The back cover was ripped when I received it, but nothing a little tape couldn't fix and it didn't take away from this phenomenal book. I was looking for a good read to provide inspiration going into the New Year...and Endurance delivered! Great story of surviving against all odds. Couldn't put it down.

The most intense, awful, awe-inspiring thing I’ve encountered. At the final moment I wanted to stand up and cheer! The ability of humans to endure such calamity is truly unbelievable. If not for the fact that these men lived to tell the tale… I would not believe it. Great read. But buckle up.

Alfred Lansing has written a mesmerizing narrative account of an Antarctic mission gone wrong in 1915, and the struggles of the team in the harshest of climates on earth to return safely to the civilized world. The author's narrative, based on diaries of team members, puts you in awe of the leadership of Ernest Shackleton and the determination of the team to survive despite the Antarctic climate, several setbacks and having no way to communicate their plight to the rest of the world. In reading this unbelievable narrative story you feel like you are part of the team fighting to live another day and showing incredible ingenuity to make that happen. If you enjoy true stories that highlight the incredible human spirit, you will love this book!

Just got done watching the 3DVD set Shackleton 5 stars. I wondered how the book Endurance could possibly compare with this fantastic DVD set. The book was just as good 5 stars. We see Sir Shackleton in 1914 and his 27 men heading for a cross continent trek across Antarctica. Unfortunately the Endurance gets caught in the ice. She is crushed and sinks. Shackleton orders abandon ship and his men are on the ice. Against all odds, low temperature and little food they get on an ice flow and move 3 small boats toward open water. They are starving and must kill and eat their sled dogs as well as seals and penguins. Some of the men are almost killed by 1100pound Leopard seals but the seals are shot and supply the men food and blubber for their cooking pots. They eventually get off the flow and face horrific seas and bad weather and make it to Elephant island. Some are frostbite and the youngest member has to have his toes on one of his feet amputated. Another developed a boil on his back the size of a football.Unbelievable hardships. Then Shackleton and 5 men must sail almost 800 miles to South Georgia island to get rescue for his men from a Norwegian whaling village.They make the horrendous voyage across the Drake passage that has some of the worst weather on earth. Eventually they arrive on the wrong side of the island and Shackleton and 2 men must trek about 30 miles across part of the island and a glacier before arriving at the village. They are ushered to the Norwegian leader and the 3 stinking, dirty, nasty, badly clothed humans knock on his door. He says "Who the hell are you". Shackleton says my name is Shackleton. The Norwegians knew of Shackleton's expedition as it had stopped at South Georgia before but after over a year they thought them all dead. The Norwegian leader cries for them. Shackleton's 3 men left behind on the other side of the island are rescued. After 3 attempts with different ships the others on Elephant island are rescued. Its amazing. Shackleton INMO was not a great planner and made serious mistakes but his leadership and survival skills were legendary.He had a huge ego but believed in himself and inspired others to give 110% of themselves in order to survive. The expedition across the Antarctic continent was a failure but Shackleton's indomitable spirit and superb leadership skills helped save every man. No one was lost. All return as heroes. The most incredible story of survival ever told with diaries, logs and pictures( many lost) to prove it. An incredible man and a fantastic story. Endurance 5 star. PS. For scientific Antarctic matters learned give me the explorer Scott. For speed, planning and efficiency reaching the South Pole, Amundsen. For leadership, survival skills and surviving in the worst conditions give me Shackleton. The 3 great Antarctic explorers of the heroic age of exploration.

Adventure stories can often be captivating if the story is told the right way. In the case of a non- fiction adventure, a solid bit of storytelling can leave the reader amazed and astonished, often in a more surprised state of mind than if the book was fictional. Such is the case with Endurance. For those not familiar with the journey, it all began on a relatively small, sea- going vessel. Ernest Shakleton was a man on a mission. He wanted to not just reach the South Pole- something that had already been done- but to traverse the entire Antarctic continent. He wanted to be the first person to accomplish such a feat, and he was bound and determined to make his goal a reality. Things did not go as planned, and Shackleton and his team were forced to focus on the only thing that mattered: Survival. Their shop was wrecked beyond repair and he and his crew were forced to live on floating ice sheets, food rations, seal blubber for fuel, and anything else to keep them alive. Their only hope was to reach one of the nearby outposts of civilization. But would they all make it back alive? Or would the merciless Antarctic cold prove too difficult an obstacle to surmount? I have heard about Ernest Shackleton and his voyage, but until I read this book, I didn’t know the specifics of how it turned out. The book is written in great detail and I found myself turning the pages quickly, anxious to know what would happen next. There were many points that would have caused some people to lose hope, but Shackleton was determined to get himself and his crew back to safety. This book’s strongest point is the writing itself. The descriptions are vivid, and chilling as expected. You feel like you are right there with Shackleton and his team; feeling the cold wind, yearning for a good meal, hoping to get the feeling back in your limbs, and dreaming of a good night’s sleep. But more than anything, your hope is to survive. Nothing matters unless you can escape the frigid conditions and eventually make your way back to civilization. One surprise with this book is that it includes a picture section. Like any good explorer, Shackleton made sure to have a team of photographers with him and the film managed to survive. There is one spoiler alert I should point out: If you want the suspense to continue, you may want to skip at least the last picture in this section, since it identifies the survivors. The Antarctic continent is among the harshest, if not the harshest, climate on the planet. Ernest Shackleton’s voyage to this unforgiving land and his attempt to rescue his crew are brought to life in the pages of Endurance. It’s a fantastic read and a story you will never forget.