The Explorers: A New History of America in Ten Expeditions

by Amanda Bellows

A fascinating new history of America, told through the stories of a diverse cast of ten extraordinary—and often overlooked—adventurers, from Sacagawea to Sally Ride, who pushed the boundaries of discovery and determined our national destiny.

The archetype of the American explorer, a rugged white man, has dominated our popular culture since the late eighteenth century, when Daniel Boone’s autobiography captivated readers with tales of treacherous journeys. But our commonly held ideas about American exploration do not tell the whole story—far from it.

The Explorers  rediscovers a diverse group of Americans who went to the western frontier and beyond, traversing the farthest reaches of the globe and even penetrating outer space in their endeavor to find the unknown. Many escaped from lives circumscribed by racism, sexism, poverty, and discrimination as they took on great risk in unfamiliar territory. Born into slavery, James Beckwourth found freedom as a mountain man and became one of the great entrepreneurs of Gold Rush California. Matthew Henson, the son of African American sharecroppers, left rural Maryland behind to seek the North Pole. Women like Harriet Chalmers Adams ascended Peruvian mountains to gain geographic knowledge while Amelia Earhart and Sally Ride shattered glass ceilings by pushing the limits of flight.

In The Explorers,  readers will travel across the vast Great Plains and into the heights of the Sierra Nevada mountains; they will traverse the frozen Arctic Ocean and descend into the jungles of South America; they will journey by canoe and horseback, train and dogsled, airplane and space shuttle. Readers will experience the exhilarating history of American exploration alongside the men and women who shared a deep drive to discover the unknown.

Across two centuries and many thousands of miles of terrain, Amanda Bellows offers an ode to our country’s most intrepid adventurers—and reveals the history of America in the process.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Travel, Audiobook, Biography, Nature

384 pages, Hardcover

First published June 4, 2024

Reviews

[Graeme Newell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Swing and a miss on this one.

This book is structured as a collection of short stories, each profiling a different American explorer from the last 300 years. While this might sound intriguing, I felt that this format actually detracted from the overall quality of the work. I was hoping to get a more cohesive understanding of what makes an explorer tick - how their personalities develop, how they execute their daring journeys, and the impact they have on society. Instead, each explorer’s story was presented in isolation, lacking an overarching context that could tie these remarkable individuals together into a compelling narrative. As a result, the explorers felt more like random figures rather than parts of a larger, interconnected story.

Another gripe was with the writing itself. Bellows’ prose came across as lackluster, more of a dry cataloging of biographical facts than a stirring narrative that captures the essence of these audacious adventurers. These were some of the most amazing people of their time, yet the writing failed to convey the excitement, courage, and sheer audacity that defined their lives. I was expecting to be swept off my feet by tales of adventure and heroism, but instead, I found myself wading through a factual recounting that lacked emotional depth and engagement.

Don’t get me wrong, I did learn quite a few things about these brave explorers. There were interesting tidbits and facts scattered throughout the book, but I was hoping for so much more. I wanted to get a glimpse into the minds and hearts of these individuals, to understand what drove them to venture into the unknown, how they lived their lives, and the inner strength that fueled their explorations. Unfortunately, I felt like I never really got a good look at what made these people tick.

In the end, I did pick up some interesting facts, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. I was hoping for a more captivating and cohesive exploration of these remarkable lives, and this book just didn’t deliver.

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being an explorer sounds absolutely exhausting. I want nothing to do with it, but luckily Amanda Bellows takes a look at people much more motivated than me in her book The Explorers.

Bellows does a chapter on a wide variety of people who either were from America or became famous here. There are some very well known folks like Amelia Earhart and Sacagawea to less well known explorers like James Beckwourth. The format is like many books you see nowadays where it's "The history of the world in..." things like shipwrecks or art. Bellows is a good writer and each chapter is engaging.

