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Big Dead Place: Inside the Strange and Menacing World of Antarctica
When Johnson went to work for the U.S. Antarctic Program (devoted to scientific research and education in support of the national interest in the Antarctic), he figured he'd find adventure, beauty, penguins and lofty-minded scientists. Instead, he found boredom, alcohol and bureaucracy. As a dishwasher and garbage man at McMurdo Station, Johnson quickly shed his illusions about Antarctica. Since he and his co-workers seldom ventured beyond the station's grim, functional buildings, they spent most of their time finding ways to entertain themselves, drinking beer, bowling and making home movies. The dormlike atmosphere, complete with sexual hijinks and obscene costume parties, sometimes made life there feel like "a cheap knock-off of some original meaty experience." What dangers there were existed mostly in the psychological realm; most people who were there through the winter developed the "Antarctica stare," an unnerving tendency to forget what they were saying mid-sentence and gaze dumbly at the station walls. And if the cold and isolation didn't drive one crazy, the petty hatreds and mindless red tape might. Though occasionally rambling and uneven, this memoir offers an insider's look at a place that few people know anything about and fewer still have ever seen.
260 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
November 18, 2017
Nick was an acquaintance of mine down on the Ice, and so I’m obviously a little biased. He was an incredibly bright guy and had a wicked, dark sense of humor. You can sense this in his writing. I had really been looking forward to both the HBO version of the book and his next book, whatever it may have been. Alas, Nick tragically took his life in 2012.
As far as the stories in the book go, they are a very accurate portrayal experience at McMurdo Station. The absurdly bureaucratic government contractor, stories of people losing their minds, the oddity of both the hostile, eerily beautiful natural environment and of the government-run, remote research station are all described in true-to-experience detail. Nick also had little patience for the hypocrisy and crippling bureaucracy that permeates every square inch of the US Antarctic Program’s delegation, and his sharp criticism of the program is very present.
My only issue with Big Dead Place is that it is a little too focused on the negatives, and a little too dark and cynical (but hey, that was Nick for you). In my experience, there is a lot more to the US Antarctic Program than just the messed up stuff. The community down there is really unique and creative, and I’m not sure that comes through. And there are other things to celebrate; the science that comes out of the program is groundbreaking and fascinating. The environment is, yes, a big dead place, but it’s hauntingly beautiful at the same time.
So this is one perspective of the experience, and at the moment I don’t know of any other books that do a better job. For that reason, if you want to know what living and working at McMurdo Station was like in the 1990s and 2000s, this is the book for you.
As far as the stories in the book go, they are a very accurate portrayal experience at McMurdo Station. The absurdly bureaucratic government contractor, stories of people losing their minds, the oddity of both the hostile, eerily beautiful natural environment and of the government-run, remote research station are all described in true-to-experience detail. Nick also had little patience for the hypocrisy and crippling bureaucracy that permeates every square inch of the US Antarctic Program’s delegation, and his sharp criticism of the program is very present.
My only issue with Big Dead Place is that it is a little too focused on the negatives, and a little too dark and cynical (but hey, that was Nick for you). In my experience, there is a lot more to the US Antarctic Program than just the messed up stuff. The community down there is really unique and creative, and I’m not sure that comes through. And there are other things to celebrate; the science that comes out of the program is groundbreaking and fascinating. The environment is, yes, a big dead place, but it’s hauntingly beautiful at the same time.
So this is one perspective of the experience, and at the moment I don’t know of any other books that do a better job. For that reason, if you want to know what living and working at McMurdo Station was like in the 1990s and 2000s, this is the book for you.
February 6, 2009
I've been hearing about a friend's experiences working in Antarctica for more than a year now. The things she's said have made me cringe at the introductions to most books about the place. This one, though - this sounds exactly like the stories she tells.
So this book is, as far as I can tell, authentic and honest. It's also funny. And it's basically a primer in mismanagement. If you want to laugh helplessly while simultaneously fantasizing about stabbing a bunch of managers in Denver in the face with a clue fork, this is definitely the book for you.
Which isn't to say that it's perfect. The editing and layout are disasters, and the book is somewhat disorganized. None of those was a serious problem for me, though - I even managed to ignore the editing problems, which should indicate just how readable this is.
