The Best Land Under Heaven by Michael Wallis

As we head into November, cold weather is upon us and the holidays are near which means eating with family. A book to consider as it certainly ties-in is The Best Land Under Heaven by Michael Wallis. In his book,Wallis looks at the Donner Party, cold weather and the eating of family members - pretty close if you ask me.
Tales of the Donner Party have filled our history. It is one of pioneers heading west, getting lost and turning to cannibalism to stay alive. With his book, Wallis looks in detail at the make-up of the party and just what went wrong that led to its disastrous end.
What I like about Wallis' book is his exploration of the personalities of the Donner Party - who got along and who didn't. He takes that a step further in looking at what roll this played in the decisions made by the group. He also explores negative outside influences and bad advice that plagues the group and eventually led to deaths of several of its members.
And of course there is the cannibalism. Wallis looks at who died and who was actually eaten. There is even a chart at the end of the story that goes family-by-family and looks at who died so that others might live. He further explores the after-effects of the party's members who were labeled as man-eaters for the rest of their lives.
Wallis' The Best Land Under Heaven may make you a bit queasy, but it is a fresh look at one of the dark chapters of our country's pioneer history.