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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
3.5 stars. Once it got going, it was a really interesting story about a young man’s determination and naïveté and his unlikely journey to Antarctica. Shapiro pieced this together surprisingly fluidly from the limited documentation of Billy’s role in the whole unlikely scenario.
A great read! Full of so many details about the early 20th century in America: the media landscape, New York (esp. the Polish community), & Antarctica (of course). An interesting detail was that the expedition at one point speculated to the press that they might find "lost world" sort of environments, or even humans living on the continent; this made me wonder if that was the state of knowledge in the 1920s, or if the expedition was feeding sensational ideas to the press in hopes of increasing public enthusiasm and funding. It would have been nice to get more of the stories of the other two stowaways, who, like the titular stowaway, both stowed away multiple times on multiple vessesls! But, it sounds like the historical documentation isn't really there for either of them. This book also makes me want to read more about Antarctica & the history of exploration there. Finally, I noticed the author used the terms "Ford Trimotor" and "Fokker Trimotor" interchangeably. They're two different (albeit similar & similar looking) aircraft types! Both were early airliners used in 1920s exploration. It doesn't really matter, but it irritated me slightly.
This is the story of seventeen-year-old Billy Gawronksi, a stowaway (after a few attempts) on the ship Eleanor Bolling that followed Admiral Richard Byrd’s flagship to Antarctica. In the late 1920s, Byrd-mania had swept through America, igniting the imaginations of youth in New York City where his ships were docked before his grand polar adventure. Young Billy was not going to fall victim to a sad existence of life working in his father’s upholstery business. He was going to have a life of adventure, and nobody was going to thwart him. Billy’s chutzpah was without parallel, and his derring-do earned him a spot on the unknown continent.
Shapiro provides enough biographical information to make Billy’s motivations relevant and sympathetic without bogging down her reader with extraneous details. Billy’s story, along with those of other historical characters on Byrd’s first Antarctic expedition, is set against the backdrop of the Jazz Age in between the World Wars. Shapiro weaves in the significance of the Great Depression, the nationalistic pride in America’s heroes, and the onset of WWII on Billy’s decisions and career. Shapiro also doesn’t shy away from including the blatant racism and prejudice that affected Billy’s tenure, among other wannabe adventurers on Byrd’s expedition. Her perseverance in uncovering the details and admirable life story of this unknown boy-explorer is evident in the comprehensive story she presents to her readers.
The Stowaway filled a lot of gaps in my knowledge of American polar exploration. The stories of the lesser-known idealistic adventure-seekers who accompanied Byrd to Antarctica provided an interesting perspective of the polar-fever that had captured Americans during the beginning of the 20th century.
This book will appeal to many different readers: those interested in Polar exploration will, of course, love Billy’s tale, but anyone with a passing interest in early 20th century American history, particularly the immigrant experience, will find a great story in this book as well. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for this advance copy in exchange for my review.
Shapiro provides enough biographical information to make Billy’s motivations relevant and sympathetic without bogging down her reader with extraneous details. Billy’s story, along with those of other historical characters on Byrd’s first Antarctic expedition, is set against the backdrop of the Jazz Age in between the World Wars. Shapiro weaves in the significance of the Great Depression, the nationalistic pride in America’s heroes, and the onset of WWII on Billy’s decisions and career. Shapiro also doesn’t shy away from including the blatant racism and prejudice that affected Billy’s tenure, among other wannabe adventurers on Byrd’s expedition. Her perseverance in uncovering the details and admirable life story of this unknown boy-explorer is evident in the comprehensive story she presents to her readers.
The Stowaway filled a lot of gaps in my knowledge of American polar exploration. The stories of the lesser-known idealistic adventure-seekers who accompanied Byrd to Antarctica provided an interesting perspective of the polar-fever that had captured Americans during the beginning of the 20th century.
This book will appeal to many different readers: those interested in Polar exploration will, of course, love Billy’s tale, but anyone with a passing interest in early 20th century American history, particularly the immigrant experience, will find a great story in this book as well. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for this advance copy in exchange for my review.
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
I was so excited to read The Stowaway – it sounded like such a fun adventure: kid stows away on a trip to Antarctica during the Jazz Age and Prohibition? Yes please! I love the 1920s, I love the flappers, I love everything about Gatsby-era NYC. But, as seems to be the case with my last few books and reviews, I found the synopsis just didn’t deliver as promised.
Don’t get me wrong, The Stowaway is a fun book – the story of our determined young man who doesn’t even think far enough ahead to bring a change of clothes when he swims to the frigid-water-bound-sailboat, would have been better suited to a long form article, perhaps in The Atlantic or another magazine structured for the form. At just about 200 pages, it felt like mostly filler of what was an otherwise unremarkable life (I’ve already forgotten our main subject’s name, Billy, I think?)
What promises to be an adventure of exploration is really only 25-30 pages in Antarctica, the rest of the book focuses on the journey (and the attractive and loose women encountered on said journey), and our wayward teenagers life before and after the expedition. While many of the others who sailed with Captain Byrd and were of note have already either a, written their tale, or b, been the subject of a biography, Billy’s story has ample material because of the detailed scrapbooks his mother kept throughout his life, as well as he correspondence with them from the journey.
The journey of one young man to Antarctica, who was kicked off of the expedition multiple times before finally being allowed to stay, has all the promise of a good book (and film material), but alas, I just don’t think there was enough to Billy’s life and story to warrant a full book about him and his singular act of rebellion and adventure.
The epilogue of this book was the most moving part of this book!!
adventurous
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
I really enjoyed this book on the exploration of Antarctica. I've read many books on polar exploration, and this book does something unique. It tells the tale, not only from the viewpoint of the expedition leader, but a minor player on the expedition as well. The book focuses on this stowaway, who gives his all to be part of Byrd's second expedition to Antarctica. This person was someone many could relate too, and hearing his story really helped me stay engaged in the story.
The Stowaway's story is paralleled by Byrd's story, but not in the typical fashion of exploration history text. Rather it focuses on the marketing and publicity around the expedition.
Another layer to this book is the current history of the event, particularly the great depression, and prohibition and how they affected the expedition.
Don't skip the Author's Note at the end. How Laurie Gwen Shapiro came about the Stowaway's story is story all in itself (no spoilers!).
The Stowaway's story is paralleled by Byrd's story, but not in the typical fashion of exploration history text. Rather it focuses on the marketing and publicity around the expedition.
Another layer to this book is the current history of the event, particularly the great depression, and prohibition and how they affected the expedition.
Don't skip the Author's Note at the end. How Laurie Gwen Shapiro came about the Stowaway's story is story all in itself (no spoilers!).
Slow to start, read quicker toward the end. Interesting story on a more "average" person if you will.
adventurous
informative
medium-paced