The problem you may run into is if you know a lot about any of the subjects. I have read a lot about Arctic exploration and space operations recently so the chapters on Matthew Henson and Sally Ride read as very high level overviews. Specifically with the Henson chapter, I felt it was missing a lot of nuance. This isn't a criticism so much as a warning for people who read a lot of history. Check the names of the people Bellows covers in this book. If you know most of them then this book is not targeted at you. If you are not a full-on history nerd like myself, this is a wonderful way to dip your toe into this side of the pool without reading a full biography on one person.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and William Morrow.)

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

New York: William Morrow, 2024.

A book about American Explorers that highlight women and racial minorities. Some names are familiar, such as Sacagawea, John Muir, Amelia Earhart, and Sally Ride. Others are less familiar such as Florence Merriam Bailey, William Sheppard, and Harriet Chalmers Adams. I was fascinated by Sheppard's story.

This is a book I'd highly recommend this book id you are interested in explorers.

That said, there are two bones i have with this book. First, Bellows's use of the term "indigenous." This term is quite popular now to describe native peoples to an area but what terms did the people she chronicles used? Yes, Harriet Chalmrrs Adams was cognizant Aymara, would she have used that term (pg 169). According to Merriam Webster's website, the term indigenous has it's origins in the 16th century combining the Latin terms for "native" and "begat." How did James Beckwourth refer to native peoples?

Second, Bellows never really defined what an explorer is. Certainly everyone she mentions in her work were indeed explorers. That said, there were times where I was trying to determine if I should see these people as discoverers or explorers.

Other than the citation style in the back which I thought were odd (and I ultimately see as a dictate of the publisher).

[Jake Nivasch · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to stop reading this because it was too boring. Felt like I was reading a Wikipedia page. Interesting facts about unique people, but this simply misses the mark. I struggled to find a compelling narrative which was compounded by the lack of cohesion. Hate to quit on a book but this was tough…

[meg · Rating 1 out of 5]

absolutely terrible! not actually “the history of America in ten expeditions” more like “ten extremely surface level biographies of people, some of whom could be described as explorers”

like sorry but absolutely how are you going to have a whole chapter on Matthew Henson and not even mention that he didn’t actually go to the north pole

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection of stories of American exploration from the beginning of European settlement to space exploration. Each chapter tells a unique story, and overall this book gives a nice taste of history from a variety of people. I would have liked to see a little less details on the early childhood of the explorers, and a little more detail on their explorations and how they paved the way for the next explorer. Overall I enjoyed the book, and am thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for my review.

[Ashley McMullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Explorers by Amanda Bellows is an accessible, easy-to-read book that reexamines the foundations the United States was built on. She looks through the lens of ten explorers that are women, people of color, and/or immigrants to reframe the "American Dream" through explorations we may not have learned about in school.

I really enjoyed my time with this book, reveling in each chapter and walking away feeling like I had learned quite a bit that I didn't know before. While I wish Bellows would have chosen other people to highlight instead of, say, John Muir, who is well-known in his own right and has been recently highlighted for his racist and harmful language, she doesn't shy away from the imperfections of these individuals. I think that's really important when it comes to historical figures because they are so easily and so often idealized over time and put up on pedestals that they would probably have tried to knock themselves off of.

I think this would be an excellent companion book for a high school classroom. I'm thinking particularly as a jumping off point for research papers or general add-ons to lessons when these parts are not covered in textbooks. A good beginning effort, and hopefully a book that history enthusiasts, nature lovers, and nonfiction fans alike will find enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for giving me advanced reader access to this title in exchange for an honest review. This title published on June 4, 2024!

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, overall pretty good but there were a couple explorers that I wasn’t drawn into and ended up skipping their chapters.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

A wiki-level collection of mini biographies of underappreciated American explorers.

Bellows’ 2024 book, “The Explorers,” aims to highlight adventurers from underrepresented and underappreciated communities in U.S. history, such as women and people of color. The book features a series of mini essays and biographies, starting with Sacajawea’s role in the Lewis & Clark Expedition and concluding with Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut. Along the way, it offers brief glimpses into the lives of Gold Rush frontiersman James Beckwourth, North Pole explorer Matthew Henson, aviator Amelia Earhart, and Harriet Chalmers Adams, one of the first female contributors to National Geographic, among others.

