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41 reviews for:
The Stowaway: A Young Man's Extraordinary Adventure to Antarctica
Laurie Gwen Shapiro
3.42 AVERAGE
41 reviews for:
The Stowaway: A Young Man's Extraordinary Adventure to Antarctica
Laurie Gwen Shapiro
3.42 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
The year was 1928. The Great War was over. America was optimistic. What better time to launch an expedition to Antarctica? Not a whole lot was known about the planet's final frontier. Almost everybody wanted to join Admiral Byrd on his journey, even the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts begged to be taken on as mess boys. Young Billy Gawronski was no different. The skinny New York City high-schooler begged his father to sign the paper to let him go, but it wasn't happening. Billy didn't want to go into the upholstery business with his father. So he did the only thing he could think of that might work - he jumped into the Hudson River and snuck aboard.
I would love to go to Antarctica. But not as much as Billy because there's no way I'd do what he did. I admired his tenacity. Nothing deterred this young man from getting what he so desperately wanted which was a place alongside Richard Byrd on his exciting and highly publicized expedition to Antarctica. This doesn't read like a non-fiction book. It wasn't bogged down and it was never boring. The author's note was great as well.
I won an ARC from a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and to Laurie Gwen Shapiro for bringing Billy's story into 2018.
I would love to go to Antarctica. But not as much as Billy because there's no way I'd do what he did. I admired his tenacity. Nothing deterred this young man from getting what he so desperately wanted which was a place alongside Richard Byrd on his exciting and highly publicized expedition to Antarctica. This doesn't read like a non-fiction book. It wasn't bogged down and it was never boring. The author's note was great as well.
I won an ARC from a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and to Laurie Gwen Shapiro for bringing Billy's story into 2018.
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
What an amazing story about a young man who is a stowaway on then-Commander Byrd's Antarctic expedition in 1928. I normally gravitate toward fiction, but this book gripped me, and I read it in a single day. The balance between background/history and adventure story was perfect, and a clear picture, through Shapiro's use of great details, emerged of both the times and the exploits of the crew. I developed a real connection to Billy Gawronski (and also his poor, frightened mother!) and was happy we followed him through the years. Definitely enjoyed this. An exciting read!
Interesting topic, not written in a way that holds my attention.
This was a quick easy read. I could have finished it in two days probably at 197 pages but I set it aside for a while. Don't be fooled by the three star review...the writing was fine and his journey interesting, but don't expect major hardships or earth shattering aha moments like Unbroken. It's more like an above average term paper.
I received a copy of this book through the Goodreads giveaway program. This was a very exciting story. The book was short but packed with thrills and of interesting information. Hard to believe this is nonfiction.
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
4.5 stars
2025 library winter reading challenge - Antarctic - non-fiction book focused on this continent
2025 library winter reading challenge - Antarctic - non-fiction book focused on this continent