Week 3, Assignment 3, Conversation 3
This reader likes non-fiction, especially stories about nature, travel, adventure and history. I am recommending two books. The first is The Worst Journey in the World: Antarctic, 1910-1913 by Apsley Cherry-Garrard. The author was the only survivor of Scott's Antarctic expedition and a member of the rescue party who later found the remains of the ill-fated adventurers. The book is rich with details of scientific discovery and incidents of courage in the face of a harsh and unrelenting climate.
The second book is another arctic story: Fatal North: Murder and survival on the First North Pole Expedition by Bruce Henderson. The story begins as the Civil War ends, and America begins its first attempt to reach the North Pole. The expedition ends with the suspicious death of Captain Charles Hall and the abandonment of the ship by the quarreling scientists and crew. After the ship eventually sinks, the 33 survivors must struggle to survive on the polar ice until they are dramatically rescued by whaling ships. The mystery of the captain's death is not solved for another one hundred years, when forensic scientists reached a surprising conclusion.