I love the *idea* of this book. Stories of exploration into uncharted territories have the potential to be captivating. The monomaniacal dedication of certain individuals to “boldly go” where no one has gone before can be riveting, especially when paired with the often harsh realities of their adventures. A collection focusing on lesser-known explorers and their exploits had the potential to be fascinating.

Unfortunately, "The Explorers" never gets there. The essays vary wildly in quality, ranging from reasonably detailed accounts of explorations (good) to surface-level biographies (less good), to broad historical recaps with minimal biographical/expeditionary details (even less good).

Ultimately, the book feels like a collection of Wikipedia entries—adequate and accurate - but never truly compelling.

[Darcy Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stellar book- i have no idea how this book could have such a low rating- it is well written, well researched. Very informative and well timed to current events. Easy to read with 10 manageable chapters, each focused on one interesting explorer. Enough information to give the reader a good understanding of the historical time and topic. Thought provoking- glad I read it.

[Susan Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A deeply researched book, with some overlooked individuals. Especially interesting to me was William Sheppard, an African American missionary, born in Waynesboro! But I was disappointed that it was drier reading than I’d hoped for.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brisk read and a fresh look at American explorers of various frontiers. What a welcome alternative to the Dead White Men school of historical storytelling.

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was pretty good but not great, read like Wikipedia articles but was a good little narrative on each person. i wish the stories connected more instead of just jumping to the next randomly at times

[Frank Murdock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting read. Well written stories about American explorers from diverse backgrounds who have not been recognized before historically.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher William Morrow for an advance copy of this book that looks at American and world history through the travels and adventures of a group of diverse people who all shared a gift of not being able stay in one spot, always wondering what was waiting in the beyond.

Exploration is part of human nature. Babies explore their new world, finding stairs to fall down, dog beds to sleep in, even expensive items to make toys of. People quit jobs to explore new options, sometimes even quite a comfortable lifestyle to explore the world out there. Humans need to know things. From the physical to the metaphysical from around the corner to what lies in the stars. America has a habit though of making our explorers bigger than life, and predominantly white males, omitted from history the tales of many who came before, came along, or lead the way, be they black, women free from bondage, or just free thinkers. The Explorers: A New History of America in Ten Expeditions by Amanda Bellows, looks at a group of explorers some famous, some just known, some unknown, whose tales and achievements changed history, and brought new ways of thinking, many of which are still being discussed today.

The book is broken into ten essays with an introduction and a conclusion detailing many lost or misunderstood people, who should be deemed explorers in the grandest sense. Bellows discusses that in America most explorers are thought of as Daniel Boone types, rugged individualists who keep pushing the limits of frontiers whenever they would see the smoke of their neighbors houses. However there have always been others who went to the frontiers to see what was there for different reasons, To escape the life expected of them, the life that was forced on them, or to find a life that could be explored without exception. And this is who Bellows is discussing. Sacagawea, stolen from her home, who grew up a slave, traded into marriage, and yet without her the Lewis and Clark expedition of America might have ended in failure, or death. And yet Sacagawea was not rewarded for her work, and even her life and death after is unknown. James Beckworth, a mixed race mountain man, who traveled all over America, making a fortune outfitting prospectors in California, losing a fortune after making a road for settlers to cross. Along with these Bellows looks at the life of John Muir, Amelia Earhart, and Matthew Henson.

A history book that shows the grit that people have to do things that they have set their mind to, no matter the consequences. Bellows describes the lifes of these people, showing hardships, problems, and in one or two a lot of questionable behavior, but who excepted no limitations on their explorations. For women, for black men to travel, to set up businesses, in Henson's case go to the North Pole, is just extraordinary. As is the way there were all treated, even Muir in some cases by the press as crazy, as not acting like their kind should. And yet the persisted. Bellows has done a very good job of making all these characters from Sacagawea to Sally Ride come to life, and shares there stories and achievements quite well. Every page has a fact, a nugget of information that was new, or in some cases just a new way of thinking. Bellows has a nice style, and ability to describe boat travels on rivers, shuttle launches, even sleeping with llamas at high altitude with a sense of expertise and excitement. A really interesting history book, and one I really enjoyed.

