The Impossible Rescue: The True Story of an Amazing Arctic Adventure

by Martin W. Sandler

The dead of an Arctic winter. Whaling ships full of men, stranded in ice. Follow three rescuers in a race against time — and all odds — in this heartpounding true adventure. In 1897, whaling in the Arctic waters off Alaska’s coast was as dangerous as it was lucrative. And in that particular year, winter blasted early, bringing storms and ice packs that caught eight American whale ships and three hundred sailors off guard. Their ships locked in ice, with no means of escape, the whalers had limited provisions on board, and little hope of surviving until warmer temperatures arrived many months later. Here is the incredible story of three men sent by President McKinley to rescue them. The mission? A perilous trek over 1,500 miles of nearly impassable Alaskan terrain, in the bone-chilling months of winter, to secure two herds of reindeer (for food) and find a way to guide them to the whalers before they starve. With the help of photographs and journal entries by one of the rescuers, Martin W. Sandler takes us on every step of their riveting journey, facing raging blizzards, killing cold, injured sled dogs, and setbacks to test the strongest of wills.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Adventure, Middle Grade, Survival, Historical, Animals

190 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 14, 2012

About the author

Martin W. Sandler has written more than seventy books for children and adults and has written and produced seven television series. He has twice been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and has won multiple Emmy Awards. He lives in Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one instance when the title isn't hyperbole. To save the crews of several whaleships stranded by ice off the coast of Alaska, in the middle of winter, and to do so by trekking hundreds of miles across land, herding reindeer... It's audacious, desperate, and very nearly impossible. This definitely belongs in the list of daring adventures.

Sandler spends much of the book letting the men involved speak for themselves. That works, because they tended to be good writers, and no one knew better than themselves what it was really like. There's also a lot of photographs, taken by one member of the expedition. They're good pictures, with some spectacular looks at the bleak landscape and rough conditions. I liked the epilogue, that discussed the major players after the rescue itself, and I liked that Sandler never talked down to the readers. This will definitely appeal to those who like a good adventure, and they won't be disappointed.

[JD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about an amazing story of 3 Revenue Cutter Service officers sent on a near impossible journey to get a herd of reindeer through the Alaskan wilderness during winter to stranded whalers in the far north of Alaska. The story is not only about these 3 men, but also all the people who helped them and the whalers during these testing times. The author gives good background on all the events and people that were involved and at the back of the book their lives after the rescue. The photographs taken by one member, Dr. Call, is also a great edition to the book. The book is a page turner and made me think, are there many men or women on earth today that would be able to survive a journey like this like the one they did?...

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, quick look at a thrilling tale of daring rescue. I bought it during a Youth History sale on Amazon and it looked interesting (I love tales of the Arctic and Antarctic) and I thought it would be appropriate as winter falls on the Midwest.

I have to give praise both to the men who blazed the path and to the author, for neither forgot to mention frequently how vital the knowledge, hospitality, generosity, and skill of the indigenous Alaskan peoples was. Often, the white men (inevitably) that went through with these sorts of rescues and adventures often overlooked the help they received from Natives (cough, Lewis and Clark are pigheads), and so, in recounting the story, historians can point out the help, but only from the limited narrative they are given. This is not the case in this work, the adventurers and the author mentioned in great detail all the help from the natives, and I think that makes this a particularly good book for youth.

It is also aided by that fact that the doctor on the trip had a new techno-hobby: photography. There are a remarkable number of photos for a) such an arduous journey and b) at this time period. They were great to look at, and really lent strength to the book.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

In October 1897, a whaling ship arrived in San Francisco Harbor bearing the news that eight other whaling ships with crews totaling 300 men had become embedded in ice in the northernmost part of Alaska at Point Barrow. An early gale had caught the whalers off guard. The ice surrounding the ships ranged from 30 to 40 feet thick. Unless help could reach them, the crews were certain to face starvation over the long Arctic winter. In response to public demand, President William McKinley ordered a rescue party to be sent overland to try and bring food and clothing to the stranded ships. First Lieutenant David Jarvis of the naval Revenue Cutter Service was appointed the mission’s leader. Jarvis was assisted by Dr. Samuel Call and Second Lieutenant Ellsworth Bertholf. The Overland Relief Expedition began in November 1897. This unprecedented journey of approximately 1,500 miles over rugged frozen wilderness at temperatures reaching 45 degrees below zero was brutal on the men and the sled dogs.

