Just the Facts - Book Discussion Recap from January 26th

It was a cold and rainy night, but probably better that the weather in Antarctica. Many thanks to the eleven adults and one beautiful three-year-old girl who ventured out last night to attend the book discussion.

Our book last night was The Endurance: Shackleton’s legendary Antarctic adventure by Caroline Alexander. Shackleton’s plan was to become the first to cross the Antarctic continent by foot and dog sled. Plans don’t always work out and when the ship became frozen in and then crushed by the ice, it became a matter of survival for Shackleton and his expedition of 28 men. The book is the story of Shackleton’s leadership and his ability to save his men by leading them on an 800 mile journey to an uninhabited island and then continue on to the nearest whaling station to affect a rescue. Topics covered in our conversation included the pre-war era in which polar exploration took place, the reasons for it, the ability of people to withstand that kind of torment and whether we could do so today, how to kill and butcher a penguin, why some people need to attempt the near impossible, and much more. Most of the people attending agreed that Ernest Shackleton was a very special leader and man. We ended by making our own plans for an expedition to Antarctica.

Our next book, Churchill: a biography by Roy Jenkins, will be discussed on Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 7:00 pm. The book is available at the Circulation desk.