The Best Land Under Heaven

The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny

By: Michael Wallis

Narrated by: Michael Wallis

Cutting through 160 years of mythmaking, best-selling historian Michael Wallis presents the ultimate cautionary tale of America's westward expansion.

"Westward ho! For Oregon and California!"

In the eerily warm spring of 1846, George Donner placed this advertisement in a local newspaper as he and a restless caravan prepared for what they hoped would be the most rewarding journey of a lifetime. But in eagerly pursuing what would a century later become known as the "American dream", this optimistic yet motley crew of emigrants was met with a chilling nightmare; in the following months, their jingoistic excitement would be replaced by desperate cries for help that would fall silent in the deadly snow-covered mountains of the Sierra Nevada.

We know these early pioneers as the Donner Party, a name that has elicited horror since the late 1840s. Now, celebrated historian Michael Wallis - beloved for his myth-busting portraits of legendary American figures - continues his life's work of parsing fact from fiction to tell the true story of one of the most embroidered sagas in Western history.

Wallis begins the story in 1846, a momentous "year of decision" for the nation, when incredible territorial strides were being made in Texas, New Mexico, and California. Against this dramatic backdrop, an unlikely band of travelers appeared, stratified in age, wealth, education, and ethnicity. At the forefront were the Donners: brothers George and Jacob, true sons of the soil determined to tame the wild land of California; and the Reeds, headed by adventurous, business-savvy patriarch James. In total the Donner-Reed group would reach 87 men, women, and children, and though personal motives varied - bachelors thirsting for adventure, parents wanting greater futures for their children - everyone was linked by the same unwavering belief that California was theirs for the taking.

Skeptical of previous accounts of how the group ended up in peril, Wallis has spent years retracing its ill-fated journey, uncovering hundreds of new documents that illuminate how a combination of greed, backbiting, and recklessness led the group to become hopelessly snowbound at the infamous Donner Pass in present-day California. Climaxing with the grim stories of how the party's paltry rations soon gave way to unimaginable hunger, Wallis not only details the cannibalism that has in perpetuity haunted their legacy but also the heroic rescue parties that managed to reach the stranded, only to discover that just 48 had survived the ordeal.

An unflinching and historically invaluable account of the darkest side of Manifest Destiny, The Best Land Under Heaven offers a brilliant, revisionist examination of one of America's most calamitous and sensationalized catastrophes.

©2017 Michael Wallis (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

A lesson in life and death

Beautifully and eloquently written and narrated. Difficult to take at times, understanding the immense suffering of those who chose to risk everything in hopes of discovering the great West.

If you are thinking about getting this, do it.

Great book, well worth your time. The author performs it himself and does a great job.

Increbible Story that Captivated my entire family!

What made the experience of listening to The Best Land Under Heaven the most enjoyable?

My family listened to this book on a recent road trip from Texas to California and back. We loved travelling through some of the landscape that the book was set in. The author's ability to describe the historical aspects of the journey as well as the personalities and emotions of the characters made the book compelling to listen to for hours on end! We still talk about the characters and have a deeper appreciation for the pioneers of our country who risked everything to follow their dreams. Such a good read and family book!

Both awful and wonderful!

Couldn't stop listening to this meticulously researched piece of history even while gasping or cringing at some of it.

Play at 1.1

I read many complaints about the narrator, & have read other reviews of many different narrators people become frustrated by. I always suggest…SPPED IT UP!! U can play stories at more than double speed if u want, so try that before u complain. I do agree tho that even at faster speed he was a bit frustrating.

I learned so much about the party.

Well written. I thoroughly enjoyed this historical account. I knew the basics, but now I know the while story

Amazing

I've never shown much interesting history but after hearing about this book on NPR, I felt I needed to give it a try. I was not disappointed.

Of course, I knew that the Donner party was a group of settlers who got caught in the mountains over winter and had to resort to cannibalism to survive. But I knew nothing of all of the perils that faced them before and after they were stranded. I am amazed that any of them survived, let alone 46 of them.

I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It will make you feel very differently when you find you're having a bad day. No bad day today could ever compare to that of the Donner party members.

Captivating

I was reluctant to get this book. I had studied about the Donner party many times in high school and college. I enjoyed this book and listened intently as I was pulled into each of the lives of those who traveled. I highly recommend this book.

Historically Accurate Account

The author/historian Michael Wallis shares his superb job of researching, writing, and narrating the heartbreaking account of the Donner Reed party and their courage, determination and tragedy while stranded in the Sierras. This tale is not for the fainthearted or squeamish.
.

OMG

Curious about the Donner party from all the tales and even jokes made about it, decided to find out the actual facts. The actual facts are disturbing. OMG! Only Michael Wallis could weave such an engaging book from such a macabre chapter of history. Added bonus he is a Marvelous narrator!