Martin Sandler’s vivid portrayal of this ten month journey provides the reader with a sense of urgency that was felt by the expedition’s members. The book is greatly enhanced by the many photos that Dr. Call took during the expedition as well as first person accounts from diaries. Sandler sheds light on a little known part of American history and the true heroes who risked their lives to help the whalers.

[Jim Erekson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since being drawn in by the opening scenes of Frankenstein with the icebound ship, this kind of bleak setting and desperate narrative has been something I enjoy in books. I was dragged on enough winter camps as a scout in the 80s to know that I would absolutely hate it. Butterfield Canyon in the Oquirrhs, 1982, was the worst--we couldn't even nail down the corners of the tents because the snow was so deep, and everyone just stayed up all night with their feet up to the fire. In the morning the soles were melted off most everyone's boots, and we still had another night tho go. But in the abstract being stranded in the arctic is interesting.

I had to do a little research to see what this genre is called: Narrative History is the genre tag that seemed most right. The story is assembled as a story, while trying to stay faithful to the historical facts. This is the traditional version of narrative history, staying chronological.

The graphic design choices are beautiful, making this more like a coffee table book than a picture book or a plain paperback narrative history. Each page is well designed and the photos and drawings are spread throughout the book instead of being chuffed into a center section of plates like we see in this type of history in paperback history for adults. Surprisingly, no graphic design credit! Candlewick had some great folks working on this to make it a gorgeous experience and a great book for the aesthetics of book handling. C'mon Candlewick--credit them even if they're on staff.

Sources are phenomenal, stretching to 28 pages: a 'what happened to each character' section comes first; a timeline; chapter by chapter quote sources; bibliography; photo credits; and index. There is actually a handful of primary sources in the bib, including William McKinley's address to congress, and references to the New Bedford Whaling Museum's artifacts and records (which I used in my whaling projects on bowheads over the past 10 years). Photo credits also lead back to New Bedford, and they have a phenomenal web site. So, a small number of very nice leads out to inquiry and research.

What differentiates this book from what you could learn on the internet? The completeness of the story. All of it in one place, and in careful detail and humanized. The best theme starts out at the very beginning, where the crews and captains of the stranded ships had no concept of disciplining themselves for survival as a group for a whole arctic winter.

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whaling has factored in some classic novels, but the action in The Impossible Rescue: The True Story of an Amazing Arctic Adventure doesn't commence until after whaling season. Navigating the Arctic Ocean has always held risk, but in 1897 the whaling industry lacked the safeguards of advanced technology. Our story begins when eight ships become trapped in ice on the water off Alaska's coast, stranding their full crews with winter setting in. If the weather didn't claim their lives before the ice melted next spring, starvation would: the ships had nowhere near enough food to last that long. A rescue operation was ordered by no less an authority than President William McKinley. But who would dare make the trip, certain to last the better part of a year over more than a thousand miles of icy, mountainous terrain?

While businessman Charles Brower did his part on the scene to keep order and care for the marooned whalers as they hunkered down for winter, a team of rescuers was assembled. Headed by First Lieutenant David Jarvis, the Overland Relief Expedition would alternate using sled dogs and reindeer to carry supplies to the whalers. The mission's success hinged on Jarvis's ability to persuade local Eskimos along the way to lend fresh dogs and reindeer for the cause, a tall order in a land where natives relied heavily on transport animals. Dr. Samuel Call and Second Lieutenant Ellsworth Bertholf were there to assist in vital ways, but Jarvis would spearhead the effort to save the whalers. Would the Overland Relief Expedition make it in time, or at all?

