The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds: The Donner Party Expedition, 1846

My Name Is America

by Rodman Philbrick

Douglas Deeds, a fifteen-year-old orphan, keeps a journal of his travels by wagon train as a member of the ill-fated Donner Party, which became stranded in the Sierra Nevada mountains in the winter of 1846-47.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Fiction, Historical, Young Adult, Childrens, Survival

155 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Aka William R Dantz, Chris Jordan, W.R. Philbrick.

Rodman Philbrick grew up on the New England coast, where he worked as a longshoreman and boat builder. For many years he wrote mysteries and detective novels. The Private Eye Writers of America nominated two of his T.D.Stash series as best detective novel and then selected Philbrick's 'Brothers & Sinners' as Best Novel in 1993. Writing under the pen name 'William R. Dantz' he has explored the near-future worlds of genetic engineering and hi-tech brain control in books like 'Hunger', 'Pulse', 'The Seventh Sleeper'. And 'Nine Levels Down'.

Inspired by the life of a boy who lived a few blocks away, he wrote 'Freak The Mighty', the award-winning young-adult novel, which has been translated into numerous languages and is now read in schools throughout the world. The book was adapted to the screen in 1998 as 'The Mighty', starring Sharon Stone, Gillian Anderson, James Gandolfini, Kieran Culkin, and Elden Henson.

Philbrick, a screenwriter as well as a novelist, is the author of a number of novels for young readers, including 'The Fire Pony', 'Max the Mighty', 'REM World', 'The Last Book In The Universe', 'The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds' and 'The Young Man And The Sea'. His recent novels for adults include 'Dark Matter', 'Coffins', and 'Taken'. He and his wife divide their time between Maine and the Florida Keys.

Reviews

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A diary style accounting of the luckless Donner Party's journey westward towards California. The adventurous start turns somber as the shortcut the party chooses to take proves to be more time-consuming than time-saving, with additional hardships due to the rugged terrain and harsh conditions. Cold weather looms, progress is slow, and comradeship turns from friendly cooperation into division and an every man for himself outlook.

Douglas Deeds and the other characters demonstrate courage, faith, and perseverance but ultimately bad directions, bad timing, and bad weather doomed them to their eventual stranding in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The author provides a good presentation of the decisions and conditions the people faced with a careful layout of the disturbing details. He also gives a good sense of the miserable and harsh realities of their situation along with the desperation and insanity brought about by the lack of food and other supplies. I would have liked more detail on the survivors and their physical and mental recovery but otherwise I found this to be well-done.

This revised title seems to be a paperback edition of The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds: The Donner Party Expedition, 1846.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apologies in advance:

The truth is sugarcoated well before the Forlorn Hope section (of which, in fact, no men without family members back at camp survived). I understand this book is written for children, and that it’s merely fiction, but I have a hard time excusing flagrant lies that vilify people doing what they had to do to survive in order to bring back help for their families. The final sections tarnish anything redeeming from the first.

Without learning the complexities of the situation, kids will perpetuate the stigma that surrounds the memory of these poor emigrants. A missed opportunity here.

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the best historical fiction I've ever read. I really liked the story, even though it was way too short. I think the Dear America ones are better...

[William B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds: The Donner Party Expedition 1846 and it was written by Rodman Philbrick. The main characters are Douglas Allen Deeds and Edward Breen and his family. I found this book at the library. I asked the librarian where some good Western books were and she showed me this one I read a few pages of it and I like it.
The main character is Douglas he is the 15 year old boy that is very strong and very helpful to everyone especially traveling and hunting buffalo, he can shoot. The Breen family took Douglas in when his father died. The help him so much and make sure he is fed and has a place to sleep. Him and many others in the Donner Party are on a Expedition to California to start their lives over. But the people are held up only getting to travel a few miles a day because of food and the weather. The cattle have to wait to cross rivers when the river is down so it won't drown the cattle. And also people are dieing due to starvation and constipation and drinking bad water. Will they make it?
My favorite part of the book is when it rained and the people got help from Indians to help them get their cattle over the river for 1 dollar per wagon and that they was actually nice and didn't try to kill them. The ending is very facinating and it tells what happened to their lives.
My opinion on the book is that it is a very good book and I recommend it if you are interested in Western books, expedition books and hunting books. It tells alot how people got around back then and how they survived. There are many similar books like this. There is The Journal of Jedidiah Barstow, The Journal of C.J. Jackson, and The true Patriot.

