The Indifferent Stars Above - Daniel James Brown

**** - I don't usually read much non-fiction. The Indifferent Stars Above is a prime example of why I should branch out more - but also of why I prefer historical novels.

I received a free review copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program.

When I requested The Indifferent Stars Above from the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program, I thought it was a historical novel about the Donner Party's ill-fated trip toward California, not a non-fiction historical account. This is entirely due to my own carelessness in reading the description - and I have to admit, I'm glad I did.

I don't usually read non-fiction. In non-fiction works, the very things that bring history to life for me, that fascinate me - the emotions, the motivations of the people involved - tend to be frowned upon. These innermost workings of human beings are largely unknowable - or unsupportable by evidence - and therefore avoided in serious non-fiction. But those are what make up the essence of a story and save it from becoming dry recitations of facts - for me at least. I'm emotionally driven, and I'm looking for emotional resonance in my histories.

The Indifferent Stars Above really made me re-think my aversion to non-fiction. Daniel James Brown ties the story of his ancestor to a frame story of his own research journey along the route they took. His discussion of the wagon train's journey is interesting and insightful - I found his discussions of sexual attitudes, hypo- and hyperthermia and similar well-placed and intriguing. I especially enjoyed his discussions of psychological effects of the cold and hunger - Brown comes very close to discussing the kind of motivations that I crave in my understanding of history. I certainly learned a great deal that I never knew about the Donner Party and others like them who were on the trail West.

But the book also reinforced my preference for historical fiction over non-fiction. Once the party was stranded by the lake and during the brutal trek of some members toward rescue, I really would have preferred to hear the story with the emotion and the motivations of the characters. In particular what happened at the lake before the last rescue party arrived - the part of the story involving Keseberg - was left unclear. There's simply not enough evidence to conclusively claim that Keseberg killed and ate some of his fellow survivors. But I could have used some speculation - it just would have made the story more satisfying for me. I just like to know what happened!

I certainly know much more about the Donner party than I did before (which was very little), but I'd love to know if someone knows of a good historical novel about the incident!

Interested in learning more about the Donner Party?

Book Trailer

PBS site for The American Experience: The Donner Party

Interested in other opinions about the book?

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