The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride (P.S.)

InAprilof1846,SarahGraveswastwenty-oneandinlovewithayoungmanwhoplayedtheviolin.Butshewastorn.Hermother,father,andeightsiblingswereabouttodisappearoverthewesternhorizonforever,boundforCalifornia.Sarahcouldnotbeartoseethemgooutofherlife,andsodaysbeforetheplanneddepartureshemarriedtheyoungmanwiththeviolin,andthetwoofthemthrewtheirlotinwiththerestofSarah'sfamily.OnApril12,theyrolledoutoftheyardoftheirhomesteadinthreeox-drawnwagons.Sevenmonthslater,afterjoiningapartyofemigrantsledbyGeorgeDonner,SarahandherfamilyarrivedatTruckeeLakeintheSierraNevadaMountainsjustasthefirstheavysnowsoftheseasonclosedthepassaheadofthem.Afteraseriesofdesperateattemptstocrossthemountains,thepartyimprovisedcabinsandslaughteredwhatremainedoftheiremaciatedlivestock.ByearlyDecembertheywerebeginningtostarve.Sarah'sfather,aVermonter,wastheonlymemberofthepartyfamiliarwithsnowshoes.Underhisinstruction,fifteensetsofsnowshoeswerehastilyconstructedfromoxbowsandrawhide,andonDecember15,Sarahandfourteenotherrelativelyyoung,healthypeoplesetoutforCaliforniaonfoot,hopingtogetrelieffortheothers.Overthenextthirty-twodaystheyenduredalmostunfathomablehardshipsandhorrors.Inthisgrippingnarrative,DanielJamesBrowntakesthereaderalongoneverypainfulfootstepofSarah'sjourney.Alongtheway,heweavesintothestoryrevealinginsightsgarneredfromavarietyofmodernscientificperspectives–psychology,physiology,forensics,andarchaeology–producingatalethatisnotonlyspell-bindingbutrichlyinformative.