Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong

I first read the story of Shackleton and his men in the book Dangerous Book for Boys. So, from the start I was excited to have a chance to read a more complete story of Shackleton then the page I read previously. For the sake of this book I was not left wanting.
From cover to cover I was riveted. What grabbed my attention from the start though were the images and drawings that accompanied the text. Part of what shocked me the most was the clarity of the images that Hurley took. Often when I have seen pictures from the early part of the 20th century they have been scratchy and faded at best. That was not the case with Hurley’s, for the most part they were all crisp and clear, it seemed like they were taken a few years ago. I am not sure if they went through a restoration process, but they were captivating. While Armstrong did a great job going into detail describing what was happening, Hurley’s pictures prove that pictures are worth 1,00 words. The pictures allowed me as a reader to actually place myself with them on their journey. I could look at the landscapes of the desolate and endless snowpack or the ice frozen on their beards and feel the cold and hopelessness that they dealt with on a daily basis. It was the picture on page 40 that will stick with me forever. It is the picture the Endurance surrounded by ice and covered from top to bottom in frost.
While the photographs were stunning, they would not have been complete without the amazing tale that Jennifer Armstrong wove in Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World. The text itself never left me feeling I was reading a book of facts. It was a story, granted a true story, that drew me in from the beginning. If I did not know before reading the book I could have easily mistaken the book for a novel. I think part of what made the book so engaging was the fact that Armstrong allowed us to make connections with some of the members of the crew. Because of the extensive research she put into the text she was able to show us the personality of Shackleton, and a few of the others. It was not just the crew that we are able to connect with, but Armstrong also allows us to see what daily life was like for the crew. I know that I take for granted all of the amenities that we have in today’s society. With Ipods we have music on the go, and on planes, trains and automobiles we have instant access to movies and television. In 1915 these items were not even the beginning of an idea. The crew of the Endurance had to create their own entertainment. One of the stories that I found humorous was the story of Orde-Lees who found a bicycle in the hold and decided to start riding around the snowpack. “He also took long rides in the darkness until the day he got lost and had to be rescued. Shackleton told Orde-Lees in no uncertain terms that his bike riding days were over” (26 Armstrong). I cannot begin to know the despair that the crew must have felt and the extremes to which they went in order to keep themselves occupied.
I was also impressed with Shackleton, and his leadership. I think that the quote at the start of the book by Apsley Cherry-Garrard sums up Shackleton the best. “For scientific discovery, give me Scott; for speed and efficiency of travel, give me Amundsen; but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton.” Shackleton seemed to be in tune with his men, and seemed to always know the correct choice to make. Being stuck on the ice with 28 men and nowhere to go is a recipe for disaster, especially with the eclectic group of men that he assembled for the journey. However, Shackleton always found a way to boost the men’s moral even in the midst of immanent disaster. Whether it was understanding the appropriate time for a party, or knowing when the men would need extra rations or extra warm milk and tea, he always seemed to stay one step ahead of a moral or physical catastrophe.
Overall, this is text that I think students will fall in love with. The way that Armstrong is able to create such a vivid image with her words, and the pictures that accompany the text allow the reader to take the journey with Shackleton and his men. In essence this is an action adventure novel that also just happens to be a true story. Never once did I feel like I was reading a list of facts and research, but instead she was able to weave the facts and research into the story itself. I truly believe that students of both genders will find themselves engaged in the text, even if they come into the text with the preconceived notion that all non-fiction is boring. It has a little bit for everyone, a great story, great facts and amazing pictures.