LitPick Review
There was once a year in which winter came early. The year was 1897, when whaling in the Arctic was as perilous as it was lucrative. As the storms descended and the ice froze, eight whaling ships and the hundreds of sailors onboard became imprisoned in the ice. It soon became clear that the ships, with their supplies low, would not last the winter, until three men were ordered by President McKinley to go on a journey over 1,000 miles of deadly Alaskan terrain. They battled every hardship conceivable, and their objective was to save the starving men--and complete an impossible rescue.
Opinion:
At first, I was hesitant about choosing and reading a book such as this one. In fact, I set it to the side for weeks before I picked The Impossible Rescue up and started reading it. Much to my surprise, when I started, I couldn't stop! I finished the book in two days because Martin Sandler paces the story so well. He quickly sets the scene, establishes an air of desperation, and the action flows from there. In every chapter, there are photos and maps to accompany the text, which includes word-for-word quotes. It's clear that the book is painstakingly researched, and the author includes source notes, a bibliography, and a timeline to add to the main story. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a story that they will be impressed by, especially because it actually happened. The Impossible Rescue is truly the story of an amazing Arctic adventure.