[Kelsey Hanson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite in this series. I will get this out of the way first. When you think of the Donner party, typically you think of the cannibalism that the survivors used to survive. This IS a book designed for pre-teens so there are no graphic descriptions of the settlers eating their dead (thankfully). the diary ends where things were still pretty bleak, but before they resorted to this. This is a rather watered down account of what happened for obvious reasons which might have been why it seemed so short. It seemed like I didn't have a lot of time to get into the story or care for any of the characters.

[Joe Holman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author does a very nice job in writing the journal of the fictional Douglas Deeds as a member of the Donner Party. Even though I knew how the story ends, their journey was brought alive in this book. It shows the bad choices, how close they came to making it, the heroism of a few, the survival mentality of others.

[Lindsay Guin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ for me / 4 ⭐️ for students

[elsie]

THIS BOOK FRICKING TRAUMATIZED ME WHEN I WAS LITTLE

[Alex Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of this series and this book is decent, although not my favorite. It's a look into the life of a boy who was part of the Donner party which was rather unfortunate. You feel for the kid and it's a really good insight into what happened for kids. I think it does a good job of really illustrating what was going on and why and the decisions being made, but all in a kid friendly way.

I think it was maybe a little young for the main character who was fifteen. Like maybe him being a touch younger might have helped some of the storytelling. But this was a good book and a great series.

[Little Seal]

I'm so, so, so, so, SO glad I never had to experience the horrors of going across the country in a wagon train where I believed a stupid man on his travels. Like holy moley, this party had THE WORST LUCK IN THE WORLD. I knew that before but yikes, reading about it again just disturbs me.

[Sparrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more brutal and well written volumes. I don't know if I'd let a kid read this until they're older.

[Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was pretty good and historically accurate for a fictionalized kid's book. But the main character very conveniently never resorted to cannibalism which I thought was interesting

[Jannah Horvath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grade level :5.7

Genre : Historical fiction

This My Name is America is part of the Dear America book series. Each part of the series is fashioned to be a fictional journal based off of real historical events and people. Most books from this series I have seen have the characters as children, so readers can identify with them. I picked up this book because I saw my mentor last year use another volume of this series to use during read aloud time while they were working on their Oregon Trail unit. This journal, however, details most of the journey of Douglas Adams from Missouri to California as part of the Donner Party. I knew from the start that the Donner party was unsuccessful.Many people in the group starved or resorted to cannibalism while stranded in a snowstorm on the harsh mountaintop.
This book does a good job of mentioning the starvation and alluding to the cannibalism without being inappropriate. Many other reviews say that the story is inaccurate, but I found that the book dealt with it the right way for a book made for 5th to 6th grade. The journal ends on a positive note for such a negative subject, with the author of the journal finding civilization and food. The historical notes at the end of the journal reveal that the character is based off a real person, who struck it rich during the California gold rush. I think it is a necessarily addend to a very gloomy book.


I would use this with older readers who may be at a lower reading level. I'd also include this and other books in the series in my school library. I don't think I'd use this particular book in direct instruction just because of the touchy subjects.

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm fascinated with the story of the Donner Party. I live in CA and it's such a part of CA history and I grew up in Springfield, IL where the Donner Party began their trek West. I've camped at Donner State Park and seen the statue indicating how high the snow was that fateful winter of 1846 and I've read Ordeal by Hunger. I picked this Scholastic book up to see if it would be appropriate for my young grandsons. I enjoyed it since it's written from a young person's perspective. It does mention the horrid way by which some stayed alive, but in a minor way and without detail. History can not be changed, but it doesn't have to be detailed for children. I'm passing it on for reading in their study of CA history.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading the, "Dear America" series when I was 10 years old. Since then I've spent years scouring used bookstores etc trying to find the whole series. When I had my son, I realized that I needed to collect not only the series about girls in America, but the one for boys as well. I'm ashamed to say I've never read any of them til now. This one was okay. Most of the book focused on them getting to where the Party gets trapped in the mountains, instead of the months they spent there. Maybe I'm being morbid. I don't know. I really wanted to learn more about The Donners and the other survivors, and how they made it til the rescue parties finally showed up. Anyway.

