Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World
The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and The Endurance
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A very comprehensive account of one of the most important scientific and cultural expeditions in the western world--the third exploration of Antarctica, in 1914. This text captures the emotions, strengths and weaknesses of the 28-man crew as individuals, their trials and conflicts, and gives an excellent account of the difficulties that through collective will they conquered. The conditions they faced--blizzards with 80 to 100-mile-an-hour winds, ice floes that surrounded and eventually crushed their ship, the Endurance, hostile animals, such as a snow leopard, near-starvation, frostbite, and even having to shoot and eat their sled dogs. Yet this crew endured, due largely to Ernest Shackleton's leadership, characterized as respect for all, peacemaker, and one who was calm and collected under the most stressful conditions.
Dave Earnhardt, secondary English teacher, Centennial, Colorado, [email protected]
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Armstrong tells the story of Ernest Shackleton and his ill-fated Antarctic expedition during 1814-16. After their ship, Endurance, is unexpectedly locked into an ice field, the crew must survive temperatures as low as -100 F while stranded in the Antarctic through the winter. Despite unbelievable odds, Shackleton managed to get all of his men out alive.
I've always been firmly anchored to the sci-fi/fantasy community in the YA world, so was a bit apprehensive about reading any non-fiction (ie boring, boring, and more boring). This book, however, was as gripping as any fantasy epic I've read, with high stakes, fascinating characters, and a story so fantastic you'd be hard pressed to make it up–and yet it's all real! I read the entire thing from cover to cover in one sitting, flipping back and forth to the maps as the story unfolded just as I'd do for any fantasy novel. Armstrong's writing style is highly engaging, and the details she shares (not simply events, names and dates) give depth to a cast of extraordinary characters and the equally extraordinary conditions that they endured during their nearly two-year sojourn in the Antarctic Circle. Highly recommended.
