The Oregon Trail: A New Adventure

I listened to this book written and narrated by Rinker Buck several years ago on a drive from Bend to Albuquerque, NM, and, although I was skeptical at first, I was quickly engrossed and have recommended this book to many, especially the audio book as Buck's reading really made the trip come alive. 

Library Journal offers this summary and recommendation: "Buck ...recounts his four-month journey following the 2,000-mile Oregon Trail in a covered wagon pulled by mules, accompanied by his brother, Nick, and a dog named Olive Oyl. Peppered with reminiscences of the covered wagon trip his family took when he was a child, this adventure highlights the difficulties of travel without mechanization and often without communication. The author narrates the book himself, and ...Buck's low-key humor will pull listeners into the scenes as he describes chasing his runaway mules and repairing broken wheels. The author does an excellent job balancing discussion of the historical impact of the Oregon Trail with a current-day travelog about the people and places he encountered. VERDICT For fans of travel reads, those who love the Old West, and history buffs." I have to say that I am none of the above and I still enjoyed this book immendsely. 

Likewise, Publishers Weekly also praises this combination of history and personal experience: "The ensuing tale combines the brothers’ personal narrative with the remarkable history of the trail, including written accounts from the pioneers who braved it. What could have been a set of rote diary entries is anything but, as Buck’s enthusiasm for the often arduous trip, coupled with his honest assessment of poor judgments and mistakes along the way, makes for an entertaining and enlightening account of one of America’s most legendary migrations. Even readers who don’t know a horse from a mule will find themselves swept up in this inspiring and masterful tale of perseverance and the pioneer spirit.  

Where the Lost Wander

Based on actual persons, Amy Harmon's story of a wagon train's passage from St. Joseph, Missouri to the west coast is realistic and gripping. I had a little trouble getting started, but character development is excellent and you can't help rooting for the young protagonists: 20-year old widow Naomi May and 25-year old mule driver John Lowry. Booklist concludes their review by saying, "Novelist Harmon brings the tribulations of the vast westward migration to life in this sweeping, majestic narrative, but [s]he also examines diverse perspectives, including the responses of Native peoples to the incursion on their lands, brought to life in the stories of historical figures such as the magnetic Chief Washakie. The love story of John and Naomi is filled with tension and honest reflection, as well as missteps and disappointments, all of which add a rich realism to this sumptuous historical novel."

Publishers Weekly offers a decent summary of the plotline. "In Harmon's passionate tale of pioneers and Native Americans ..., a young widow falls in love with her wagon party's mule driver. Twenty-year-old widow Naomi May is traveling with her family on a wagon train from St. Joseph, Mo., to California in 1853 when she meets John Lowry, known as Two Feet by his Pawnee mother's family for "straddling two worlds." Naomi is drawn to him, and John is attracted to Naomi's beauty, resilience, and devotion to her family, but his awareness of the prejudice he faces due to his Pawnee heritage makes him reluctant to believe they could have a future together. Misadventures abound as members of the wagon train succumb to cholera, endure difficult river crossings, and face confrontations with Sioux warriors. After the wagons are attacked and burned by a war party, Naomi and her infant brother, Wolfe, are kidnapped and John determines to save them. Harmon richly details the train leaders' stubborn handling of the trail's challenges from John's point of view, foreshadowing the fate awaiting them. The genuine bond between John and Naomi will keep readers turning the pages."