I think I was still in high school when my dad tossed me a copy of Endurance, another chronicle of Shackleton’s unbelievable journey. I devoured it and then tossed it to my brother. Not long after, an imax film came out with a lot of the original images, plus updated footage and a recreated trek through the mountains of South Georgia island. The three of us went as a family and were impressed again by the triumph of these men. Through every medium, the story of the Endurance and the men who survived is one of the most amazing in human history-certainly to my knowledge.
Having been an avid fan of this story, I wasn’t sure what an adolescent non-fiction text could possibly add. I was pleasantly mistaken. The imagery and design of this text combined with fantastic writing and excellent pacing forced me to stay up well past my bedtime on a school night. Armstrong unearthed wonderful details that added entire other dimensions to the story. On part that haunts me still was the moment that Hurley was forced to decide which of his photographs to keep. I could imagine his heartbreak and resolve as he chose which to save and immediately destroyed those he couldn’t to prevent regret or second-guessing.
At every turn, there was Shackleton. I truly believe that without his wit, patience and fortitude, the story of the lost Endurance would be nothing more than speculation. He is the reason the men lived to tell the tale. His integrity and ability to lead are especially apparent when he returns to Elephant island to rescue his crew and one man shouts, “We knew you’d come back”. The fact that Shackleton maintained that this was the highest compliment ever given to him is testimony to his absolute dedication to the lives of the men who followed him to the end of the earth.
From a critical perspective, this book was a beautiful success. It was impeccably designed, thoroughly researched and expertly written. The opening line of “just imagine” immediately invites the reader to put himself in the chillingly barren Arctic landscape and the harrowing narrative doesn’t let go until the very end. The collection of pictures that Armstrong selected was excellent, with every turn of the page, the reader was drawn further into the story, glimpsing for just a moment the elation of the crew’s midwinter party or the haunting image of the Endurance listing to its side.
Armstrong’s narrative combines primary source documentation with well-written story telling. A description of a crew-member that had fallen into the ocean in sub-zero temperatures highlight’s Armstrong’s attention to sensory detail. “Holness’s mates began walking him up and down to warm him, because there were no dry clothes into which he could change. Ice crackled off his clothes and fell tinkling onto the floe . . .” Armstrong’s words allow the reader to imagine the fear and the successes, the hope and the desperation of the men as they battled the impossible day after miserable day.
The end of the story also highlights Armstrong’s prowess as a storyteller. After covering the tragic end of Shackleton, the narrative ends with the words of a children’s song, “ . . .here’s to the merry heart that reckons/ The rough with the smooth and never swerves”. These lines that encourage and celebrate exploration, daring, and unerring resolve are a fitting reflection on a truly remarkable life.
