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idktbh's review
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Such a good book. Couldn’t put down.
charlottesomewhere's review
adventurous
informative
inspiring
I hadn't heard of Matthew Henson before reading this book. It's brilliantly written, engaging and informative, and really pulls the reader into Matthew's excitement at travelling and finally reaching the North Pole.
karen1usher's review
4.0
This is a gripping tale of the life and adventures of the American explorer, Matthew Henson, of whom I'd never heard of before. The introduction explains my ignorance: "Why was he forgotten and ignored for so many years? The reason was the colour of his skin ..."
Matthew Henson claimed to be the first American to reach the North Pole and his achievement was particularly remarkable because this took place in 1909 and he was a black orphan who had run away to sea at the age of 12. His extraordinary experiences and widely recognised skills as an explorer made for a riveting read as I was engrossed by his adventures both as a personal struggle combatting racism and as a window into the details of an expedition to the North Pole at the turn of the 20th century.
As a Barrington Stoke "super readable" publication, the book is both visually accessible and told in a style to engage reluctant readers. Nevertheless Catherine Johnson packs a real punch in describing the beauty and danger of the landscape, the culture and friendship of the Inuit people and the hardship experienced by a Black American at this time. It has encouraged me to find out more, starting with Matthew Henson's own autobiography.
The book explores difficult subjects almost dispassionately so for me, the emotional climax of the book is the moment of joy when he realises they have reached their goal: "My legs were so cold and worn out that I couldn't dance for joy but I was grinning and laughing and hugging Ootah."
Matthew Henson claimed to be the first American to reach the North Pole and his achievement was particularly remarkable because this took place in 1909 and he was a black orphan who had run away to sea at the age of 12. His extraordinary experiences and widely recognised skills as an explorer made for a riveting read as I was engrossed by his adventures both as a personal struggle combatting racism and as a window into the details of an expedition to the North Pole at the turn of the 20th century.
As a Barrington Stoke "super readable" publication, the book is both visually accessible and told in a style to engage reluctant readers. Nevertheless Catherine Johnson packs a real punch in describing the beauty and danger of the landscape, the culture and friendship of the Inuit people and the hardship experienced by a Black American at this time. It has encouraged me to find out more, starting with Matthew Henson's own autobiography.
The book explores difficult subjects almost dispassionately so for me, the emotional climax of the book is the moment of joy when he realises they have reached their goal: "My legs were so cold and worn out that I couldn't dance for joy but I was grinning and laughing and hugging Ootah."
goldenbooksgirl's review
4.0
This novella is the life story of Matthew Henson, who was the first man to ever reach the North Pole, who did not receive the proper praise or level of recognition he deserved because he was black at the time, and whose story is rarely told now. I had never heard of him before, and it was fascinating to learn so much about his life and the huge obstacles he needed to overcome throughout his life, ranging from an abusive home to being unable to get an interesting job because of his race, other than the exploring opportunities he was offered by Commander Peary. I also really Matthew`s narrative voice and the writing style, as I was rooting for him to succeed even more as a result, even though I already knew the outcome of his story. I was so glad to see that he did eventually receive some recognition for his accomplishment, even though it took an infuriatingly long time. 4/5
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