Snow Mountain Passage

written by James D. Houston

This was a great summer read — a fascinating piece of historical fiction that brings to life the ordeal of the famous Donner Party. The story focuses mainly on James Frazier Reed, one of the group's leaders, but the author folds in recollections from Reed's daughter, Patty, who was eight at the time the pioneers attempted to cross the Sierra Nevadas.

You probably already know bits of their story because the nation developed (and still maintains) a morbid fascination with the fact that certain members of the party resorted to cannibalism — an early snow trapped most of them in the cruel mountains, with almost no means of obtaining food once their supplies ran out. What the book does, though, is go far beyond the gore (the cannibalism bit isn't even a focus of the story until about the last 75 pages) and instead affords appropriate attention to the experience of these remarkable people who gave new meaning to the idea of human endurance. Houston skillfully develops themes that we can all relate too: human conflict, power struggles, loss, grief, hopelessness, and survival — not only physical survival, but survival of the spirit.

Really cool elements:

• At the risk of spoiling the book for you, I need to mention that there is a beautiful theme of reconciliation that doesn't fully materialize until the end.
• Houston paints a portrait of Reed that holds him up as an amazing example of husband and father, without coming off as trite or phony. His character is genuine, believable, human, and (yes) flawed. His flaws and mistakes are what make this book captivating.
• Teachers and parents won't have trouble recommending this book to kids that are middle-school-aged and older. Though some of the themes are disturbing, they reflect the conflicts we experience in real life. There are only a handful of swear words (and aptly used, I might add) and there's nothing in the book that I would consider raunchy.

Not-so-cool elements:

• There are a lot of names to remember here. The Donner Party was really big, and many characters come into play as Reed's story unfolds. If you read like I do — in short snatches here and there, between carpool responsibilities and work appointments or whenever a blessed commitment-free minute presents itself — you might need to keep a list of who's who.