Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing

⭐ 9.5/10

(Originally written by Joseph)

Hey it's Becky's favorite book! I've been reading a lot of adventure and exploration nonfiction lately, so I really wanted to try this one. Turns out it is indeed amazing. I know it's a decently well-known story, but I'd think that, had it not happened right during WW1, it would be even more mainstream.

There will be some spoilers, but this story is 100 years old, and also the book spoils everything in the first chapter. It's the story about Shackleton and his crew trying to cross Antarctica, only to get stranded and have to fight their way back to safety. Of course that's very hard to do in a winter hellscape because, ya know, freezing, and also, ya know, nobody lives there. I will say (and I know this will upset Becky) that this book is kinda a tale of two halves. The first half, while interesting, is definitely pretty slow. I would say that Shackleton's goal is not exactly a noble, or really even a cool one because he's not trying to discover anything, or learn anything... Just trying to do something that hasn't been done. The pole has been reached, and he wasn't really going into uncharted land. He just wanted to be the first guy to cross the whole thing. Maybe not worth putting 30 guys' lives in certain peril!

So then when they get stuck, I would also say it's not super compelling at that point. They don't have any power to save themselves, they are just surviving the winter, and hoping the wind pushes their ice sheet closer to land. Again, still very interesting how they did it, but there isn't much action.

But the second half! Now this was an absolute page turner, and had some of most incredible feats I'd ever heard of, and really highlighted what they were able to do against all odds. Like it is just so shocking what they accomplished. It's not that they did one crazy thing, it's that they did like 10 things in succession that felt like they had a 1% chance to work each. Even though I knew the outcome, my heart was literally pounding as they crossed the sea in a lifeboat, or slid down a 2000 ft glacier in the dark. Wild stuff.

The ending made me emotional, thinking about all they had to endure, and it's sweet because in part you know they did it for each other, and you really get to know this band of pretty lovable guys. Although the book was slow at times, it really helps highlight what an incredible, extended journey this was. The ending wouldn't have had the same payoff if the author didn't go meticulously into how little they were eating every day.

So yeah, amazing book, amazing story. I'm not sure I'll go on the same 2 year obsessive run that Becky has, but I can definitely see why people are drawn so much to this story and these men. Pour one out for Mrs Chippy!