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Michael Wallis
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The Best Land Under Heaven – The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny Paperback – Illustrated, 23 May 2018

by Michael Wallis (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,024 ratings
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"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. With The Best Land Under Heaven, Wallis has penned what critics agree is “destined to become the standard account” (Washington Post) of the notorious saga. Cutting through 160 years of myth-making, the “expert storyteller” (True West) compellingly recounts how the unlikely band of early pioneers met their fate. Interweaving information from hundreds of newly uncovered documents, Wallis illuminates how a combination of greed and recklessness led to one of America’s most calamitous and sensationalized catastrophes. The result is a “fascinating, horrifying, and inspiring” (Oklahoman) examination of the darkest side of Manifest Destiny.

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  1. ISBN-10
    1631494007
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1631494000
  3. Edition
    Reprint
  4. Publisher
    Liveright
  5. Publication date
    23 May 2018
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    13.97 x 2.29 x 21.08 cm
  8. Print length
    496 pages
  9. See all details
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Product description

About the Author

Michael Wallis, author of The Best Land Under Heaven and the best-selling Route 66 and Billy the Kid, has published nineteen books and won numerous awards and honors. He is a popular public speaker and voice actor and lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Liveright; Reprint edition (23 May 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1631494007
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1631494000
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.97 x 2.29 x 21.08 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,024 ratings

About the author

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Michael Wallis

Michael Wallis

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It has been said, "reading a Michael Wallis book is like dancing to a romantic ballad. He offers his hand and gently guides you across the floor, swaying to the song of the American West."

A best-selling author and award-winning reporter, Michael is a historian and biographer of the American West who also has gained international notoriety as a speaker and voice talent. In 2006 Michael’s distinctive voice was heard in Cars, an animated feature film from Pixar Studios, also featuring Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Owen Wilson, Michael Keaton, and George Carlin. Michael is also featured in Cars 2, a sequel to the original motion picture released in 2011.

A storyteller who likes nothing better than transporting audiences across time and space, Michael has published seventeen books, including Route 66: The Mother Road, the book credited with sparking the resurgence of interest in the highway. In 2011, Michael’s latest works were published — David Crockett: The Lion of the West, and The Wild West 365.

Other Wallis books include The Real Wild West: The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American West; Mankiller: A Chief and Her People; Way Down Yonder In The Indian Nation; and Pretty Boy: The Life and Times of Charles Arthur Floyd. His work has been published in hundreds of national and international magazines and newspapers, including Time, Life, People, Smithsonian, The New Yorker, and The New York Times.

Michael has been nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize and was also a nominee for the National Book Award. He has won many other prestigious honors, such as the Will Rogers Spirit Award, the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy Hall & Western Heritage Museum, the Oklahoma Book Award from the Oklahoma Center for the Book, and the Best Western Non-fiction Award from the Western Writers of America.

For further information about Michael Wallis, visit http://www.michaelwallis.com.

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4.6 out of 5 stars
1,024 global ratings

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • 263EL
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 March 2022
    Verified Purchase
    For anyone with an interest in American history, this book is fascinating! Incredibly well researched without reading as too academic. I could barely put it down.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing true tale
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 February 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Hardly any heroes, but plenty of human sacrifice, murder hard decisions and cannibalism. An interesting adventure into human behaviour and how the civilised can turn into savages!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Thomas A. Regelski
    5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 September 2017
    Verified Purchase
    A compelling story told quite well. The chapters detailing suffering and cannibalism are challenging to stay with, however. And the 'bad guys' in the end are maddening.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Ron
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 October 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Absolutely excellent. Gripping.
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  • Lupa The Noa
    3.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating but confusing
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 September 2018
    I thought the story itself was fascinating and obviously very sad, and at times horrifying, but it was really confusing who was in which camp (Donner or Reed or Murphy). This wasn't helped by the use of just one, pathetic undetailed map. The lack of maps left you convinced that the writer had no idea where certain main characters were at different times.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Karen C.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the United States on 26 February 2025
    Verified Purchase
    A very detailed and captivating depiction of everything they went through during their entire journey. I’ve lived in Sacramento my entire life, and everyone here knows of The Donner Party. But few know its entirety.
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  • Lori Poirier
    5.0 out of 5 stars cannot Imagine!
    Reviewed in Canada on 16 July 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Tragic events that I could not imagine enduring. Best to always take the trail well travelled. Greed always gets one to trouble.
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  • MCP
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well researched and cited! Finally the truth!
    Reviewed in Australia on 17 August 2020
    Verified Purchase
    So much work went into this book. It’s well written, readable, and full of details. Truly appreciated the citing of sources as well as the follow up chapter at the end to explain how the story of the Donner Party got so inflated. Bravo!
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  • terry
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the United States on 28 February 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Very informative,lots of facts
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  • Terelda
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fair and detailed accounting of the Donner story
    Reviewed in the United States on 14 August 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I've always been fascinated with stories of human perseverance and survival. No story fits that bill better than the Donner party. Wallis weaves the story well and offers up details I had not heard before. It also seems to be one of the more truthful versions as other books and films seem to be riddled with gratuitous violence and questionable acts. I enjoyed his writing very much and appreciate his adherence to the truth as far as it could be determined. Even without the embellishments other writers have added, it is a grizzly tale. Hard to imagine in this modern day of easy and comfortable worldwide travel, the amazing undertaking on which these emigrants embarked willingly. Also amazing to me that it really was not all that long ago. This book was thought provoking and quite well done. Highly recommended.
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