Rebecca E. F. Barone

Following 4 different stories about exploring Antarctica was easier than I thought it would be. I was afraid things would get confusing. These are the stories of 2 modern-day explorers, O'Brady and Rudd, and 2 early 20th century explorers, Scott and Amundsen. The differences in preparation from modern to 100 years ago are fascinating. The dogs and ponies from the past were unpredictable. In modern times, O'Brady had a special high caloric bar made for him for his journey and he posted to Instagram during his trek. Scott had a mechanical sled. I was impressed with that much technology for the time. I, personally, have a hard time understanding the desire to explore such a wild and cold terrain, but the author does a nice job of character development and gives background stories that explain their drives to explore. Neither O'Brady nor Rudd thought they would finish their cross-country journey, yet they persisted. In both scenarios, it was 2 journeys at the same time and that is what makes the book riveting. The last couple of paragraphs were brilliant.… (mere)