Ordeal By Hunger
Sep 2013 · Sold by HarperCollins
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8 reviews
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416
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About this ebook
Award-winning author George R. Stewart's history of the Donner Party is “compulsive reading — a wonderful account, both scholarly and gripping, of horrifying episode in the history of the west" (Pulitzer Prize-winner Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.)The tragedy of the Donner party constitutes one of the most amazing stories of the American West. In 1846 eighty-seven people — men, women, and children — set out for California, persuaded to attempt a new overland route. After struggling across the desert, losing many oxen, and nearly dying of thirst, they reached the very summit of the Sierras, only to be trapped by blinding snow and bitter storms. Many perished; some survived by resorting to cannibalism; all were subjected to unbearable suffering. Incorporating the diaries of the survivors and other contemporary documents, George R. Stewart wrote the definitive history of that ill-fated band of pioneers. Ordeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party is an astonishing account of what human beings may endure and achieve in the final press of circumstance.
Award-winning author George R. Stewart's history of the Donner Party is “compulsive reading — a wonderful account, both scholarly and gripping, of horrifying episode in the history of the west" (Pulitzer Prize-winner Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.)The tragedy of the Donner party constitutes one of the m...
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Ratings and reviews
8 reviews
Samantha Durand (aclevercat)
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October 13, 2025
It was originally written in the 30s and is really quite racist. It's a fascinating piece of history but there are certainly better accounts out there. I'd recommend Under the Indifferent Stars by Daniel James Brown.
Laurie Wright
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August 3, 2016
Lent this out years ago and had forgotten the title. I've been looking for 10 plus,years for the title to jump out at me as I scanned every Donner book I could find. Having read many accts., this is still the one that makes me cry and question" what must they have been thinking" each time I drive through the Sierras. Amazing story of amazing strength and tenacity. May each of their souls rest in heaven...a deserved break from the final days on Earth. Absolutely love this book.
Stephen Paluga
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June 18, 2019
I could not stop reading this book. Headed to Donner National Park tomorrow!
1 person found this review helpful
About the author
George R. Stewart (1895–1980) is the author of Pickett’s Charge, Names on the Land, and the International Fantasy Award–winner Earth Abides, as well as numerous other books of history, biography, and fiction. He taught for more than fifty years at the University of California, Berkeley.
George R. Stewart (1895–1980) is the author of Pickett’s Charge, Names on the Land, and the International Fantasy Award–winner Earth Abides, as well as numerous other books of history, biography, and fiction. He taught for more than fifty years at the University of California, Berkeley.
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