More of a problem for me was the, shall we say, rugged and faithful recreation of Antarctic conversation, complete with a lot of racism, homophobia, and sexism (just a given in that environment, although most of the time the author reported it without seeming to condone it), plus a really disturbing focus on animal harm and death. The latter made me skim a number of pages, and took this book from four to three stars. (I'm not saying it shouldn't be in there, but wow did it affect my enjoyment of the book.)
However. Even though I cringed away from some of the pages, and even though there were stories that actually raised my blood pressure in sheer fury, I really enjoyed this book. Just, you know. With caveats, enough of them that I'd hesitate to recommend the book to just anyone. (But for anyone considering a season in Antarctica, this should be mandatory reading.)
So this book is, as far as I can tell, authentic and honest. It's also funny. And it's basically a primer in mismanagement. If you want to laugh helplessly while simultaneously fantasizing about stabbing a bunch of managers in Denver in the face with a clue fork, this is definitely the book for you.
Which isn't to say that it's perfect. The editing and layout are disasters, and the book is somewhat disorganized. None of those was a serious problem for me, though - I even managed to ignore the editing problems, which should indicate just how readable this is.
More of a problem for me was the, shall we say, rugged and faithful recreation of Antarctic conversation, complete with a lot of racism, homophobia, and sexism (just a given in that environment, although most of the time the author reported it without seeming to condone it), plus a really disturbing focus on animal harm and death. The latter made me skim a number of pages, and took this book from four to three stars. (I'm not saying it shouldn't be in there, but wow did it affect my enjoyment of the book.)
However. Even though I cringed away from some of the pages, and even though there were stories that actually raised my blood pressure in sheer fury, I really enjoyed this book. Just, you know. With caveats, enough of them that I'd hesitate to recommend the book to just anyone. (But for anyone considering a season in Antarctica, this should be mandatory reading.)
April 18, 2018
This is a fascinating account of life in Antarctica, but it’s also terribly cynical. It’s sometimes darkly amusing, and sometimes gratuitously crude. The writing is excellent, except when it’s nearly incoherent. The book is badly organized and feels like a random collection of anecdotes interjected with random pieces of historical trivia. The author dwells on conflicts between employees and management, describing the sort of drama, dirty politics and petty tyranny you find at almost any job, only amplified because of the confined environment and somewhat eccentric population.
The author spent most of his time at McMurdo, the largest of three American stations in Antarctica. Johnson was immediately surprised by the mundanity of life there, and he was soon amused and then disillusioned by the bureaucracy of the American Antarctic Program. Although journalists speak of Antarctica as populated by scientists and researchers, most of the personnel stationed there are involved in building or maintaining infrastructure. Johnson himself worked first as a dining assistant, and later in waste management.
He’s no less cynical about the history of Antarctic exploration, in particular the character of the explorers. Just skip the story about Finn Ronne and penguin abuse. Page 140, trust me.
He tells a lot of anecdotes about odd co-workers, many of which are strangely off-topic. For instance, there’s an entire appendix about a practical joke that Antarcticans played on one of their co-workers: he reprints 10 pages of fabricated correspondence from a Russian mail-order bride. At one point he tells the story of an employee who sends out an insulting email using another employee’s email account, and he reprints the whole email, a dozen pornographic paragraphs.
I spent much of the book disconcerted by the odd writing style, but even with that, and even with the odd digressions and irrelevant, sometimes disturbing anecdotes, this is a really engrossing read.
The author spent most of his time at McMurdo, the largest of three American stations in Antarctica. Johnson was immediately surprised by the mundanity of life there, and he was soon amused and then disillusioned by the bureaucracy of the American Antarctic Program. Although journalists speak of Antarctica as populated by scientists and researchers, most of the personnel stationed there are involved in building or maintaining infrastructure. Johnson himself worked first as a dining assistant, and later in waste management.
He’s no less cynical about the history of Antarctic exploration, in particular the character of the explorers. Just skip the story about Finn Ronne and penguin abuse. Page 140, trust me.
He tells a lot of anecdotes about odd co-workers, many of which are strangely off-topic. For instance, there’s an entire appendix about a practical joke that Antarcticans played on one of their co-workers: he reprints 10 pages of fabricated correspondence from a Russian mail-order bride. At one point he tells the story of an employee who sends out an insulting email using another employee’s email account, and he reprints the whole email, a dozen pornographic paragraphs.
