"After his humiliating election defeat in 1912, Roosevelt set his sights on the most punishing physical challenge he could find, the first descent of an unmapped, rapids-choked tributary of the Amazon. Together with his son Kermit and Brazil's most famous explorer, Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon, Roosevelt accomplished a feat so great that many at the time refused to believe it."

Teddy Roosevelt is a controversial figure, but Millard - a former National Geographic writer and editor - does a wonderful job of telling us the story of an extraordinary journey while never avoiding his faults or acknowledging the contributions of everyone around him.

While the book starts out telling Roosevelt's personal story for wanting to make the trip, it spends as much time telling the story of the river as it does the men who championed it.

If you like adventure stories that focus on the natural surroundings being overcome, you'll love this