Interesting. Bit of a slog especially post trip. ( )

After first starting this book in 1998 and reading the first third, I put it away thinking I would finish soon after. Then came the Ken Burns documentary and now, some 20+ years later, I finished (last two-thirds) of this incredible book!

I have been living in "Lewis and Clark" states for many years so having much of the history already helped frame the narrative of this book. I like how Ambrose gave such detail and background on Meriweather Lewis's life and military career, to include his leadership and taking on this incredible mission into the west.

The detailed descriptions written in the journals of the Native American tribes that the Corp of Discover encountered are a complete depiction of the lives and cultures of the First Nation peoples of North America. Such a great adventure so well told. ( )

Epic, inspiring. ( )

The Lewis and Clark expedition certainly wasn't the first of its kind for white settlers venturing out into the American West even though its significance in the telling of America's story makes it seem that way. Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose certainly helps cement the idea. And here you get the whole story so get comfortable. This is a long tale.

There's a reason you don't see too many Lewis and Clark Hollywood movies. Their journey lacks the requisite number of dramatic highs and lows that one expects from a "based on true events" story. And to be fair, there were many life and death moments going up the Missouri, over the Bitterroot Range, and down the Columbia, but overall, I would say it was stubborn persistence that carried the day. Their successful return came down to being a close-knit team, enforced military discipline and luck. Lots of luck. Though I'm sure during one of their long bouts of near starvation, especially while wintering on the Columbia, they wouldn't have thought themselves all that lucky. And one could speculate that they might not have made it at all without the lucky addition of the Lemhi Shoshone scout Sacagawea counted among their group. Her contributions were often the key to their continued survival even though at the time her presence was massively underappreciated.

The expedition is undoubtedly the legacy highlight of everyone involved, except for maybe Thomas Jefferson, but there's a dark coda to Lewis' part of the story, one that I wasn't familiar with at all. I won't go into the details but it colors the Americanized version of Lewis and Clark in a way that, in my opinion, makes the whole journey more real. More human. ( )

Best Stephen Ambrose book in my opinion. Did a great job researching the Corps of Discovery, the planning and preparation, the difficulties during the journey itself, and the results. I highly recommend this book for people interested in how America became America. ( )