Title: Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage
Author: Alfred Lansing
Major Themes: Shackleton, Survival, South Pole, Exploration
Synopsis: A gripping retelling of Shackleton and his crew’s extraordinary journey after their ship was crushed in Antarctic ice.
Over this past year, I’ve discovered, somewhat to my chagrin, that I love survival stories. I found Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage a while ago, and recently, when I needed an audiobook to listen to, I decided now was the time to try it out. I’m so glad I did! Before starting this book, I had no idea what Shackleton and his crew went through, aside from the vague knowledge that their ship got stuck in the ice and they had to abandon it. This book brings their journey into startling focus, and I doubt I’ll ever forget this piece of history now!
Publisher’s description:
Experience “one of the best adventure books ever written” (Wall Street Journal) in this New York Times bestseller: the harrowing tale of British explorer Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 attempt to reach the South Pole.
In August 1914, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton boarded the Endurance and set sail for Antarctica, where he planned to cross the last uncharted continent on foot. In January 1915, after battling its way through a thousand miles of pack ice and only a day’s sail short of its destination, the Endurance became locked in an island of ice. Thus began the legendary ordeal of Shackleton and his crew of twenty-seven men. When their ship was finally crushed between two ice floes, they attempted a near-impossible journey over 850 miles of the South Atlantic’s heaviest seas to the closest outpost of civilization.
In Endurance, the definitive account of Ernest Shackleton’s fateful trip, Alfred Lansing brilliantly narrates the harrowing and miraculous voyage that has defined heroism for the modern age.
My thoughts:
One thing I love about survival stories is the way they show the human spirit’s desire to live. I’m always interested to see how far people will go in an effort to preserve their lives, and that came to the forefront in this book, as well. These men were thrust into a harsh environment with very little warning, and their fight for survival against the odds and the worst elements is something to witness.
It’s incredible to consider how many times these men should have died—and didn’t. The ice floes they were on were unforgiving, and it was almost nail-bitingly painful to hear about their time when none of the ice was strong enough to survive on—yet they couldn’t necessarily stay in boats, either, because they ran the risk of being crushed between different floes. Then they had to contend with little to no food, very little drinking water, no sleep…the list goes on and on. That they made it out at all was a miracle.
Alfred Lansing does an impressive job of pulling together historical documents, including records and journals, to tell this story. Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage reads almost like a novel, and I found it to be a gripping, unputdownable story. Several of my brothers listened to it around the same time I did, and also found it fascinating. I love being able to learn history when it’s presented in an interesting way like this! Highly recommended, if you’re interested in Antarctic exploration, or enjoy learning more history in general.
WARNING: There are occasional mentions of men cursing (no specific words used). Part 1—Around chapter 5: Mention of a man who lost one of his testicles in an accident. Chapter 6: Damn. Chapter 7: Damned, I’m damned. Part 2—Chapter 4: “The subject of sex never came up” (in discussing what the men talked about in their downtime). Part 3—Chapter 2: Dogs killed, damn. Chapter 4: Bloody. Chapter 5: Dogs killed. Chapter 6: Damnable. Part 4—Chapter 4: For God’s sake. Part 5—Chapter 4: Damn. Chapter 5: God damn, description of an amputation. Part 6—Chapter 4: For God’s sake. Chapter 5: By God. Chapter 6: Damnable. Part 7—Chapter 3: Who the hell are you?
Age levels:
Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audible Audiobook (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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