Rate this book

Tom Crean: Unsung Hero Of The Scott And Shackleton Antarctic Expeditions (2000)

by Michael Smith(Favorite Author)

4.42 of 5 Votes: 4

languge

English

genre

review 1: Perhaps my favorite book - true story of an Irishman, Tom Crean, who is part of the British expedition to be the first to reach the South Pole. The British lost the race to the North Pole but thought they could save face by focusing on the South Pole. All three attempts fail, and each time Tom almost single-handedly saves them all from dying; often by trekking solo without food through blizzard conditions for days to get help. No one on the team can fathom how he survives (he loses many of his digits to frost bite). Each event is worse than the last. In one expedition the ship gets stuck in ice before they reach their destination and they run out of food and leave on foot. It takes about six months to finally get rescued and over half the group dies by starvation and... more freezing. During the third attempt (en route the Norwegians beat them but they didn't know it yet), they leave Tom out of the final leg to reach the pole because they don't want to share the success with the Irish.As the only Irish person on the teams, he changes the way the British view the Irish (not all of them obviously). He goes on to become an officer in the Royal Navy and opens a bar in the Irish town of Dingle, which is still there today; aptly named the "South Pole." What is striking about Tom is how humble and loyal he was - many of the British explorers would repeatedly visit him at his bar after he retired from the Navy. Many of the British explorers who survived the first and second attempts were so scared from the near-death experience they wouldn't go back, making Tom one of the few that went on all three expeditions.
review 2: While not the best written book, it is nonetheless an extremely compelling read. For anyone interested in stories of explorations or how character can be revealed during trying times, the story of Tom Crean will satisfy both in spades. My only regreat was reading this book AFTER we visited Ireland since we drove right by the South Pole Inn and the least I could have done is stop for a pint and toast this remarkable man. less

Download links for: Tom Crean: Unsung Hero of the Scott and Shackleton Antarctic Expeditions

Advertising