My Last Chance to Be A Boy

Imagine today if a past president such as Bill Clinton or George Bush decided to disappear into an unexplored part of the world without an entourage of reporters, secret service bodyguards, and more. You are right, it couldn’t happen.

In Joe Ornig’s book, MY LAST CHANCE TO BE A BOY: Theodore Roosevelt’s South American Expedition, 1913-1914 we find this is exactly what TR did. Past presidents have done many things, however Teddy Roosevelt is the only one who went exploring after he left the White House.

Known as the Roosevelt-Rondon expedition, he and the members of the expedition immersed themselves in some of the most hostile and dangerous wilderness areas of the world. There they explored one of the longest tributaries of the Amazon River. At that time the river was known as the River of the Unknown.

Roosevelt and the members of his expedition charted the course of the river for 400 miles . The expedition followed the course of the river from its headwaters in Argentina to where it entered the Aripuana River, which in turn flows into the Amazon River.

The trip was no gentle ride in a millpond. It was hot, hard, fatiguing and dangerous work traversing the river. Disease, rapids, indigenous people and insects and animals were all real dangers. In fact Roosevelt was so badly injured he almost didn’t survive this which was to be his last adventure. When TR began the expedition he was a vigorous middle aged man in good health. Roosevelt’s well known robust constitution was seriously weakened by his experience traversing the river that would be name after him. The travails of the expedition permanently weakened TR and contributed to his death 5 years later.

Ornig, who is a businessman and president of a small manufacturing company writes an extremely well researched and lucid account. In fact he presents facts and photos that had not been previously published. In scholarly content Ornig’s book is equal to the output of professional scholars. In just plain good writing he surpasses most professional scholars in providing an account of an adventure of a lifetime.

MY LAST CHANCE TO BE A BOY is not only about the expedition itself, but also covers the planning that went into it as well as some intrigue and controversy. In addition there is a colorful narrative of the grand tour of South America taken by Roosevelt before he embarked on his exploration.

Notables such as Tweed Roosevelt, TR’s great grandson wrote the forward to Ornig’s book and it was lauded by the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Much to his surprise Ornig received a letter from the late Steven Ambrose and much acclaimed historian and author. Ambrose praised the book in terms of both quality of writing and content.

Most biographies of TR either demonize or lionize him. To many of us today he is a caricature. In MY LAST CHANCE TO BE A BOY, Ornig captures the man complete with both his flaws and his strengths. We learn the great outdoorsman and hunter is a poor shot. Why? His vision is poor. Roosevelt shows his heroic side when we read that weakened by an infection from a leg wound we find Roosevelt asking to be left behind because he is slowing down the expedition.

Unfortunately, although it is in its second printing My LAST CHANCE TO BE A BOY, has never received the readership it deserves. There are many reasons. One reason is that both editions were published by relatively small publishing companies who don’t have the marketing resources of their larger competitors. Also, running a company takes up much of Ornig’s time, not allowing him to the luxury of doing a lot of promotion for his book.

I would recommend this book to those who have an interest in Teddy Roosevelt, as well as any readers who want to read an amazing adventure story. This account of a past president’s journey down the River of the Unknown and what he confronts again proves truth is stranger than fiction.