Gross, gruesome and disgusting. If those are three of your favorite words, then keep reading.
If you are sensitive and/or squeamish, stop right now. This is not the book for you. If you love things that make your skin crawl and ff you want to imagine yourself in one of the most difficult historical situations in American pioneer history, read on.
When Nathan Hale was captured as a spy, the British were all set to hang him from the highest tree. To delay his impending doom, Nathan started spinning tales a la Scheherazade and the Arabian Nights: Thousand and One Tales. Here is one of his most disgusting stories and the worst part is it's based on a true story.
Back in 1846 the Reed Family decided to leave their comfortable home in Illinois and head west to seek a better life in California. They loaded up all their possessions, some livestock, a pony, the family dog and three wagons full of food and joined a wagon train The families got together and voted James Reed and George Donner as their captains. Then they set off along the well-used trail driving their oxen and horses and lumbering over miles and miles of empty land.
The ride was long and difficult and when they met a man named Lansford Hastings who told them about a shortcut that would save them 300 miles of travel, they decided to follow his map. This is where the story changes from a difficult journey west to a nightmare of trauma and possibly even murder. Before you read this book, you need to know about cannibalism. You need to understand that sometimes people are in such incredibly difficult circumstances that they have no choice but to do things they would never, ever do under normal conditions. To survive, people might have to eat things you will never see on the dinner table.
9781419708565 Ages 11 and up 125 pages
Editor's Note: Suggest great care in handing this book to a reader due to cannibalism.
Editor's note: This title is also available as a "Bigger and Badder Edition" 144 pages 978-1419749070
Experience the hit New York Times bestselling graphic novel—now as a deluxe oversized edition featuring 16 brand-new pages of bonus material!