I spent much of the book disconcerted by the odd writing style, but even with that, and even with the odd digressions and irrelevant, sometimes disturbing anecdotes, this is a really engrossing read.
December 28, 2024
Interesting non-scientist perspective of life in a remote fieldwork station. I have only read scientist reports from the Antarctic station, this is something quite different, even though there are also similarities, ofcourse. The bureaucracy for example.. the tone is quite negative and I'm not sure if everyone's experience is like this, it is probably written with dark glasses on..
February 8, 2017
A polar garbageman documents the arrival of PR/human resources culture to Antarctica's McMurdo station, supplemented with e-mails he's liberated from the Antarctic recycling program. Was going to be an HBO series, but presumably the death of James Gandolfini and the suicide of the author put an end to that.
The combination of Raytheon's toxic corporate culture with low sunlight, extreme isolation and the continent's lack of a governmental authority to appeal to is rather harrowing. Imagine the Stanford prison experiment being given it's own continent to run wild on. Though Johnson and his friends are sometimes able to take their own petty satisfactions.
Interesting in how it compares to Kim Stanley Robinson's Antarctica. Robinson's is a science fiction book based loosely on his time there in '97, but he seems to nail the prevailing culture and its complaints with the supply contractor (in the book it's ASL, a fictional version of ASA which was replaced by Raytheon by the time Johnson arrived). Robinson's solution of having the contract awarded to a co-op is probably one that Johnson would've liked to see, but Big Dead Place shows just how unlikely that is to ever happen. Incidentally, there are a lot of similarities between Johnston and KSR's X, the proletarian protagonist of Antarctica.
Big Dead Place knows its history. He includes a lot of wild stories about early Antarctic exploration that the general enthusiast would be ignorant of, sometimes with a focus on the occult. He's good at drawing comparisons between the plight of early explorers who were often terrorized by their leaders more than the climate and the often dismal working conditions of modern McMurdo.
The combination of Raytheon's toxic corporate culture with low sunlight, extreme isolation and the continent's lack of a governmental authority to appeal to is rather harrowing. Imagine the Stanford prison experiment being given it's own continent to run wild on. Though Johnson and his friends are sometimes able to take their own petty satisfactions.
Interesting in how it compares to Kim Stanley Robinson's Antarctica. Robinson's is a science fiction book based loosely on his time there in '97, but he seems to nail the prevailing culture and its complaints with the supply contractor (in the book it's ASL, a fictional version of ASA which was replaced by Raytheon by the time Johnson arrived). Robinson's solution of having the contract awarded to a co-op is probably one that Johnson would've liked to see, but Big Dead Place shows just how unlikely that is to ever happen. Incidentally, there are a lot of similarities between Johnston and KSR's X, the proletarian protagonist of Antarctica.
Big Dead Place knows its history. He includes a lot of wild stories about early Antarctic exploration that the general enthusiast would be ignorant of, sometimes with a focus on the occult. He's good at drawing comparisons between the plight of early explorers who were often terrorized by their leaders more than the climate and the often dismal working conditions of modern McMurdo.
December 5, 2008
Ever since I was a boy, I've wanted to live in Antarctica and study all sorts of science-y things out there in the coldest, most uninhabitable place on earth.
This book has explained to me the truth about the people who work there, and more importantly, the companies that employ them.
It starts to feel like you're reading the journals of a college frat boy after a while, and it's contents can really be considered comedy more than documentary. But that aside, it really is quite informative, and a good read.
This book has explained to me the truth about the people who work there, and more importantly, the companies that employ them.
It starts to feel like you're reading the journals of a college frat boy after a while, and it's contents can really be considered comedy more than documentary. But that aside, it really is quite informative, and a good read.
Read
April 12, 2015Didn't find it particularly funny but it was a very interesting book about working in Antarctica. Also enjoyed reading about the history of the explorers and their challenges.
July 9, 2025
dragged a bit but really interesting!
