Death on the River of Doubt ─ Theodore Roosevelt's Amazon Adventure

"I did have a murderous trip down South, but it was mighty interesting."

In October 1913, Theodore Roosevelt arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on a tour of South America. The thrill-seeking adventurer had no idea that he would soon receive an offer he couldn’t refuse: the chance to lead an expedition deep into the Amazon jungle to chart an unmapped river with his son Kermit and renowned Brazilian explorer Candido Mariano da Silva Rondon.

Death on the River of Doubt takes readers inside the thrilling journey that unfolds as Roosevelt, Rondon, Kermit, and their companions navigate an unpredictable river through an unforgiving jungle. With new threats at every turn, from bloodthirsty piranhas and raging rapids to starvation, disease, and a traitor in their own ranks, it seems that not everyone will make it out alive.

Through it all, the indomitable Teddy Roosevelt remained determined to complete their mission and rewrite the map of the world. Or die trying.

Samantha Seiple is the author of Lincoln's Spymaster: Allan Pinkerton, America's First Private Eye, a 2015 Junior Library Guild Selection; Ghosts in the Fog: The Untold Story of Alaska's WWII Invasion; and Byrd & Igloo: A Polar Adventure. She has worked as a competitive intelligence specialist for a Fortune 500 company, as a librarian, and as a production editor and copy editor. Her education includes degrees in English, journalism, and library and information science. She lives in Asheville, North Carolina.