[Ric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was on some level fascinating. On others it was a bit off the mark.
Great stories of amazing individuals. Except, I didn't get as much about being an explorer as you might think. A few were driven to look around the next bend, but a few were also complete opportunists.
The history of America aspect was also a bit stilted. We definitely get some great insights into important eras in American history. But at least half the time we were getting a story of an "explorer" simply because the author wanted to talk about racism, diversity, or religion. It was an interesting way to frame the discussion. and its a worthwhile discussion in general. But I kinda still wanted more about the nature and meaning of exploration, and less about facts and dates.

I also got a little tired of the book pushing "history" as a way to explore DEI. I have no problem advancing and supporting overlooked individuals or peoples. I applaud it, and we need more of it. Just don't hide behind an objective title to serve your purpose. I would have felt much better if this book was titled, "Hidden Explorers" (or similar, homage to "Hidden Figures") and just dove into the subject whole hog. Go ahead and make the point that exploration is often led by those in a more challenging position to take it on. It's valid and interesting. But claiming that the "white black man" missionary in the Congo is one of America's most important top 10 explorers strains credulity. Even if his tale is remarkable, important, and relevant. It didn't shape the USA.

If you're a history buff there's some nice tidbits sprinkled throughout. And it really is a completely and often overlooked view on the life and times of these United States. (I had no idea women's fashion could negatively impact the avian population so dramatically) But as an overall read I just found myself wanting a little bit more something something.

[Mirissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of the short stories here are not very compelling reads. They’re miniature biographies, but several read like a Wikipedia article instead of an interesting story. There’s no feeling to those recitations. As the timeline approached a more modern era, things picked up some. It was also clear that those exploring within America were not as loved by the author as those who explored the world or the skies, as the biographies of people like Amelia Earhart and Sally Ride had a much more emotional feeling to them than some of the earlier ones. (Though, to be fair, perhaps that’s my own bias seeping through.)

However, the later stories especially were overwhelmed by huge amounts of contextualization. While the context was important I suppose, it also just felt only tangentially related to the people I had come to learn about. For example, several pages of Sally Ride’s section talked about communism and the Cold War without a single mention of her or her family. Again, this is relevant historical context but wasn’t what I was looking for in this book.

I think I was also expecting more obscure folks to be featured. While there were certainly a few names that were new to me, several of them were quite famous and already associated—at least in my mind—with exploration, conservation, or preservation. In that way, the book didn’t really feel like “A NEW History of America” but instead a compendium of already well known lives.

[Book Club of One · Rating 4 out of 5]

A common image of American individualism is of the rugged individual(s) who explored and conquered the frontier. Amanda Bellows The Explorers: A New History of America in Ten Expeditions subverts this image, instead Bellows biographies ten individuals who made their own paths but have mostly fallen out of popular memory due to their race, gender or the passage of time. Across the book, Bellow also notes the linkages between the individuals showing that we are all connected in some way.

The book is separated in two parts. The first is focused on the exploration of the Americas. Part two looks at explorations out of the country or world, beginning with the 20th century. Half of the featured people should be recognizable, at least by name: John Muir, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Sally Ride, Sacagawea and Amelia Earhart.

It is in the other half that Bellows re-introduces 'lost' figures like African American polar explorer William Sheppard, 'mountain man' James Beckwourth or the Andean explorer Harriet Chalmers Adams.

For each of the chapters Bellows combines primary and secondary sources to provide a description of each person's family life, education or formative experiences their key accomplishment(s) and their legacy.

Recommended to readers of American history, popular culture, biographies or a fuller understanding of the past.

