I finished this exciting book in three days. The incredible story of the British explorer Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 attempt to cross the Antarctic continent. He and his crew of 27 get stuck aboard the Endurance. The ship is stuck in the ice in the middle of the Weddell Sea. Their survival attempt includes camping for months on different drifting ice floe. Then sailing in three lifeboats to the uninhabited Elephant Island, sailing another 800 miles to South Georgia Island, and then being the first to cross the South Georgia Island by foot. The author Alfred Lansing benefits from the fact that many of the crew wrote their diaries, kept navigation logs, and took photos. This allows him to give a detailed account of the daily challenges the crew faced: tiredness, ongoing anxiety about finding food, navigation in probably the most dangerous part of in the world, boredom, and not knowing when help might arrive.

I learned about Shackleton’s leadership style and ability to base his decision in how it will affect morale and safety of the crew. When to push them and when to let them rest, when to ration food and when to celebrate, and how to deal with potential troublemakers. Shackleton seemed to feel a deep burden until the last day to get everyone back to safety. I was also impressed how Stoic and contend the crew remained among all the challenges that they encountered. It’s ironic that Shackleton and his crew failed with their original expedition, but achieved something more remarkable and with a lower chance of success with their struggle for survival.

Here are two quotes from the book that I liked:

“For scientific leadership, give me Scott. For swift and efficient travel, Amundsen. But when you are in a hopeless situation, when there seems to be no way out, get on your knees and pray for Shackleton.”

Sir Raymond Priestley

and

“That evening a crude reception was held [on South Georgia island]. Four white-haired, veteran Norwegian skippers came forward. Their spokesman, speaking in Norse with Sørlle translating, said that they had sailed the Antarctic sea for forty years, and that they wanted to shake the hands of the men who could bring an open 22-foot boat from Elephant Island through the Drake Passage to South Georgia. […] the whalermen of the southern ocean stepped forward one by one and silently shook the hands with Shackleton, Worsley, and Crean.”

It’s cool that the geographical locations of their journey were recorded and that photos are available. You can really nerd out and get a better idea of what it must have been like for the Endurance crew. Here is a map   of their journey. There are some photos available here   . And some photos   about the Endurance22 mission that found the ship wreck in March 2022.