Three stars.

[Drucilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think everyone has heard about the Donner party, but they don’t know the specifics. The author does a great job making you sympathize with the expedition and while he doesn’t skirt the cannibalism issue, he presents it in a very impartial way. I would have liked the epilogue filled out a little more and the historical note could have detailed the lives of the surviving party members better, but I did like the fold out map (although it could have used more detail too).


Side Note: My mama got me this book...she knows me so well. : )

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I teach 4th grade and this is an excellent book! I will definitely take the reader into consideration when they choose/ I recommend this book. excellent historical fiction. The author does a good job of touching on the horrors on the trail and slight mention of eating others. may be too mature/ scary for some readers.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book, I loved it! :-)
I recommend this book to anyone, it is a book well worth reading. As the name suggests it is about the Donner Party Expedition, and that's all I am going to say.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to read these bad boys so often back in the day. But somehow, surprisingly, I had no idea that there was a Donner Party diary. Naturally, I ate this one up.

Douglas Allen Deeds is an orphan with a dream of making a steady life for himself. So he joins the Breen family on their expedition west. He observes his journey by writing in his journal of the arguments between the Donners and the Reeds, as well as the trials and celebrations they endure. From forts to untrustworthy shopkeeps quite literally in the middle of nowhere, to the ill-fated Hastings Guide, he diligently pens his experiences. However, as the winter starts to set and they must forge their own path through overgrown brush, walk through a desert with no water and dwindling ox, and getting snowed in at Lake Truckee, his energy to write becomes few and far between. And so does their food.

Knowing that the Breen family is only feeding him because of his friendship with their son--a kindness he understands can be revoked at any moment--he chooses to set out with Forlorn Hope, an escape group using crudely-made snowshoes. And that's when the fun starts.

Well, for me, anyways.

I had to keep reminding myself that this is a children's book. So of course, Douglas isn't going to partake in the cannibalism--instead running away and lucking out by finding a rabbit and eating it raw. I can't deny that I wanted him to eat someone, the emotional turmoil of having eaten another human being. While cannibalism is a very real topic--and perhaps not totally child-appropriate despite the fact that there were children who did very much so eat human beings during that horrid time--I am glad that Philbrick touched on it, not shying away from the fact that Douglas' decision to not eat human flesh was a decision of survival: his chances of living without consuming meat of any kind would have been slim.

I was also wondering if he would stay behind and be cut off from food, or deal with Tamsen Donner and Lewis Keseberg and the rumours swirling around Keseberg's cannibalism. Then again, starving to death is not quite where the action lies.

Definitely a fun read. I've loved anything and everything Donner Party since my adult years, and the time period of going West since my childhood years (despite learning about the horrors of Manifest Destiny in my more recent years). Maybe if I'd read this sooner I would have written a strange story about Little House on the Prairie...

