"Shackleton's Stowaway": My personal feelings about the book

Shackleton’s Stowaway

“Doc Macklin is about to cut off my toes. Bad enough frostbite kills the flesh. That’s what happened to my feet. Nothing to do now but amputate.” - Shackleton’s Stowaway (page 2) Imagine what it would be like to be stranded on an island in the middle of Antarctica! Imagine having to eat seal and penguin plain for almost two years! Imagine living under a cramped lifeboat with twenty two other stinky, cranky men that haven’t showered for over a year! This is what Perce Blackborow went through in 1914 when he stowed away on Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance and ended up stranded in the freezing cold Antarctic. Shackleton’s Stowaway is a true story about Perce Blackborow written by Victoria McKernan. 

Perce Blackborow is an optimistic young man who stows away on Ernst Shackleton’s voyage to explore the Antarctic aboard the Endurance because he isn’t chosen by Shackleton as part of the official crew. Only part way into the journey, the Endurance is trapped and crushed by the harsh winter ice, and the crew is forced to abandon the sinking ship. Because there is no rescue party available or anywhere near them, the crew strays to an island and camps there for almost two years while Shackleton and a few of the crew members set off in a lifeboat to try to find help somewhere. The crew of the Endurance has to eat seals and penguins for almost two years and live huddled underneath two overturned lifeboats until Shackleton and the rest of the crew finally return with a rescue ship in 1916.

This is an amazing, true survival story that constantly kept me reading! Some historical scenes in this book were a little boring, but I really loved how Victoria McKernan kept it interesting despite the uneventful parts of the story. She could have only included exact dates and facts in the book, but it would have been so much less entertaining. The author turned this historical event into an amazing novel full of suspense and drama. 

The main theme I noticed in this book was perservearance. Throughout the two years that the crew of the Endurance was stuck in the middle of Antarctica practically starving, they never lost hope of being rescued. If I would have been there with them, I probably would have given up after only a few weeks! I admire the crew for their hope and patience. I was also really glad when I found out that they thought about cannibalizing, but chose not to because they knew it was wrong and disgusting. Not even hunger could conquer them. Because they were patient, they were finally rewarded almost two years later when Shackleton and the rest of the crew rescued them. This shows that perservearance really does pay off, even if enduring is hard. 

I loved that this was a dramatic, suspenseful true story! I actually learned a lot about ships, the Antarctic, and history while reading this book. I really liked how Victoria Mckernan kept it interesting and exciting even when the historical events weren’t. The way that she wrote the book helped me to learn and be entertained also! I would recommend this book to young adults or adults who like adventure, because Shackleton’s Stowaway is full of it!