River Without a Cause

“This remarkable double chronicle—at once a history and a memoir—deftly combines journalistic meticulousness and novelistic storytelling, introducing reader to what Roosevelt called ‘the land of unknown possibilities.’” – Kirkus Reviews
“A retracing of the Roosevelt-Rondon journey, led by the American newspaper publisher Charlie Haskell and his wife, Elizabeth McKnight, this 19-member group included Tweed Roosevelt, TR’s great-grandson, as well as Mr. Moses. Provides an instructive glimpse of the Amazon today as agricultural, logging and mining interests continue to push into the rainforest and jeopardize the lives of its inhabitants. Whereas deforestation in Brazil surged under the recent administration of Jair Bolsonaro, it has slowed since the 2022 re-election of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Mr. Moses ends his book with an image of Rondon’s spirit rising from the grave and cheering.” – The Wall Street Journal
“An expedition follows in the footsteps of a century-old Amazon River adventure taken by naturalist and former president Theodore Roosevelt. Satisfyingly, the expedition succeeded in finding spots visited by President Roosevelt and his associate and guide, the brilliant Brazilian explorer Cândido Rondon.” – Kirkus Reviews
“With verve and empathy, author and former Navy Seaman Moses gives WWII’s Operation Pedestal, “the most heavily defended and heavily attacked naval convoy in history,” its first book-length treatment since Peter Smith’s 1970 volume. An exciting, imperative read.” * Publishers Weekly, starred review *
“A riveting tale of true American grit…. Highly recommended.” * Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review *
“A first-class retelling of the story of Operation Pedestal. Any proper account of Operation Pedestal and its salvation of Malta will read like a novel by the late Alistair MacLean, but Moses here has marshaled the research and exercised the writing skills to produce a solid addition to WWII naval literature by anyone’s lights.” * Booklist *

Sam Moses is the author of the acclaimed race-driving memoir, Fast Guys, Rich Guys and Idiots, as well as At All Costs: How a Crippled Ship and Two Merchant Mariners Turned the Tide of World War II, a gripping account of a naval battle in the Straits of Gibraltar, and a heartfelt parenting memoir, It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This. A former senior writer for Sports Illustrated, he began writing as a U.S. Navy Seaman on a cruiser engaged in shore bombardment of Vietnam, long letters home. He lives in an eco village on the Indonesian island of Lombok.

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