Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club discussion

The winner for our September GR Choice Awards buddy read for History & Biography nominee is In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette by Hampton Sides. Please remember to use spoiler tags as needed, as everyone reads at different paces.



Book Summary
New York Times bestselling author Hampton Sides returns with a white-knuckle tale of polar exploration and survival in the Gilded Age

In the late nineteenth century, people were obsessed by one of the last unmapped areas of the globe: the North Pole. No one knew what existed beyond the fortress of ice rimming the northern oceans, although theories abounded. The foremost cartographer in the world, a German named August Petermann, believed that warm currents sustained a verdant island at the top of the world. National glory would fall to whoever could plant his flag upon its shores.

James Gordon Bennett, the eccentric and stupendously wealthy owner of The New York Herald, had recently captured the world's attention by dispatching Stanley to Africa to find Dr. Livingstone. Now he was keen to re-create that sensation on an even more epic scale. So he funded an official U.S. naval expedition to reach the Pole, choosing as its captain a young officer named George Washington De Long, who had gained fame for a rescue operation off the coast of Greenland. De Long led a team of 32 men deep into uncharted Arctic waters, carrying the aspirations of a young country burning to become a world power. On July 8, 1879, the USS Jeannette set sail from San Francisco to cheering crowds in the grip of "Arctic Fever."

The ship sailed into uncharted seas, but soon was trapped in pack ice. Two years into the harrowing voyage, the hull was breached. Amid the rush of water and the shrieks of breaking wooden boards, the crew abandoned the ship. Less than an hour later, the Jeannette sank to the bottom,and the men found themselves marooned a thousand miles north of Siberia with only the barest supplies. Thus began their long march across the endless ice-a frozen hell in the most lonesome corner of the world. Facing everything from snow blindness and polar bears to ferocious storms and frosty labyrinths, the expedition battled madness and starvation as they desperately strove for survival.

With twists and turns worthy of a thriller, In The Kingdom of Ice is a spellbinding tale of heroism and determination in the most unforgiving territory on Earth.

Good Choice.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have my copy from the library ready to go :)

I have read it this year, but I will be following the discussion thread, I'm very interested in the group's opinion on this read.

What did you think of it, Anima?

I found it to be an intense read, evoking various strong emotions, mainly empathy and admiration for the stubborness to achieve the goal. I also really liked the writing style, and novel-like construction of the story, eventhough based on facts.

Anima wrote: "I found it to be an intense read, evoking various strong emotions, mainly empathy and admiration for the stubborness to achieve the goal. I also really liked the writing style, and novel-like const..."

I'm glad the writing style is more like a novel and not a research paper. I have 2 other books to read before this one, so I should get around to it mid September.

If you like, try the digital audio from the library. You can download it and listen while driving, doing chores, etc. The narrator is good.

I'm giving up on this one. I'm guessing the story picks up in pace a little bit once the expedition actually gets going, but I'm just not willing to read more background info on even more characters that I simply don't care about. I would probably like the action/survival parts (should there be any in this book), but I'm not a history geek and tend to dislike reading biographies. Not my thing. Well written though (with some difficulty of staying on topic) and probably thoroughly researched.

Janina wrote: "I'm giving up on this one. I'm guessing the story picks up in pace a little bit once the expedition actually gets going, but I'm just not willing to read more background info on even more character..."

uh oh. How far did you get out of curiosity?

Roughly 20% .. I wouldn't say it's a bad book. Not at all. Just not the right thing for me (at the moment).