I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.

[Zhelana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book sets out to fight the perception that explorers are white men by introducing the story of other explorers. Unfortunately, all of them were either black men or white women. There were no Asians or Hispanics or Native Americans or even black women. So like, it's a good start for talking about non stereotypical explorers, but it wasn't very diverse, for a book whose stated purpose was to increase diversity in our thinking about a topic. I mean the stories that the author told were interesting enough, and I enjoyed learning about these people, but I can't offer it a very high rating because of the lack of other races in the book. I'll forgive the lack of other genders since that's a fairly recent thing, but honestly, this really bugged me. It also came in two chapters - one on the 19th century and one on the 20th century, but the one on the 20th century skipped from Amelia Earhart to Sally Ride with nothing in between, so I don't know but that seems like a really big skip given the number of chapters that took place between 1900 and 1905. So overall while interesting, this book was disappointing.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting topic, looking at some lesser-known folks in the realm of explorers, plus a few I'd never heard of. Of course, I don't think of Sacajawea as being "lesser known", but the author did flesh out more detail about her role in the Lewis and Clark expedition. She started out with them after having given birth less than two months before, which is amazing in itself, and apparently she was an invaluable addition to the group, even more so than her husband. For me, this was probably the best chapter. The one that interested me least and had more of a tenuous connection to American History was the one about the man (sorry, I listened to the audiobook and have already forgotten his name) who went proselytizing in the Belgian Congo. He tried to do good for the people there, but I have a problem with the idea of going to other countries and trying to "save" them through religion. And U wasn't quite sure how relevant this was to American History.
The author does give a lot of background to the historical settings that each of her subjects inhabited, so there's a lot of learning along the way that is not specifically about these explorers.

[Peggy Page · Rating 2 out of 5]

A new history of America? Not so much. The stories of ten seemingly randomly selected “explorers” do not come together with any cogent themes, except - well, exploration. There is no attempt to derive historical themes or patterns, no analysis of the roles each explorer played, no connecting the dots as skilled historians are able to do. What did they all have in common, these explorers? They were not white men. Yes, this is a much needed correction in telling the tale of our country, but history is not served by superficial references and anachronisms like telling us about Sacagawea understanding “ecosystems”.

And the writing! Every essay read like a high schooler’s history report. Awkward phrasing, inappropriate word choices, cliches — I spent the whole book rewriting every sentence. Not a speck of drama. One example (I could cite many): “Looking around the airplane, Earhart noticed it was burning”. Noticed?!

This is a PhD historian. Really? She writes like a high schooler cobbling together facts she got from Wikipedia and her history text.

[Don Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met Dr. Bellows at our local, independent bookseller Warwick's last year when she was doing a book tour. She gave a wonderful talk and answered everyone's questions. She's a great teacher, and it showed at the talk and in this book.

Dr. Bellows shines a light on a group of individuals that aren't talked about in what is normally is considered the top lexicon of Euro-American explorers. The construction of this book is a primer, allowing the reader to get to know the subjects and allows the reader to delve further into these people's lives if they choose. Dr. Bellows also writes in the style of a good storyteller. She is great at "wetting the appetite" of her "students". Dr. Bellows also provides a great notes section (almost 100 pages) that cites her sources and provides a unofficial reading list that assists the reader to find out more information on their favorite explorer(s).

Although some of the explorers had tragedy in their lives, this is an uplifting and inspiring book. I highly recommend it!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The things I really liked:
-the diversity
-the inclusion of people I had never heard of before alongside people I was familiar with

Both of those things make me really want to recommend this book widely! I did generally very much enjoy this book. But. This book also made me realize that this is not my favorite format for reading about these kinds of people. I would much rather read books that focus in great detail about one person/place/adventure, instead of ones like this where you're reading about 10 different people over 400 pages. That's a me thing though, so I didn't mark this book down for it because I did really enjoy this one overall. I wish I hadn't left my library audiobook loan to the last couple days because I really had to rush through it, and I would have enjoyed taking more time and paying more attention.