We'll never know for sure how close the mission came to failing, but we get an idea how improbable its success was from what the men involved wrote later on. The brutal arctic weather wore on the humans, dogs, and reindeer. Fearing he might arrive on the scene only to find eight ships full of dead whalers, Jarvis pushed his men and animals to the limit. The start of the Spanish-American War diverted America's attention from the rescue at its climax, but the story was one for the ages, and the bravery of its core participants lives on through tales told by seafarers and books like this one. Has a more courageous trio pitted their will against nature than David Jarvis, Samuel Call, and Ellsworth Bertholf?

Author Martin W. Sandler was nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize, and won Emmy Awards for writing and producing television. The Impossible Rescue surely was an intriguing story, but I don't think it translated well to the page. I felt no urgency for the trapped whalers, no sense of the majesty and danger of sledding through Alaskan wilderness on a collision course with destiny. The story didn't come alive for me, which is why I rate it one and a half stars. I would read another Martin W. Sandler book, though, and I'm happy for those who enjoy this one. A good rescue can be exhilarating.

[Dakota Lenz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal Response
I thought the book was pretty good, but I never really fully understood why they had to walk over 1500 miles and arrived in April when they could have just waited one more month and the ice would have been melted enough to be able to get to them. I enjoyed how they gave a lot of detail about the 1500 mile journey and how Jarvis and his crew were able to make it that distance in terrible weather. I enjoyed how they went home after they got back to Seattle and how later on some of the crew were awarded medals for bravery.

Plot
In 1897, there were seven whaler ships with hundreds of men on the ships who became stuck in the ice in Alaska. This book was about the 1500 mile rescue missing that was thought to be impossible. It was also about the daily struggle of what the rescue crew went through on the way and also what the whalers went though as they waited for the long winter to pass. After the rescue crew arrived one month later the rescue ship arrived but then became stuck in the ice, but luckily it was able to get free. Once they arrive back in Seattle a war has just started and no one received any recognition until after the war was over.

Characterization
My favorite character was Jarvis because even though he really wasn't the leader he took charge in everything. He always had new ideas or answers and always found his way out of situations big or small. He was the one that pushed everyone to keep moving because he knew that the whalers were in trouble and that they needed his help. Jarvis never once even thought about giving up. Jarvis never wanted to go home, he enjoyed being out in the Arctic and especially helping others in need.

Setting
This book took place in Alaska in 1897. It was about a rescue mission in the arctic and it was in a little place called Point Barrow, right in the middle of Alaska. It was basically impossible to get to besides one or two months out of the year.

Theme
I thought this book”s theme was communication mostly because the rescue never would have been completed or even started without communication. Jarvis needed communication to talk to others along the way and to be able to get along with others. For instance when he was trying to get the reindeer without proper communication and good relations he would never have been able to take the reindeer.

Recommendation
I would recommend this book to males and females ages 16 and up only because it was a hard book to keep up with. I think the book would be great for anyone wanting to learn more about Alaska or anyone who wanted to read an interesting story about what average everyday people like you and me could do when they set their minds to it.

[Jonathan Den Hartog]

Impressive narrative of an historical event that I wasn't aware of.

[Sunday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging read aloud for grades 5-8.
 
Imagine. Alaskan terrain. Winter. 1898. You have 400 reindeer and 1600 pounds worth of provisions you need to move 700 miles in less than eight week. To rescue 300 whalers whose ships are frozen at a standstill and who will starve if you don’t get there soon. Add to that the unpredictable weather of the Arctic. Blizzards. Fog. Mountains. Ice. And then it all gets worse.

