Endurance follows the true story of Ernest Shackleton's miraculous adventure to the Antarctic Continent in 1914, narrated by Alfred Lansing. Shackelton sailed with his crew of 27 men on his ship, the Endurance, intending to be the first people to cross the whole Antarctic. However, nature had other plans. On the way to the Antarctic, the Endurance became trapped in a large and dense pack of glaciers closeby to the Antarctic. They stayed there for many, many months, eventually choosing to set up camp on a nearby ice floe as the Endurance was slowly crushed to death. After it sunk and their floe began to fall apart, Shackleton had the crew take all of their gear and head for a potential island to settle on. After a difficult journey and many innovations to haul numerous tones of stores, materials, and lifeboats, they reach a small and desolate island where they will settle for 4 months. During these 4 months, Shackleton, with a few of his men, sets out on an 850-mile-long journey to the nearest outpost of civilization on one of his lifeboats. There, he hopes to find someone to rescue the rest of his crew left on the island. Eventually, he reaches a whaling station down in South Georgia where he received the help of Commander Pardo in rescuing his crew. The miraculous part, not a single one of Shackleton's men died throughout this entire 18-month period, all of them returning home to their previous lives intact. Except in the case of Perce Blackborow, who had to have some of his toes amputated when he contracted frostbite.
Endurance was a captivating story all the way through. It kept the ongoing story of Shackleton's adventure alive with little side stories and tidbits that are revealed about each of the crew members throughout the book. If one is interested in how a great leader keeps the motivation alive, accomplishes the seemingly impossible, and possibly in the history of Antarctic exploration, this book is a must-read. Even those looking for an enthralling tale of leadership and adventure will find this book full of interesting details from beginning to end.
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