{"product_id":"the-best-land-under-heaven-the-donner-party-in-the-age-of-manifest-destiny-9781631494000","title":"The Best Land Under Heaven: The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"WESTWARD HO! FOR OREGON AND CALIFORNIA!\"\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe know these early pioneers as the Donner Party, a name that has elicited horror since the late 1840s. With \u003cem\u003eThe Best Land Under Heaven\u003c\/em\u003e, Wallis has penned what critics agree is \"destined to become the standard account\" (\u003cem\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/em\u003e) of the notorious saga. Cutting through 160 years of myth-making, the \"expert storyteller\" (\u003cem\u003eTrue West\u003c\/em\u003e) 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\" (\u003cem\u003eOklahoman\u003c\/em\u003e) examination of the darkest side of Manifest Destiny.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWallis, Michael:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eMichael Wallis\u003c\/strong\u003e, the best-selling author of \u003cem\u003eRoute 66\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eBilly the Kid\u003c\/em\u003e, has published eighteen books and won numerous honors and awards. He is a popular public speaker and a highly acclaimed voice actor. He lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.","brand":"Liveright Publishing Corporation","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50613405188370,"sku":"9781631494000","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_37bfcf91-4f73-4759-9b51-77ba2f434f4c.jpg?v=1732399923","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-best-land-under-heaven-the-donner-party-in-the-age-of-manifest-destiny-9781631494000","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}