Author to discuss her book about adventurous trip across U.S.

SANDUSKY — Author and former Sandusky Register reporter Lorraine Boissonneault will tell tales of rugged outdoor adventure when she speaks at Sandusky Library Saturday about her book "The Last Voyageurs: Retracing LaSalle's Journey Across America."Boissonneault's book, just released in paperback, tells the true story of two dozen young men, high school students and teachers, who in 1976 set off an an eight-month, 3,300 mile expedition in the U.S. and Canada to recreate the 17th century journeys of French explorer René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (1643-1687), who roamed across Canada, through the Great Lakes and down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.Reached by phone Monday from Washington, D.C., where she's a staff writer for Smithsonian Magazine, Boissonneault, 28, says she'll give a presentation with pictures, talk about memorable moments in the journey and read a short excerpt from the books. Copies of the book will be available for sale.Kirkus Reviews praised Boissonneault's book as "an engaging travelogue." Publisher's Weekly wrote, "In this action-packed dual narrative, Boissoneault shares a charming slice of U. S. Bicentennial history … Boissoneault describes interesting, complicated people facing life-threatening perils, and in alternating Lewis's story with that of La Salle's journey, she makes fascinating historical comparisons."Boissonneault grew up in Port Clinton and went sailing in Sandusky and also canoed on the Maumee River when she was a Girl Scout. She was an intern at the Sandusky Register in summer 2009 and winter 2010.In an interview with the Register last year, Boissonneault explained how she became inspired to write her book."I've always been fascinated by the history of explorers, because of the hardships they had to overcome and the fact that they often had no idea where they were going. It's hard to imagine now what it would've been like setting off into the wilderness without knowing where you'd end up or what you'd see," she said."I was interested in La Salle in particular because I'd been to many of the places he explored, and I was impressed with his determination. He failed several times before making a successful voyage down to the end of the Mississippi," Boissonneault said.Boissonneault mostly pens history pieces at her Smithsonian job, such as "Why an Alabama Town Has a Monument Honoring the Most Destructive Pest in American History," about a monument to the boll weevil.But her May 31 report on a noose being found inside the National Museum of African American History and Culture was widely read and received national attention.She said it was a different experience, writing a piece that everyone talked about."Most of the time what I'm writing about is not breaking news," she said.Reach reporter Tom Jackson at jackson@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @jacksontom.Meet the authorWHAT: Lorraine Boissonneault talks about her book, "The Last Voyageurs: Retracing LaSalle's Journey Across America."WHEN: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 10.WHERE: Sandusky Library, 114 W. Adams St.NOTE: Copies of the book will be available for sale and for autographing: $20 for hardcover, $12 for a paperback.Lorraine Boissoneault