This may sound like a good story for a novel, but this was the reality of the Overland Relief Expedition team that engaged in a treacherous adventure risking their lives and the lives of many others to save these sailors. Sandler tells this story in the new action packed, absolutely gripping book The Impossible Rescue. Readers will not be able to put this book down as the men and women involved face one danger after another.

Winter came early in September 1897 and the crews on 8 whaling ships find themselves trapped in the ice. Two of the ships are completely destroyed by the ice. A ninth ship escapes and makes it way down to San Francisco with the desperate news of the other ships. President William McKinley orders the rescue mission to be launched and, in late November, the Revenue Cutter Service ship Bear leaves for Seattle to head to the Arctic. When the Bear reaches frozen ice and cannot go any further, three members volunteer to go overland 1500 miles to reach the whalers. They are charged with recruiting two herds of reindeer at stops along the way and additional team members to help them make their way.

Meanwhile the crews of the destroyed ships, over one hundred men, are lodging at a whaling station in Point Barrow - in very close quarters. Many of the men become unruly and unhelpful to their hosts. Somebody even digs up a local person’s dead husband and steals his mittens. Sanitation and cleanliness seem hopeless. Scurvy develops, debilitating the health of the sailors even further. Starvation is a stark prospect.

Committed to rescuing these desperate men, the Overland Relief Expedition team endures an incredibly difficult journey, splitting up at certain points and regrouping. They quickly learn that you do not ride a dog sled, but instead you run next to it or in front of it helping the dogs along – on sunny days or in blizzards for miles and miles. Paths are not straight and flat, but instead filled with numerous obstacles like boulders of ice. Driving a reindeer sled is a completely different experience and you can end up getting dragged along through the snow if you are not careful. Even in the blowing snow, keep an eye out for wooden crosses posted in the ground and look for a message from another team member tucked between the boards. Really, the fact that this rescue succeeded still feels unbelievable over a hundred years later. Sheer will, undaunted courage and the generosity of many fellow human beings contributed to the success of this perilous endeavor.
One of the team members, Dr. Call, brought a camera with him, a fairly new contraption at that point and Sandler has included numerous photos that reveal the bleak conditions of this journey. The grim faces of the team members and the indigenous people peer out at you from beneath heavy, fur fringed hoods with snow and ice, sometimes blowing, all around them. David Jarvis, the commander of the team, kept a detailed journal and others wrote about the trip later. Sandler has tapped these primary sources to create a vivid narrative of the harrowing journey they experienced. A timeline at the end of the book can aide the reader in keeping track of people and events.

When the team arrives in Point Barrow on March 29, the perilous journey is not over by any means. They will not be rescued until the Bear breaks through the ice and reaches them on August 1st. Sandler’s gripping tale will hold the reader’s attention to the very end.

BOOK TALK TEASER: “Okay…seriously? This was a crazy, you-must-be-nuts attempt to rescue stranded sailors from the frozen Arctic waters off Alaska’s coast in 1897. If you don’t make it up to them with food and supplies, they will probably starve before the snow thaws. But would you walk over 1500 miles across the frozen Alaskan terrain to rescue these guys? Teach yourself how to dog sled? Learn how to herd reindeer in raging storms? Be okay with separating from your team and going part of it alone? And think other people could actually find a note you’d tucked between two pieces of wood and left stuck in the ground along the way?”
 

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had no idea that people kept searching for the Northern passage so much. Then they would get stuck in the ice and need to be rescued. They would run out of food and starve. This book tells the story of an amazing rescue that had many ships stuck and many men going to die. The people who lived in Alaska were kind and generous. Without their help it would not have been possible. They were the guides and they had the dog teams. The thing that surprised me the most was the reindeer. They were started to have herds of reindeer. One of the biggest parts of the rescue was food. The dog sled teams could not carry enough food for everyone. So the man who owned the herd of reindeer came with and kept the deer going in the right direction. The reindeer were the food; they moved themselves and saved the men on the ships. It was quite a story.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s 1897. There are no phones. No GPS. Nothing but the people who went before you to provide information. And sometimes, you didn’t even have that.
Eight American whaleships set out into the Arctic waters off the Alaskan coast. But winter came early that year, and 300 sailors were trapped in the Arctic ice. Warmer weather was at best, 10 months away. They were in almost 24-hour a day darkness, and temperatures were easily 60 degrees below zero. If the ice moved, it would crush anything it held, including the ship – and the men – trapped there.
By ramming the ice repeatedly – thinking that each hit would be its last – Captain Tilton freed his ship and forged a channel into the open sea. But four ships - and four full crews - were still trapped, and four other ships were on their way, not knowing what was ahead for them.
Captain Tilton returned safely to San Francisco Harbor, and notified authorities of the ships still stranded at Port Barrow. Immediately the public began pleading for a rescue attempt. Soon, President McKinley sent an order to Francis Tuttle, captain of the Bear (which was a ship of the US Revenue Cutter Service, a forerunner to the Coast Guard). He was to take his ship as far north as it would go, then send three men ashore to proceed on land to where the whalemen were trapped – 1,500 miles away.
The order went on to say: The first and great need of the whalemen will be food. It is believed that the only practical method of getting it to them is to drive it on the hoof. On the hoof? (ask them what they think that means). Reindeer!
What follows is an unbelievable story that involves sled dogs, 1300 pounds of provisions, the generous indigenous people of Alaska, an IOU for 432 reindeer, igloos, and a baseball team captained by the heir to the McIlhenny Tabasco sauce fortune.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

If the writing had been less dense, I think this book could go more places than it will. The story is truly amazing and was impossible, but it was done with brave men, indigenous people, animals, and a sense of heroism and accomplishment.

The pictures are intriguing and add to the understanding of the terrain and horrific conditions as well as the scarcity of resources and how much the rescue fell to the small whaling camps, native communities, and the luck of the weather (and in most cases how it turned against them!). The characters, the real life people, are the true heroes as they plod along the Arctic to rescue seamen whose ships have been caught in the ice from certain death.

Again, my biggest criticism is the length of the storytelling. Each painful detail is rehashed and most students will zone out and give up before feeling the adventure much like a Gary Paulsen story or the survive-against-all-odds nature like a Jack London story.

[Emily Ventura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, two stars is not a nice rating so I shall explain myself.
This book dragged. It's biggest faults were a lack of emotion, feeling more like a clinical reselling than an exciting account of an impossible mission. Perhaps the author didn't have enough material to stay true to the story while making the characters and their adventures more engaging, in which case he should have written a fictional account based on true events. It was predictable and not nearly compelling enough for an Impossible rescue. It took me forever to finish, and the details I longed for in the end were glanced over, if mentioned at all.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a badly written adventure book detailing the brave effort of Revenue Service pre-Coast Guard) officers to relieve the crews of ice-locked (or destroyed) ships caught off the coast of northern Alaska in wintertime, but it felt a bit bland. I enjoyed it up to a point, and then got tired (like I was caught in deep snow myself), and I just wanted it over. Still, it was a remarkable feat, and it is good that it is covered. He used original materials and remembrances to good effect.

[Donalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing account of the 1897 rescue of Alaskan whaling ships trapped in the ice. As much a story about the Alaskan frontier as it is about the rescue, this book is a valuable resource about American settlers and indigenous people. Includes a treasure-trove of period photographs taken during the rescue expedition.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A harrowing, true story of shipwrecks, survival, and daring rescue. Great use of period photographs.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. I recently became interested in reading about other parts of the world and the Arctic has always been a place I wanted to learn more about.

[Chelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book but it was almost impossible. This read much like a bulleted list of facts one was using to report to an auditor or supervisor. "It was cold. There was a blinding blizzard. Snow blocks used to make a dwelling. Three days later journey continued." Even the parts that were meant to be thrilling or show how dangerous this expedition was were bland and dismissive. "So-and-so got wet. In these temperatures that could be deadly. He reached camp twelve hours later. The next day they continued." The pacing of the writing could only be described as fast, as if this was an essay due tomorrow and the author was told to only be objective and get the facts down.

This book was supposed to make you understand how dangerous and brave this expedition was, but because of how it reads you never really get the sense that there is any danger, or that the whalers' would not have survived without the arrival of the expedition. Again, the barest of mentions "the whalers were sick." and then boom, onto the next thing that happened, but with no detail, no mystery. In the beginning of the story the photographer/photographs are mentioned in a way that makes them seem as though they are a focal point of this journey...but then they are barely mentioned again. Only under the pictures are there details, otherwise there is little to no mention of taking pictures, why this was important, how it changed/impacted the journey, etc. Did they stage photos? How long did it take to snap a picture back then? Were there issues with keeping the negatives dry? Who knows, none of this is ever addressed.

The timeline/route of the journey was also written in a way that made it confusing and lacked drama. They back tracked for supplies. They went on ahead. They back tracked again for...reasons. They changed dog teams. The village had no dog teams, but somehow, they managed to change dog teams. The "why" and "how" were ignored or barely touched on before moving on to the next "bullet" point. All in all, there was no feeling that these men were in any real danger, whalers or expedition, which is a shame because what they accomplished was so heroic and brave, but the book read as though this was a foregone conclusion of a journey that had been done a hundred times.

The most interesting part of this book was the post-epilogue, that explained what happened with each "main" character and actually went into more detail than the entire book.

I would not recommend and will probably not read any books by this author again, unless I am looking for a bulleted fact list written in paragraph form. I love reading about Arctic and Antarctic adventures, the search for the Northwest passage, Polar expeditions that took place in the 1900s and earlier, etc and this was just so disappointing and fell so flat.

[Greg Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

In September of 1897, more than half a dozen Whaling ships with hundreds of whale men aboard were caught by an early freezing of the waters on Alaska’s northwest shore. Only one ship was able to break free and sailed south to San Francisco to carry news of their predicament to those who could supply help.

What followed was a rescue attempt that was almost guaranteed to fail. The Revenue Cutter Service, a precursor to the US Coast Guard, sent men and supplies north. A handful of men, under command of David Jarvis, were set ashore and started a 1600 mile journey to the arctic. They were to borrow 400 reindeer and convince the owners to help drive them 700 miles to where the ship’s occupants were in dire distress.

The book tells the story of this adventure and if the many men who put their livelihoods and lives at stake to save the stranded crews. It lauds the courage, persistence ingenuity and passionate heroism if the rescuers, their sled dogs and the Inuit guides and sledge drivers. It’s a detailed historical retelling of a remarkable adventure and journey. It celebrates the power of man’s goodwill to man.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1897, 8 whaling ships became trapped in ice off the northern coast of Alaska when winter came early. One ship broke free and made it back to San Francisco to inform authorities that help was needed in the north. Without additional food 300 men would surely die before the ice thawed. President McKinley ordered a three-man expedition to deliver supplies. Doing so would mean a 1500 mile trek across land since the water was impassable. The three men used dogs and reindeer to pull the sleds the entire distance. When they arrived they found the men living in squalid conditions, having given up any hope of rescue. The lead rescuer restored order and discipline until a rescue ship arrived several months later.

This is another interesting book to add to the growing number of survival books about polar expeditions. This one is mainly about the long, exhausting trek through Alaska to deliver supplies. It's hard to imagine someone walking 1500 miles in below zero temperatures to save someone you don't know.

[Ann-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband and I honeymooned in Alaska, so it has always had a special place in my heart. This book caught my eye at the library, and I grabbed it. It is absolutely fascinating. An early winter storm (September) in northern Alaska, trapped several ships in the ice. One ship was able to break through and sail south to inform the world of the trapped whalers. The President ordered an over land rescue mission. In Alaska. In winter. Over hundreds of miles. The group of men who led the mission had to convince people along the way to give them sled dogs, provisions, lead them over the Arctic wilderness, and give them their reindeer herds to feed the whalers. It was no small feat. We are talking about temperatures that routinely got down to 40 below zero. It was an amazing story of bravery, heroism, determination and just plain grit. Far from complaining when the wifi is slow, these men set out on an almost impossible mission. My generation stands to learn a lot from them.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quotable:

“The difference between care and carelessness is slight, in arctic travel, and the first let-up is sure to bring its reminder in the shape of a frosted toe or finger or a frozen nose. One must be on guard, and the slightest tinge in the nose or cheek must be heeded, and circulation started again by vigorous rubbing.” -David Jarvis

“It’s the long winter nights that bring the past to life. Nights when the North Pole sends a gale a howling around Barrow and I sit snugly working on my specimens, or writing, or carving a bit of ivory. Or perhaps saying to myself, as we user to in the old days, ‘But just wait till next spring.’
For on such a night familiar echoes come easily to the ear of memory; ghostly sounds which, nevertheless, will always typify the Artic to me. I hear them plainly as I work – the rhythmic beating of the [Eskimo’s] drum, wind-swept shouts of a triumphant crew, or, mingling with the boom of ice, the dying swis-s-sh<\i> of a bowhead whale.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A low quality writer, using his low quality skills to produce a low quality book.

Spoiler alert: Martin does not gain enough money to buy a dictionary and probably is too old to know what the Internet is. So impossible actually means long and boring. The guy actually has a very limited understanding of the vocabulary he uses, like "the Arctic waters freezing over more solidly every day".

Oh, and the story is about some soldiers of fortune killing whales.

Overall Martin has a problem grasping the meaning of words, yet he is a skilled witch and clairvoyant as he can recall things that happened (to him?) a century ago like it was yesterday.

[Sarah Bodaly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! Some nonfiction can tend on the dry side, but this gripping story is far from that. This is the true story of how one small band of men rescued the trapped whalers from eight ships frozen fast in the Arctic Circle. It took a journey of almost 2,000 miles by foot and sled, many native guides, hundreds of reindeer, a letter from the President, a missionary, the heir to a prominent condiment company, and the tenacious will of all to not give up, for this endeavor to be fully completed in the middle of an Arctic winter, against all odds, and doing what had never been done before.

[Sarah Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It started out slow and both James and I weren’t convinced we liked it. But it picked up and we both wanted to blitz through it. Such an incredible story. Well written and really focuses on the first person accounts of those in the rescue mission and those stranded. Also was super cool to read since the rescue was a Coast Guard mission (right before it was renamed the Coast Guard). Definitely would read again and a super inspiring story of grit and perseverance dealing with all of Alaska’s harsh realities.

[Joe Keefhaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book about a little-known historical event, the successful 1898 effort -- ordered by President William McKinley -- to rescue some 300 sailors from eight American whaling ships, stranded in the ice off Port Barrow, Alaska. The land and sea effort -- mostly a land effort over 1,500 miles by dog sled -- was conducted by men of the Revenue Cutter Service, predecessor of the United States Coast Guard. Worth reading.

[Fan of Mr. Lemoncello's Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good children's nonfiction book. It tells you just enough, not too much but not too little. I like how they use quotes of the Captains and the people from the rescue mission. It makes it seem like it is really happening. It showed how tough it is to travel freezing weather.

[Keg Good · Rating 2 out of 5]

Photos are great. Book reads like it was meant to be read but feels more like a coffee table book. It is large and heavy. The trail and tribulations of the journey were intense, but the words did not adequately express the hardships.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fast read, but full of pictures from a most ridiculous rescue adventure, which I'd never heard of.

[Bo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing true story about an Alaskan overland mission to save stranded whalers. This is rough and tumble WWII Era with no down jackets or outfitting from Pantagonia.