Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing

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⭐ 10.0/10

(Originally written by Rebecca)

A few weeks ago, the ship Endurance was found in the Antarctic, 117 years after it sank in 1915. My friend Emily is super into boats and told me about it, and Owl City posted about it on Instagram, saying he read a book about it and wrote a score based on it a few years back. I suddenly got super invested (the score also slaps), and on my way to Toronto I got the 11-hour audiobook, just for kicks.

This story was GRIPPING. I don't read a lot of nonfiction, but I do like survival stories, and this one was amazing. I was on vacation but I was listening to this audiobook every time a had a spare minute, including while waiting for a table to open at a restaurant. The story of the boat getting stuck in the ice and the crew trying to survive and figure out a way to get rescued was super well-documented and LITERALLY insane from start to finish. And importantly, every single member of the crew survived (except the sled dogs and one crewmember's cat, may they rest in peace).

I finished it on the train ride back (that's 5 days it took me) and I was on the edge of my seat. The story was incredible, the stakes could not have been higher, and I was vibrating in my seat. And in the end everyone makes it home, and it's really beautiful. The strength of humans in the face of near certain death truly inspires.

Definitely recommend for anyone who likes boats and/or survival stories. I was really surprised by how much I loved it. And the narrator for the audiobook was amazing!

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