The Indifferent Stars Above Summary

In the book “The Indifferent Stars Above” by Daniel James Brown we are presented the story of a young bride by the name of Sarah Graves. The events occur in a time where the philosophy of manifest destiny is at a strong point, therefore American settlers seek to expand into new territories in hope of a better future. The book follows the path of Sarah,her family and her traveling companions (father, mother, husband, siblings) into California, bad decisions eventually push them to their maximum limits. As the economy is in decline and the circumstances aren’t favorable in Illinois Franklin Graves,(Sarah’s father) makes the decision of selling his land and start a journey into California. The illness malaria or known as “the Illinois shakes” at the time was a common site in the …show more content…
They eventually meet the Reeds, Donners among others. At the time a book named “The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California” had been published by the lawyer Lansford Hastings who had traveled across Oregon and California. Hastings’s book itself spread the idea of potential useful land among those areas, while also encouraging Americans to settle it. It was all indeed part of Hastings’s plan in self interest as he was promised rewards in exchange for his publishing/help. He then proceeded to write about a shortcut to California in order to attract more settlers, but it was also a path he himself had never taken. Among those who decided to follow that “shortcut” were the Graves, the Donner party. That decision would eventually be costly as they were stranded in the Sierra Nevada mountains lacking supplies. Many people die from different causes of hypothermia, /hunger (mostly men),the lack of food and water pushes the party to resort to cannibalism in order to survive. They were forced to eat their death for survival, but even then some preferred to die than to eat their