Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage. Alfred Lansing. 1959/2015. 357 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence of preface: The story that follows is true. Every effort has been made to portray the events exactly as they occurred, and to record as accurately as possible the reactions of the men who lived them.
First sentence of chapter one: The order to abandon ship was given at 5 P.M.
Narrative nonfiction at its best. I suppose "best" is a relative term. But still. This book is an incredibly compelling, near-haunting read. This one was first published in 1959. Lansing traveled to England to do his research. He interviewed survivors--many survivors. He read diaries and journals. This book is the result of his immersion into his research. The first chapter opens with the call to abandon ship--the Endurance--but for the most part it is a chronological account from when they set sail to go exploring to the day that ultimate rescue comes. The book is divided into parts. And these divisions make perfect sense--even adding a bit of suspense. There are twenty-eight men. Twenty-seven officially chosen as crew, with one stowaway (who didn't have the best of luck picking ships to stowaway on). This is their story--collectively. Some men readers get a better grasp of than others--but I would say there's fair representation of all. Enough to say this is THEIR story, not just the story of a single man, an incredible leader (Shackleton). The book does not build him up as a saint; he is presented as a great--but human--leader with flaws.
The story is a fascinating one. I'd probably recommend it for reading in any season except winter. I jest. Mostly. It is honestly one of the best nonfiction books I've read as an adult. That being said, it is not--I repeat NOT--a book for every reader. This book could easily trigger those who are easily triggered when it comes to dogs. For the pack dogs on board the Endurance, well, let's just say the story does not in any way end decently. It was ROUGH reading, to be sure. Same could be said with those with a soft spot for penguins and seals.
This book does not conclude with an epilogue of what happened to the twenty-eight men after they were rescued. I've read other books about the Endurance that do. (It was not all happily ever after.) But excepting that fact, this is by far the best of the three or four books I've read on the subject. And according to the book's introduction, this is the "definitive" must read on the subject.
© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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