SHIPWRECK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD: THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURE OF SHACKLETON AND THE ENDURANCE

1. Bibliography

Armstrong, Jennifer. 1998. SHIPWRECK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD: THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURE OF SHACKLETON AND THE ENDURANCE. New York: Crown Publishers. ISBN 0517800144

2. Plot Summary

This book chronicles the amazing and perilous Antarctic expedition of Sir Ernest Shackleton, Captain of the Endurance, and his 28 man crew. These brave men set out to be the first ever to cross the barren wasteland of Antarctica on foot. However, when their ship becomes trapped in the ice, their already dangerous excursion becomes a life or death race back to civilization. After being shipwrecked and trapped on the ice for eighteen months, Shackleton makes a daring rescue mission to South Georgia Island in search of help for his homesick, frostbitten, dying men. In the end, the Captain and the full 28 man crew were all saved despite what seemed many times to be insurmountable odds.

3. Critical Analysis

The most important aspect of any non-fiction work is accuracy. This book was written based on the personal accounts of the men who survived this perilous journey. Armstrong has carefully cited books and diaries written by several of the men including Shackleton, Worsley, McNeish, Hurley, and many others, as well as newspaper and journal articles written at the time of this amazing feat. Also, she has included maps of Antarctica as well as blueprints of the Endurance. Armstrong has provided evidence of vast amounts of research as well as venues for further reading for those interested in learning more.

This work is stylistically well written and appropriate for a young adult audience. It is easy to read, yet at the same time, the gruesome and often cruel reality of the situation is always present. For example, Armstrong does not neglect to tell us that the men had to kill their sled dogs for food or that the stowaway, Blackborrow, had to have his toes amputated because of frostbite. She begins the book by asking the reader to "imagine yourself in the most hostile place on earth" (Armstrong, 1998). She invites the reader to do more than read about this adventure, she wants the reader to witness it.

Finally, and this is perhaps my favorite part of the whole book, are the photographs. The book contains prints of many of the original photographs taken on the journey by Frank Hurley in 1915-1916. These candid photos add realism to this otherwise unbelievable tale as they illustrate, in stark black and white images, the dire situation that these men survived.

4. Review Excerpts

School Library Journal: The text moves from diary entries to explanations of how to read the sun, and the descriptions of the terrain and weather are superb. This is a very effective presentation of not only how the disaster occurred, but of the toll it took on the crew and how they rose to the challenge

Horn Book Guide: Her captivating, complete account, which identifies and tracks practically every crew member and liberally employs quotes from crew diaries, will find an audience with the detail-oriented, want-to-know-it-all kind of reader.

Publisher's Weekly: Armstrong's absorbing storytelling, illustrated with dramatic black-and-white photographs, make this an enthralling adventure

5. Connections

* Other Books About Shackleton and The Endurance
THE SHACKLETON EXPEDITION by Jil Fine
SIR ERNEST SHACKLETON: BY ENDURANCE WE CONQUER by Patricia Calvert
ICE STORY: SHACKLETON'S LOST EXPEDITION by Elizabeth Kimmel

* Other Books About Antarctica
HERE IS ANTARCTICA by Madeleine Dunphy
SOUTH POLE PENGUINS by Amanda Lumry
DISCOVERING ANTARCTICA: PLANTS AND ANIMALS by June Loves
WILDLIFE IN ANTARCTICA by Mary Adrian

* Other Books About Survival
AMAZING STORIES OF SURVIVAL by People Magazine Staff
ADRENALINE HIGH: EXTREME OUTDOOR SURVIVAL by Larry Mueller
THE WORLD'S MOST AMAZING SURVIVAL STORIES by Tim O'Shei