Huitt

Once there was a boy who joined the Donner Party Expedition on the way to California who got in a lot of problems once he got stuck in the woods. Another time he almost died in a blizzard of cold ness and starvation.

The main character is Douglas Allen Deeds. He is a 15-year-old boy. He likes to go on adventures. He has a best friend named Edward.

The problems the train had got stuck in the snow. The Chickasha Indians stole and killed over 20 heads of cattle. Later in the book they tried to walk on foot, but some left and some died 2 got to California.

The boy tried to stay alive by eating food and not sharing with the others the food he caught. The main thing this book is about is completing his journey.

I think this book would be better for older kids. Because people get murdered, and die. It also had bad language. I thought this was a good story about a young boy's adventure.

This story is about the one of the Donner boys who survived the cold winter in the Sierra Madre mountains and the terrible starving time which forced people to eat their dead animals and then other people. This boy survives but it is shocking to believe that so many people died or that any survived. The Donner Party started their trip late and didn't listen to common sense. They listened to a man who told them of a short cut and then tried to take it. What a tragedy! It also makes one of the most interesting and exciting tales of the Western frontier.

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.

The Journal of
Douglas Allen Deeds
The Donner Party Expedition
Summary by Nick Huitt

Once there was a boy who joined the Donner Party Expedition on the way to California who got in a lot of problems once he got stuck in the woods. Another time he almost died in a blizzard of cold ness and starvation.

The main character is Douglas Allen Deeds. He is a 15-year-old boy. He likes to go on adventures. He has a best friend named Edward.

The problems the train had got stuck in the snow. The Chickasha Indians stole and killed over 20 heads of cattle. Later in the book they tried to walk on foot, but some left and some died 2 got to California.

The boy tried to stay alive by eating food and not sharing with the others the food he caught. The main thing this book is about is completing his journey.

I think this book would be better for older kids. Because people get murdered, and die. It also had bad language. I thought this was a good story about a young boy's adventure.

This book is based on the journal of a young orphan who is traveling west to California. He goes on the ill-fated Donner Party Expedition. This route was thought to be faster. I took this book out from the library thinking it would be a fun and quick read just like the other My Name Is America, Royal Diaries, and Dear America books. Boy, was I wrong. I found myself struggling to read on. The characters were a bore. The basis was interesting (the reason why i chose the book) but everything else was terrible. Please dont waste your time on this! I recommend The Journal of Scott Pendelton Collins instead of this terrible book. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME.