July 23, 2007

Book #2 (Mawson's Will)

This is truly a great adventure/ survival story. Mawson's Will, by Lennard Bickel, tells the tale of the Australian explorer, Douglas Mawson, and his fight for survival. If you liked the story about the rugby team stuck in the Andes, then I am sure you will find this book exciting. The following is what the author has to say about the tale.

Setting out with two companions and two teams of dogs, Mawson encountered daunting mountains, crevasse-filled glaciers, and sixty-mile-per-hour winds. Six weeks and 320 miles into the journey, one of his fellow explorers and a team of dogs disappeared into a "bottomless" crevasse, along with the tent, most of the equipment, and all but a week's supply of food. After losing his second companion and the remaining dogs, Mawson fought his way back from what seemed inescapable death, enduring blistering winds, snow, and cold, thirst, starvation, disease, and snowblindness.

Lennard Bickel is also the author of Shackleton's Forgotten Men which I picked up today and will add to my reading list (after reading Harry Potter). I strongly recommend this book and anyone who reads it will surely remember to take their vitamins.

July 13, 2007

Book #1 (Big Dead Place)

The first book that I read was called Big Dead Place by Nicholas Johnson. This is a great story about what life is like in Antarctica. This book does cover some of the interesting journeys of the first explores, but the main topic covers what life is like in Antarctica today. The struggle today mostly takes place at McMurdo Station where I will be headed. The reader quickly learns about the author's struggle with authority. Bureaucratic organizations such as the NSF (National Science Foundation) and RPSC (Raytheon Polar Services Corporation) have left the author bitter and I came away with the feeling that the book was published as a form of revenge.

To get a taste for the book I would recommend going to www.bigdeadplace.com. Here you will learn a lot about the NSF, RPSC, and life in the Antarctic. Currently my friend Amber is borrowing the book but it is up for grabs when she is done. This book is not intended for the sensitive person as there are some crude stories told.