They all survived.
Those three little words drew me in to what I was otherwise skeptical to read. The circums
tances were harsh to the point of unbelievable – yet they all survived. How? How is this possible? I had to find out. Was it luck? Skill? Clever thinking? All these factors? They all survi
ved – unbelievable.
Not once while reading did I forget they all survived; yet, the way the author told the tale, the suspense at times was nerve wrecking. To accomplish something like this is an impressive feat.
Nonfiction is not my favorite genre. Adventure tales are not my topic of choice. Stories without any female characters are not my usual read. Everything was stacked against me appreciating this book. Not only did I appreciate the book, I truly enjoyed it. I read it in one night, not because I was rushed and couldn’t put it down but because I had to see how – They all survived.
As a teacher, I can think of MANY students, especially boys, who would really enjoy reading this book. This would be an excellent book in a geography, history, or social studies classroom. There are a lot of teachable possibilities in this tale.
The other big draw of this book was the pictures. The fact that the crew had a professional photographer and, as you read you could actually see the ship and crew and dogs as everything was happening, really added to the story. Again, you look at some of the images, and the map and those three words come back again – They all survived.
Great story – the fact that it is nonfiction makes it all the better.
I agree; Armstrong is so clever in beginning her book this way. She may assume that readers will already know this story, but even so, she mangages to maintain suspense -- partly because it's an unbelievable, yet true, story and partly because her writing is amazing. Glad you enjoyed the book -- even though there are no female characters.
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