[Scott Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) Some might accuse this book of being “woke”, but in history, there is always more than one narrative and sometimes people who did play a major role in the history of “exploration” in American history don’t always get there due. Thus Bellows offers this work to focus on some of those who don’t get the credit she thinks they deserve. Yet, a number of the individuals are known, even if their actual roles can get overshadowed. Sacajawea, John Muir, Amelia Earhart, Sally Ride…this individuals are well known to history and even for those not as well known, the narratives don’t add much more than surface level discussions/reviews of their lives and actions.

Not a bad read, but one that feels a bit short-changing. The narrator is solid enough, but the rating would be the same regardless of format.

[Aloysius · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version of this book, and my God! It was well done. I knew about 2/3rds of the ten explorers of this book, and only in vague outlines at best. Amanda fleshed out every single one of the figures in her recounting, who explored places as diverse as the Plains, Southwest, the Congo, the Arctic, and outer space!

I particularly like how Amanda manages to link each explorer in a given chapter to the character she was talking about in the previous chapter, even though none of these historical figures ever met each other in real life as far as I can tell (though that would make for good IRL fanfiction, eh?).

I am awed not just by the ten men and women described here, but also by the author who had the skill to detail their travails and triumphs in such a thrilling and moving way. Well done to you all!

[Kim McGee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The exploration of the Americas or explorations done by Americans starting with Sacagawea and Lewis and Clark through Sally Ride's journey into space. All of these offer a glimpse into the wilderness and the people who courageously set about walking blindly into it. They traveled a path where few or none had gone before and some gave their lives while pursuing that dream. This collection offers readers insight into new explorers not always included in history books. Interesting to history buffs, armchair explorers and those looking to forge new paths of their own. They are listed in chronological order but can be enjoyed just as much reading them in any order. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

[Jk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a gorgeous hardcover copy of this book for free via the Goodreads Giveaways program and would like to thank anyone who had a hand in making that happen!

This is a really fun and inspiring look at the thrilling expeditions of some lesser known American explorers that didn't necessarily get the credit that they deserved at the time of their accomplishments due to their race or their sex. Ranging from when our nation was first being explored by the US Corps of Discovery to the Space Race it creates a picture of the indomitable American spirit of exploration and how that has shaped both the American landscape as well as political relations with the rest of the world for better or for worse. A very interesting read!

[Gary Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book with short stories about ten (10) American explorers that fall outside of the typical stereotype. The individual stories were interesting, but there isn't much of an overall narrative besides exposing readers to "non-standard" explorers.

1. Sacagawea: a Native American guide and interpreter for Lewis and Clark
2. James Beckwourth: an African American mountain man.
3. Laura Ingalls Wilder: a homesteader in the Dakotas.
4. John Muir: the preservationist.
5. Florence Bailey: the bird conservationist.
6. William Sheppard: the first Black missionary to Africa.
7. Harriet Chalmers Adams: an Andes explorer.
8. Matthew Henson: a Black North Pole explorer.
8. Amelia Earhart: an early woman aviator and navigator.
10. Sally Ride: the first American woman in space.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. I liked that the author chose folks that are not usually considered among the core explorers in US history, but the stories didn't particularly hold my attention to the extent I'd hoped. I felt like the book ended up making me look up some things, like Matthew Henson's descendants, more than it gave me information in a compelling way. I'm also unsure about the inclusion of Laura Ingalls Wilder in this collection, especially since I didn't feel like the author made a good claim of why she was included as an "explorer." This is a worthwhile book but I was a little disappointed at the execution.

[Jocelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the premise of this book very much in that you don't often hear about non-white, non-male explorers. I agree with other reviewers in that the chapters are a bit of a gloss over the deep history that many of these individuals left behind. There are space and attention constraints, but it can get frustrating if you know anything about any of the people featured. I think it would have been better to focus on lesser known people so as to inspire readers to continue learning about them.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review, but all opinions are my own.