Fatal North: Murder and Survival on the First North Pole Expedition, by Bruce Henderson
The story itself would make an excellent movie; as told here, it was more a list of events than anything, diminishing the connection between the reader and the experiences described. Had I been the editor for this project, I would have suggested relaying the historical events through the eyes of Tyson, more in the format of a novel to heighten the very real drama that existed on this expedition to the North Pole, rather than a narrator following Hall and Tyson around.
Six months living on an ice floe!!!!! What the heck! Who can do that???? Gritty 19th century explorers, that’s who. Amid interpersonal tensions, starvation, exposure to elements and trying to find land, Tyson and the Eskimos pushed beyond all hope to rescue.
This, following all kinds of botched sea life aboard the Polaris, following the murder of Captain Hall, is a story rife with emotional roller coasters (which could have been explored more in depth).
The examination following the crews’ returns to the U.S. was as botched as Buddington’s leadership. Obviously, the government wanted to sweep all this under the rug.
I would recommend this to readers who enjoy true crime stories, historical adventure, or stories of overcoming the odds in general.
Eyewitness Explorer (DK Eyewitness)
Excellent overview. Recommended to anyone over mid elementary school interested in quick factoids about explorers in history. I used this to build a list of explorers I wanted to examine more closely this year.
The Travels, by Marco Polo
If you enjoy or appreciate medieval writing and want a glimpse into the medieval world on a large scale, this is the book for you. Truly reflecting the age, the travel accounts are literally about Marco Polo’s travels—not his experiences but the places themselves. The structure for the most part is formulaic—“After this many days’ travel, you will arrive at such-and-such a place, where the inhabitants practice this type of religion and eat this primary source of food.” Most places have more details, but these factors were of importance to Polo.
I did not encounter any tales that seemed outside the realm of possibility, though definitely outside the realm of my (and probably most of the current world’s) experience. The floating goblets and the oversized birds (dragons?) were the most fantastical of the adventures, but just because I haven’t seen it doesn’t mean it’s not possible.
The descriptions of lifestyles and governments around the medieval globe were very interesting, accentuating clearly differences between the East and West.
Biographies of the New World, by Michael Anderson
3.5 stars for me, though this is a solid 4 star for a younger audience. I would highly recommend as a resource for an elementary report—accessible, covers all the high points, and builds a picture of the process of exploration that is often ignored. I like reading books like this near the start of a year so I can choose figures to research more in-depth. This served to confirm the choices I had already made.
Missing from brief sketches like the ones here is the element of risk and courage that these explorers possessed as they set out, truly mot knowing what they would face, how long the journey would be, what they would find, and if they would ever return home. Truly, these were amazing individuals, each of whom added valuable information to Europe’s discovery of two continents. I had never considered the depth and detail of interior exploration, beyond the glorious sea based discoveries.
The Explorers: A Story of Fearless Outcasts, Blundering Geniuses, and Impossible Success, by Martin Dugard
If you want to read about explorers, this is a five star read. The Burton/Speke Nile story is the anchor, but many other explorers are mentioned in support of the character traits Dugard isolates. Most of these explorers are on the obscure side, so the stories were new and fresh. This aspect of the book was a five star read for me.
The psychology, however, felt forced. I loved the way he wrapped up the book; I feel like that is all the psychoanalyzing that needed to happen, especially since he is not an expert himself. It would have been awesome if he had addressed the ideas he was aiming for more broadly, perhaps in terms of grit (via Angela Duckworth’s book). I will admit that I am far less of a physicalist than Dugard apparently is, so I look at people like the explorers in terms of character, habits, and choices, rather than lizard brains and dopamine. So I could simply be biased against the worldview. In any case, though, it saw many inconsistencies between the seven traits, especially in the examples used. Why did that story fit hope rather than courage? Or this one fit curiosity rather than perseverance? Then the final cop out of adding discretion as a trait, yet not a trait, which is different than a lizard brain how, exactly? Anyway, the psychology needed a bit of polish, from where I sat.
Race to the Top of the World, by Sheldon Bart
Just too much of so many things. Was this a story of Byrd? Early aviation development? The first flight over the pole? While it might have been doable to address all of these issues, each was full of extraneous content that bogged down any overall point or unifying factor–as well as the overall read. Those who are hard-core aviators would greatly enjoy this book, though, as it discusses many issues in the development of the plane and the increased risks of early aviators that this audience would appreciate.
The organization for this book was extremely strange. The action started off tracking the gear-up of the first attempt at a pole flight and narrating its failure, then the second section was an extremely in-depth backstory on Byrd and his family. While this did make me like him as a person and appreciate his personality, that might have been better before he risked his life on the pole venture so I would have been rooting for him. (And the biography was far. too. detailed.)
My biggest takeaway was the dedication early aviators had to their science, their amazing early successes and abilities to “bail out” safely, and their desire to go farther. Byrd truly was an explorer of aviation and a conscientious contributor to all things flight. Second, while there were many casualties in early flight and I do not want to diminish that tragedy, many of the tales accounted here made me marvel that there were not more as this dangerous technology developed.
Recommended to flight fans but not necessarily polar expedition history fans.
The Journals of Lewis and Clark, edited by Bernard de Voto
This abridgment, edited by Bernard de Voto, was brilliant, focusing on sections of entries that provide a cross section of content ranging from natural descriptions, to adventures, to the daily grind. The result places the reader on the front lines of the narration without bogging him down. The sections of summary are beautifully written, accentuating roles of various members of the Corps. Perfect length for a solid exploration of this expedition, and both Lewis and Clark write in a way that make them real. Recommended to history buffs, researching students of all ages, anyone interested in a study in leadership
or racial tensions, or fans of brave explorers.
I was amazed at the number of Corps members. That so often gets left out of historical narratives—but certainly not out of the Journals. Lewis and Clark freely discuss the contributions of their fellow members. I was impressed by the strong military structure if the expedition and the positive attitudes of the members. These guys (and girl) were studs—hauling boats upstream, living on the elements and off the land, facing frightening wildlife and encounters with Indians. All worthy of mention alongside with the leaders.
Lewis definitely hit a wall in his NW winter. His entries take on a tone of bitterness and cynicism on the return trip that was not present on the way out when everything was new and carefully approached. Most notably, his attitudes toward Indians were much more jaded on the way home. He had been burned, and it showed.
That Lady Who Reads A Lot 