[Hunter smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds
This book is about a young boy named Douglas Allen Deeds. Douglas was part of the Donner party expedition, a group of American pioneers that set out to California on a wagon train in 1846. The Expedition ran into many problems involving weather, food, sickness, and lack of hope. Douglas finds his role in the group after he is faced with the hardest challenge among them all.
After a very heavy blizzard hit the Donner party and no way to move forward in the snow, the people among the expedition were forced to take shelter in a ran down cabin. Equipped with a broken stove and holes all in the ceiling, the cabin was a great improvement from the outside elements. Surviving by eating the dead and frozen cattle, there are only a few left. All hope seemed to be lost among the Donner party until Douglas came up with an idea that just might save the last of the survivors.
On the 17th day of January, in the year of 1847, a young woman named Harriet Ritchie heard a knock upon the door of her small cabin. Only thinking she had imagined it, she went about her business. Harriet heard the knock once more, she unlocked the door, what she saw startled her so badly she could not speak and it brought tears to her eyes. It was a nearly lifeless soul whispering with what it had left for bread, it was one of the last of the eight survivors of the Donner Party, Douglas A. Deeds.
This book was definitely a favorite of mine. From the beginning to the end I enjoyed every word of it. I definitely recommend to any readers that enjoy books like Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always loved the Dear America books growing up. The My Name is America is the boys' version, though I don't think I actually knew any boys who read them. Just us girls who had read all the other Dear America books. I still love these books. This one was pretty good, all things considered. No romance, which was a big must when I was ten. The whole Donner Party story is weirdly fascinating, probably because cannibalism is such a gruesome and horrifying thought. Living in a mountain town, too, where the winters can get pretty nasty, I felt for those poor people, trapped in the Sierras. Still, a grisly tale. Didn't get too graphic, though, for those of you wondering if this book is still appropriate for tweens. Definitely still fine and dandy.

[Venneh · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I remember the author from Freak the Mighty!!) Found this in a used bookstore in Sturgeon Bay. I remember this for when Scholastic decided to go after boys for the historical diaries series, and am still surprised they went with one of hte survivors of the Donner party. This author does at least acknowledge that the women basically told them that this was a horrible idea and to not do this but they didn't listen to her. The fact that it's also from a survivor's POV means they get to be relatively tasteful about the cannibalism decisions, and if it wasn't for a rabbit we probably would've gotten on screen cannibalism. Hilariously, this guy and one other kid went on to be one of the benefactors of the gold rush.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I was worried details would be glossed over as this is a children's book, but I was pleasantly surprised - if that makes sense. This story is absolutely horrific, and I can't believe what these people had to endure.

Of course I've heard of the Donner Party, but I didn't know much of the specifics, and I felt this book did a solid job of sharing known relevant details in a way that fit a young boy's diary (mostly). This was short, and. I feel like the book could have benefitted from a bit more depth, but as an introduction, this was a solid read.

I would recommend to young readers, and those looking for a very light historical fiction read.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A journal from a member of the Donner Party. I know a bit about the story, but really haven't read much about it. It was a safe account for middle school and while touched on the cannibalism didn't go much into it. I am wanting to read more about the wagon trains west.

How did this book find me? Philbrick won a William Allen White Award for Wildfire. I really enjoyed it and working my way through reading more of his books.

[Janis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The lines are more blurred between fact and fiction in this book compared to the others I’ve read in the series. The characters in this book were all real. Douglas Deeds did keep a journal on the trip. I don’t know if all the events that take place in the story are true or not, but I do know they were very believable.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Douglas Allen Deeds keeps a journal of his journey west in 1846.........and he was a member of ill-fated Donner Party. Using actual characters and events, this book provides a vivid look into just how hard the journey west was, even without getting stranded in the mountains all winter.

Recommended for Grades 5-8........

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of the Donner Party tragedy starts off so thrilling and exciting. It isn't until the end that you really start to feel the direly hopeless situation they find themselves in. And to see it all through the eyes of this youth who is desperate to make it on his own, is incredibly challenging. You find yourself hoping against hope that he makes it out of the nightmare alive.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, but short. Good overview of what a wagon train would need to make good time across the country, and what went wrong with this particular caravan. Didn’t shy away from the grisly result of the Donner party’s getting lost, but didn’t glorify it either.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was kind of a re-hashing of the Oregon Trail one but with more hardships. I thought the author handled a delicate subject pretty well. I do wish the epilogue had more information, but the historical note helped fill in the blanks.

[Terry Filkohazi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't help but think how things would have been different if they didn't take the "shortcut" and followed the well known one. But they didn't want to listen to a woman. So sad Mrs. Donner didn't survive. Bet she went to her grave saying"I told you so."