April 2, 2010
This is a book about Antarctica the way most people never see it. It is a memoir of a man who isn't a scientist or an adventure seeker, but a waste management worker on an American Antarctic base working for money and also the experience. It mostly is about the day-to-day life and how things get borring and the same all the time. It also talks about how most of the base is controlled elsewhere by people who don't even live in Antarctica and how most of the rules and prcedures are ridiculous and unfair.
Ok, so this book was a little long, drug-out and just blah to me for the most part. I LOVED his hilarious stories about certain friends and experiences, but when he just went on long chapter-long rants and whines about beauracracy and management I was ready to quit the book. Not because I disagreed, I understand how that situation could be frustrating and annoying. However, hearing similar things over and over again became dull and repetitiive. Ok, so management sucks. You don't need to tell 500 stories that are all pretty much the same. I think all of that could have been condensed to a single chapter, that ruined the book for me. And I know this is why some people like the book and think that this is the major theme of the book. I just personally was bored out of my mind and found it lame.
But the good funny parts are what drove me to give it 2 stars instead of 1.
Ok, so this book was a little long, drug-out and just blah to me for the most part. I LOVED his hilarious stories about certain friends and experiences, but when he just went on long chapter-long rants and whines about beauracracy and management I was ready to quit the book. Not because I disagreed, I understand how that situation could be frustrating and annoying. However, hearing similar things over and over again became dull and repetitiive. Ok, so management sucks. You don't need to tell 500 stories that are all pretty much the same. I think all of that could have been condensed to a single chapter, that ruined the book for me. And I know this is why some people like the book and think that this is the major theme of the book. I just personally was bored out of my mind and found it lame.
But the good funny parts are what drove me to give it 2 stars instead of 1.
October 2, 2019
There's no excuse for a book about such an interesting topic to be so thoroughly mediocre.
The book was adapted from a blog the author wrote about his experience working in the National Science Foundation's Antarctica Program. Unfortunately, neither the author nor the publisher seems to have wanted to invest any time or effort in editing, so the individual blog posts are stitched together without any amendments to make them fit together. This leads to persistent inconsistencies throughout the text: for example, one chapter ends with a joke about how workers in the program are responsible for their own safety. Several chapters later, it becomes clear that this is a reference to a memo from the program leadership. But since we don't know this reference, the joke doesn't land. Elsewhere acronyms and jargon are use which are only later defined. There's no reason for this, and all it would have taken was a simple editorial review to avoid it.
Apart from that, the author mainly seems to want to let you know how badly managed things are, and how maladjusted are most of his coworkers. That may be perfectly true, but listening to someone sneering about it for 300 pages doesn't make for compelling literature.
The book was adapted from a blog the author wrote about his experience working in the National Science Foundation's Antarctica Program. Unfortunately, neither the author nor the publisher seems to have wanted to invest any time or effort in editing, so the individual blog posts are stitched together without any amendments to make them fit together. This leads to persistent inconsistencies throughout the text: for example, one chapter ends with a joke about how workers in the program are responsible for their own safety. Several chapters later, it becomes clear that this is a reference to a memo from the program leadership. But since we don't know this reference, the joke doesn't land. Elsewhere acronyms and jargon are use which are only later defined. There's no reason for this, and all it would have taken was a simple editorial review to avoid it.
Apart from that, the author mainly seems to want to let you know how badly managed things are, and how maladjusted are most of his coworkers. That may be perfectly true, but listening to someone sneering about it for 300 pages doesn't make for compelling literature.
March 6, 2014
Unexpectedly, this is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time. The author describes his experiences as a low-level worker at the McMurdo base in Antarctica and systematically destroys every romantic conception we have about the continent, including the supposedly lofty scientific goals of the U.S. presence there. Essentially, he reveals that very little science goes on there, that the entire Antarctic operation is mostly a wildly expensive flag-planting operation, using science as a pretext. Thus, most of what people in Antarctica do all day is ... maintain their presence in Antarctica, which uses a huge amount of money, resources, and time. And it is all governed with totalitarian bureaucratic cruelty by the National Science Foundation. I know, I know, that doesn't sound funny so far, but trust me. Okay, not convinced? Here's a preview, in three words: Boozy the Clown. Okay, are you in?
October 3, 2009
I never thought working at Barnes and Noble for 5 years would be so similar to working for a government scientific research company in Antarctica. They even have a guy named Ted the Racist. At B&N we had a guy named Joe the Racist. Small world.
This is less about Antarctica than it is about bureaucracy, micromanagement and people going mad from small amounts of power. Very, very funny and wonderfully frustrating.
This is less about Antarctica than it is about bureaucracy, micromanagement and people going mad from small amounts of power. Very, very funny and wonderfully frustrating.
May 15, 2017
working at antarctica is just as fucked up as academia
(added to amazon wishlist 06/06/16)
(added to amazon wishlist 06/06/16)
August 30, 2024
I have to divide my review by my two perspectives on this book: as an avid reader of polar literature, and as someone who has been to Antarctica.
First, I think the book is funny and smart in how it draws parallels between Antarctic fiascos separated by time and space. Johnson doesn’t tell you how Shackleton is like his friend Squeaky (made up example), he just puts a story about each of them right next to each other, allowing the reader to decide what they might say about each other. He also just has an amazing collection of stories from his years on the ice that do a good job illustrating just how ridiculous it all is. I did think the structure felt disorganized, and I didn’t know where I was a lot of the first half of the book as we went back and forth between program critique and personal anecdote jumping through different seasons. The stories started to feel redundant, which maybe could have been avoided with chronological structure or some type of arc in the point he was trying to make. It is cynical, which at times can feel tiring when there’s no break from that. I felt that way dealing with so many cynical people when I was on the ice myself.
From a personal standpoint, this book was hard to read. It sent me back to emotional places that were hard for me, like the powerlessness one might feel inevitably getting caught in the bureaucratic maze over something that’s obviously wrong, or the frustration in seeing stupid decisions being made over and over again, or dealing with sick men. It portrays the negative side of working there more accurately than anything else I’ve read. It isn’t holistic. No portrayal of Antarctica could ever be. But this provides some really amazing contrast to the countless stories of heroic polar exploration you see over and over again looking at the Antarctic canon. I think this book is legendary. Truthful, and unforgiving, Johnson knew this story needed to be told. And no matter how hard they try to bury it in the snow, secret pdf copies will bounce from hard drive to hard drive to be read in the shadows. Resilient, resolute, and rebellious.
Rest in Peace, Nick Johnson.
First, I think the book is funny and smart in how it draws parallels between Antarctic fiascos separated by time and space. Johnson doesn’t tell you how Shackleton is like his friend Squeaky (made up example), he just puts a story about each of them right next to each other, allowing the reader to decide what they might say about each other. He also just has an amazing collection of stories from his years on the ice that do a good job illustrating just how ridiculous it all is. I did think the structure felt disorganized, and I didn’t know where I was a lot of the first half of the book as we went back and forth between program critique and personal anecdote jumping through different seasons. The stories started to feel redundant, which maybe could have been avoided with chronological structure or some type of arc in the point he was trying to make. It is cynical, which at times can feel tiring when there’s no break from that. I felt that way dealing with so many cynical people when I was on the ice myself.
From a personal standpoint, this book was hard to read. It sent me back to emotional places that were hard for me, like the powerlessness one might feel inevitably getting caught in the bureaucratic maze over something that’s obviously wrong, or the frustration in seeing stupid decisions being made over and over again, or dealing with sick men. It portrays the negative side of working there more accurately than anything else I’ve read. It isn’t holistic. No portrayal of Antarctica could ever be. But this provides some really amazing contrast to the countless stories of heroic polar exploration you see over and over again looking at the Antarctic canon. I think this book is legendary. Truthful, and unforgiving, Johnson knew this story needed to be told. And no matter how hard they try to bury it in the snow, secret pdf copies will bounce from hard drive to hard drive to be read in the shadows. Resilient, resolute, and rebellious.
Rest in Peace, Nick Johnson.
October 8, 2024
- seals have to given a breathing stimulant when they're sedated bc they hold their breath when they're unconscious :)
- skuas as alien cannibal monsters
- "He had captured penguins on his expedition, but most of them died on the return voyage from drinking cleaning fluid."
- a worker who hit a pallet of old sausage buried in the ice got squirted in the face with ancient sausage juice and a crazy face infection bc of it
- Mawson and Mertz poisoning themselves and going insane and dying agonizing deaths by feasting on dogs—a parable of human society
- author as a 'Quicksander' with a sad ending to his own story
- polite Norwegians offering a nice "Oh thank you" to flashed tits
- camp outhouses having 'shit tree' stalagmites, always growing
- Antarctica kills the brain
- firefighters poisoned by deadly gasses ignored by safety/HR
- asbestos/vermiculite exposure covered up and waved away by safety/HR
- URGENT emails sent abt all msgs needing to be in Times New Roman 11.5
- PQing has always been a nightmare—requiring even those with hysterectomies to get a pap smear, no exceptions
- altogether paints an appropriately dire and honest portrait of the ice, capitalism and managerialism ruining a frontier and human lives
- colonies on Mars will be another Big Dead Place just like this one
- skuas as alien cannibal monsters
- "He had captured penguins on his expedition, but most of them died on the return voyage from drinking cleaning fluid."
- a worker who hit a pallet of old sausage buried in the ice got squirted in the face with ancient sausage juice and a crazy face infection bc of it
- Mawson and Mertz poisoning themselves and going insane and dying agonizing deaths by feasting on dogs—a parable of human society
- author as a 'Quicksander' with a sad ending to his own story
- polite Norwegians offering a nice "Oh thank you" to flashed tits
- camp outhouses having 'shit tree' stalagmites, always growing
- Antarctica kills the brain
- firefighters poisoned by deadly gasses ignored by safety/HR
- asbestos/vermiculite exposure covered up and waved away by safety/HR
- URGENT emails sent abt all msgs needing to be in Times New Roman 11.5
- PQing has always been a nightmare—requiring even those with hysterectomies to get a pap smear, no exceptions
- altogether paints an appropriately dire and honest portrait of the ice, capitalism and managerialism ruining a frontier and human lives
- colonies on Mars will be another Big Dead Place just like this one
March 17, 2024
Many anecdotes and historical accounts that got me rushing to Google for more information on Antarctica's unique aspects. Got a bit bored with the HR stories, and didn't need the gratuitous, graphic tales of animal abuse. Overall, a decent way to learn about Antarctica for beginners.
April 22, 2018
3.5 stars, rounded up for the complete uniqueness of the subject matter. This is written by a guy who worked as a manual laborer in the US Antarctic community/camps. Bits of trivia:
The US decided that you had to have a presence on land to claim it. Several countries established camps.
The US then decided (and other nations agreed) that you had to be doing significant scientific work, or something else related to exploration of the environment, thereby making those other outposts pointless (this was done to keep the Russians from making a claim, as much of the world saw the US as preferable). Only the US has enough money to maintain a scientific base at Antarctica.
Science is only done there in the summer months (this is a "secret"). Throughout the winter, it is only support and maintenance personnel that basically keep the place running/whole enough to accommodate the summer visitors. So we do experiments there (or at least ship scientists there, sometimes all they do is record temperatures) to keep up the facade that we might prevent other nations from laying claim.
You are cooped up without transport or new faces for most of the year. Yes, there is as much sex as you'd imagine. Yes, drinking. Yes, other substances.
Yes, it can be extremely dangerous.
Yes, there is poor management, crushing bureaucracy, and incompetent leadership that leads to horribly low morale. Yes, the environment offers the opportunities for sociopathic and vengeful leaders to make life hell.
Yes, there will be a hundred bits of trivia, things you would never have thought of. You will come away with lots of interesting facts to bore others with at parties.
Very interesting. The writing isn't great, but interesting subject matter.
READ ALL THE AFTERWORDS. There is a series of correspondence not mentioned in the text that is worth reading for a "sick burn" moment.
The US decided that you had to have a presence on land to claim it. Several countries established camps.
The US then decided (and other nations agreed) that you had to be doing significant scientific work, or something else related to exploration of the environment, thereby making those other outposts pointless (this was done to keep the Russians from making a claim, as much of the world saw the US as preferable). Only the US has enough money to maintain a scientific base at Antarctica.
Science is only done there in the summer months (this is a "secret"). Throughout the winter, it is only support and maintenance personnel that basically keep the place running/whole enough to accommodate the summer visitors. So we do experiments there (or at least ship scientists there, sometimes all they do is record temperatures) to keep up the facade that we might prevent other nations from laying claim.
