Michael Wallis has outdone himself in The Best Land Under Heaven by revisiting the sad wanderings of the doomed Donner Party. In elegant prose, Wallis reveals how the death song of Manifest Destiny had lured so many to irretrievably, and often tragically, alter not only the course of their own lives but that of America, too.
Larry McMurtry, ... Read moreauthor of Lonesome Dove The Best Land Under Heaven is the ultimate tale of courage and cowardice, from one of our greatest raconteurs of the American West. This haunting, unforgettable adventure will leave you breathless.
Winston Groom, author of El Paso and Forrest Gump You cannot understand the settlement of the American West without understanding the facts and-tellingly-the myths of the tragic Donner Party of 1846. Michael Wallis has done a superb job sifting through the grumblings, resentments, and fatal delays of the wagon train that came to symbolize both the folly and grit of our westward expansion. Once I started, I could not put this account down.
Rinker Buck, best-selling author of The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey and Flight of Passage Mr. Wallis has succeeded for the first time in compiling all available pertinent historical facts into this book. It is a must-have for everyone wanting the true story of the most epic saga of survival during the westward movement.
William A. Bill Springer, Great grandson of Captain George Donner and the Curator of the Donner-Springer Family Collection Nobody tells the stories of American history better than Michael Wallis. He's done it again with this superbly researched and written account of the Donner Party trip west toward glory and riches that ended in bizarre catastrophe. The Best Land Under Heaven will clarify the facts of that infamous event as well as captivate and entertain. There are few better reads than this.
Jim Lehrer Adopting an empathetic approach bolstered by studious research and geographical contextualization, biographer Wallis reclaims the horrific story of the infamously ill-fated wagon train from the annals of sensationalism...The Donner Party's struggles and determination continues to fascinate, and Wallis's comprehensive account of bravery, luck, and failure illuminates the realities of westward expansion.
Publishers Weekly, starred review Best-selling Wallis' (David Crockett, 2011) account of their tragic and thoroughly avoidable trek is well-researched, detailed, and well-written... Wallis recounts their bad decisions and sufferings as well as the heroic efforts to rescue them with sympathy and eloquence while placing them within the broader context of the pursuit of the 'Manifest Destiny' to expand across the continent. This is an excellent reexamination of an infamous saga.
Jay Freeman - Booklist Show Less