Executive Bookshelf : Endurance - Alfred Lancing
Synopsis
In August 1914, explorer Ernest Shackleton and his crew set sail from England for Antarctica, where Shackleton hoped to be the first man to cross the uncharted continent on foot. Five months later, the Endurance - just a day's sail short of its destination - became locked in an island of ice, and its destiny and men became locked in history. For ten months the ice-moored Endurance drifted until it was finally crushed, and Shackleton and his crew made an 850-mile journey in a 20-foot craft through the South Atlantic's worst seas to reach an outpost of civilization. Inspired by the ordeal that Time magazine said "defined heroism," author Alfred Lansing conducted interviews with the crew's surviving members and pored over diaries and personal accounts to create his best-selling book on the miraculous voyage
Tom’s Take
As someone who detests cold and doesn’t have a ton of time in boats (although I did get my boating license!) I wasn’t sure how I was going to take to the 100+ year old story of a ship’s voyage that went amok. I am pleased to say that Endurance is one of the more riveting historical accounts I’ve ready in quite a while.
The intrigue begins in the author’s introduction. The background of the original saga is outlined and is a fascinating backdrop in which to start the story. It setup the narrative and basic premise of the story- which allows readers to get ready for an incredible voyage before getting off the dock.
The story was captivating from the first pages of describing the abandon ship orders. It dug in and grabbed me from those first pages. It wasn’t a mystery that the ship was going down, so it allowed more focus on the details of how the crew was able to come together in the face of adversity. Organziational leaders can learn from the leadership of Captain Shackleton and the gut-wrenching terror of the 18 months the crew spent somehow surviving in the most damnable conditions imaginable. Yet, they survived.
It also made a little light in my soul burn about the true pioneers of days gone by. Explorers that uncovered hidden lands and insurmountable challenges, and the individuals and governments that supported these endeavors.
What has happened to that pioneering spirit and quest for…more? Why have we replaced this drive to push the limits with instead a desire to recycle the same ideas in different forms. This theme has been nagging on my mind for weeks now and this book helped highlight that worry. Have we stopped exploring and are becoming a society of derivative innovations?
I sure hope not.
One of the more surprising aspects of this book was the leadership of Shackleton. How he was able to keep his crew steady while facing the continued failures is beyond me. Especially worth noting is that many of the failures and shortcomings that lead to the wreck were squarely his doing. But he regrouped and lead even while everyone knew his leadership lead to critical failures.
Obviously, the story of survival against all odds is an incredible one. It's unbelievable that not a single soul was lost. This book reminded me a lot of Laura Hillenbrand’s historical account of a downed WWII pilot in Unbroken. The major difference is that Hillenbrand’s subject, Zaperini, was a solo effort to survive, whereas Shackleton had a crew of souls to watch over.
The book provided such vivid details of the agony, pain, distress, celebrations and so many more events and emotions. It was incredible to read directly from journals, hear interviews and even see images of the stranded men and their journey. While this evidence could lead a book like this to be try and tedious, this was never the case. Even the over usage of maritime vernacular was not distracting but enhancing.
This book was incredible and uplifting. Whenever our backs are against the wall or facing a challenge that seems insurmountable, it’s good to remember the brave men of the Endurance. Realize that no ice float is too large to overcome, and no cold is too cold to retain courage to survive.