Review: Across the Endless River

By Thad Carhart

From the book jacket:

“Born in 1805 on the Lewis and Clark expedition, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau was the son of the Voyage of Discovery’s translators, Sacagawea and Toussaint Charbonneau. Across the Endless River evokes the formative years of this mixed-blood child of the frontier, entering the wild and mysterious world of his boyhood along the Missouri. … In 1823 eighteen-year-old Baptiste is invited to cross the Atlantic with the young Duke Paul of Wurttemberg, whom he meets on the frontier. During their travels throughout Europe, Paul introduces Baptiste to a world he never imagined.”

I’ve read several accounts of the Lewis and Clark journey, included some of the diaries. I’ve also visited some of the sites. In fact, just this past summer, I revisited Fort Astoria where the expedition stayed that winter near the Pacific Ocean.

So, when I was asked by FSB Associates if I would like to review “Across the Endless River,” I jumped at the opportunity.

This is a unique version of Baptiste’s life. Little has been written about him and Thad Carhart does an excellent job of helping the reader get to know this member of the Corps of Discovery.

Although it is a fictionalized account, I felt like I was actually meeting Baptiste. Carhart did an excellent job of researching the life of this little known person and brings to the pages of his book an account that is well-written and informative historically.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who is interested in this important period in the history of our country and that same time period in Europe.

Fascinating reading!