{"product_id":"the-best-land-under-heaven-michael-wallis-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\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Michael Wallis\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1631494007\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781631494000\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Liveright Publishing Corporation\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/29\/2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 496\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.85lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.10h x 5.50w x 0.90d","brand":"Michael Wallis","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44051584549119,"sku":"9781631494000","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_195ee9e0-3e64-4c54-8c83-1e1f5eda8fb9.jpg?v=1685013956","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-best-land-under-heaven-michael-wallis-9781631494000","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}