"Endurance: Shakleton's Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing

I selected this audiobook because I was not familiar with the details of Shackleton's expedition. I knew he was an antarctic explorer of some kind, but that was all.


Summary: This is the story of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition headed by Sir Ernest Shackleton. Lansing has interviewed crew members and read their diaries to piece together the story from start to finish. The story is told in dramatic fashion to match the drama of the journey. It is as though at every turn nature is trying to wipe these 28 men off the bottom of the map and it is only by hard work and a dribble of luck that they make it back to civilization.

As the story is now 100 years old, I can't be accused of spoiling it, so here's the basic plot. Shackleton is looking to be one of the great First's on the icy continent. Someone was already the first to reach the pole, and so he is planning to be the first to trek across the whole landmass. They are to go to the pole and then leave the continent on the other side. A separate expedition is organized to stash supplies on their exit route from the pole so that they need only bring half the gear with them. They take the ship the Endurance into the antarctic ocean and are trapped in ice. They eventually abandon ship and make camp. Shackleton and a small team then takes a lifeboat back across the ocean in search of help. This book follows the hardships and accomplishments of the men who stayed behind and the men who risked everything to save them.

What I Liked: This story has all the terror and excitement found in a sci-fi or fantasy book, and with the added bonus of being true! It is told in a very clear and direct manner so that you feel like the adventure is unfolding before you. Each chapter I was imagining myself alongside the men and wondering what I would do in their shoes. I got excited when they had good luck and became worried when things grew worse. Lansing is great at making the scene real.

What I Didn't Like: N/A.

Rating: Must Read.

Also Read by this Author: None.

Reviewed by: Nick

"Ice Bound" by Dr. Jerri Nielsen with Maryanne Vollers

We selected this book it combined my interest in science and Tami's interest in autobiographies. 

Summary: This is the story of Dr. Jerri Nielsen, an emergency room doctor who lives in Ohio. She talks about her personal life and how her family fell out of her reach. This moved her to a mental space where she was lost and uncertain about her future. She decided to apply to be the winter doctor at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station on Antarctica. She describes the process of getting ready for a year long stay at the pole and how one gets there. She talks about the summer crew she met when she arrived and the "night shift" when the summer folks flew out. Once the summer ends, the team is in total physical isolation without any planes able to safely land or takeoff at the pole. Even their communications is limited by the brief windows of satellite reception available at the pole. They learn to make do with what supplies they have and keep a very close eye on all critical systems. She talks about the kind of people who choose that sort of job and way people behave while they are down there. There were 41 people total on the winter crew and they got to know each other very well.

The doctor describes the sorts of training she received before and during her stay. As an emergency doctor she saw a lot of different injuries, but at the pole there would be only one doctor who would be expected to treat any and all injuries. Unfortunately for her, she ended up becoming her own patient! Trapped on the station with limited supplies, Nielsen led her own medical treatment with the assistance of specialists via satellite. Eventually, after deciding her life was in danger the US Government decided to risk a dangerous flight to the south pole in the middle of winter!

What I Liked: It is always interesting to hear people talk about their lives, especially when they are doing something exciting in an exotic place. I learned a lot about the south pole and doctors from this book.

What I Didn't Like: We listened to the audiobook, which was read by the author. She is not an experienced voice actor, so it was distracting.

Rating: This was a very good autobiography.

Also Read by this Author:  None.

Reviewed by: Nick