jdawg2319 's review for:

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance by Jennifer Armstrong

3.0

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Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World follows the 1915 expedition of Ernest Shackleton and his crew aboard the Endurance. Jennifer Armstrong recreates the real perils of Antarctic exploration as she allows the reader to experience the expedition alongside the crew. The voyage goes according to plan until the frozen sea encases the Endurance in its unmoving waves. As the crew waits for spring, the pressure of the ice destroys the vessel, and the 28-man crew must find some way to survive in the Antarctic with minimal supplies. Through Shackleton’s example, the reader learns the true meaning of endurance as he and the crew overcome the perils of minimal food supplies, frostbite, and illness. In the end, even though Shackleton fails to make it all the way to the bottom of the world, he never stops trying. Shackelton teaches readers to keep trying no matter the horrendous conditions or number of failures endured. Although non-fiction usually fails to tickle my fancy, I find I like this book for the morals it teaches. Armstrong certainly knows how to spin a tale in a way that keeps the reader interested. Readers of all ages should enjoy Shackleton’s story as much as I did.