[a:Victor LaValle|1762294|Victor LaValle|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1280959466p2/1762294.jpg] mentioned this series in The New York Times's by the Book interview. I would recommend pairing this book with Caitlin Doughty's YouTube video about the Donner Party. The graphic novel has very good infographic that shows the size of the Donner Party (the party consisted of 87 people from multiple families. The two big families, the Donners and the Reeds, had their crew of teamsters and helpers.) and begins each chapter helpfully with a mini-map of their path and location. Hale focuses more on the people and depicts the whole journey leading up to the fateful winter at the Donner Pass, so his recounting feels more complete than Doughty's 20-minute video. However, Doughty synthesizes her research more memorably and brings out the survival cannibalism front and center. Also, her tone of humor does not have the patronizing "ewww, don't show me the scary stuff" kind of warnings that made my eyes roll. Maybe Hale was trying to be sensitive to children, but children love this stuff, man. There is no need to be shy as long as you don't make the cannibalism salaciously scandalous.