You are cooped up without transport or new faces for most of the year. Yes, there is as much sex as you'd imagine. Yes, drinking. Yes, other substances.
Yes, it can be extremely dangerous.
Yes, there is poor management, crushing bureaucracy, and incompetent leadership that leads to horribly low morale. Yes, the environment offers the opportunities for sociopathic and vengeful leaders to make life hell.
Yes, there will be a hundred bits of trivia, things you would never have thought of. You will come away with lots of interesting facts to bore others with at parties.
Very interesting. The writing isn't great, but interesting subject matter.
READ ALL THE AFTERWORDS. There is a series of correspondence not mentioned in the text that is worth reading for a "sick burn" moment.
June 22, 2008
I'm actually reading this for the second time, extending my fascination for extreme labor. Aside from finding the general ice hysteria that Johnson describes very funny (downright lol, to coin a phrase), after a few beers I find myself wanting to write him a letter asking him to be my friend. Especially interesting are the present and historical description of Antartica's mass magnetism; from scurvy infested, megalomaniacal expeditioners to 21st century grunt workers who drill into piss, shit and 5 year old sausage laced ice while walking a fine line of crucifixion from the big guns at Raytheon. Please also look at his website, bigdeadplace.com, with special emphasis on his interview with Nero, who was at McMurdo with Johnson, but has now contracted himself out to work in Iraq.
April 16, 2017
So good. This book is about corporate bureaucracy and BS and idiocy, as demonstrated in the crucible of Antarctic work/science stations, where once you're there you are pretty much cut off from the world and stuck with the system and all its nonsense. Interspersed with remarkably similar insane history of Antarctic exploration and its attendant BS. Recommend for anyone who is feeling disgruntled and has a broad sense of humor.
April 30, 2009
Alan, a friend who lived and worked in Antartica for
five years gave me this book. Reading it was like reliving
his late-night phone calls from The Ice.
If you have some idealized notion of what is happening
at the research stations on the ice, you will find
this an eye-opener.
five years gave me this book. Reading it was like reliving
his late-night phone calls from The Ice.
If you have some idealized notion of what is happening
at the research stations on the ice, you will find
this an eye-opener.
September 19, 2018
Abandoning this book. While somewhat informative and sometimes funny, overall the first half has been mean spirited, rude, crude, crass and occasionally vomit inducing. Life's too short to continue.
Despite my one star rating, do consider reading if you want to work in Antarctica.
Despite my one star rating, do consider reading if you want to work in Antarctica.
May 2, 2015
Easy to read! Interesting historical insights. Appalling rules and regulations. I didn't not enjoy it but am unlikely to pass on to friends
August 31, 2018
Kafka on ice.
September 22, 2019
Acerbically funny. A great book if you want to shatter your Antarctic illusions and get frustrated at bureaucratic bullshit reaching even to the end of the world.
March 29, 2015
Funny as hell! I laughed out loud.
March 16, 2024
The writing isn’t particularly good and the editing and organization leave much to be desired. The author and his friends sound insufferable and are frequently cruel, and there are frequent nostalgic reminiscences about stupid, crass conversations and interactions they had. The author writes almost gleefully about horrific animal violence and disgusting poop/sex/death/violence-related stories. Opinions outside of his own are often discredited, and those not in favor of debauched college dorm antics are regularly mocked. Some of the book is genuinely funny but much of it has aged very poorly.
And yet it’s also well-researched and it’s hard not to be won over to his biased perpective. The meticulous detailing, the primary sources, the foot notes and the tangents! The unique access to a world that’s deliberately obscured from the general public! It’s both infuriating and satisfying (in a cynical way) to see how much bureaucratic bullshit goes on in Antarctica and NSF. There’s a reason behind all the puff pieces and glamorization of a frankly puzzling system! Love to see it’s not just the corporate/business world and academia that have these problems! I could relate to the intense frustration about parts of your job that aren’t fair or safe or logical, and yet speaking up about them is punished (even when you’re told to speak up!). Sometimes you want a book to inspire you and remind you of the good in the world and sometimes you want one that’s deeply cynical and fed-up to validate you and the little frustrations that over time build up into a seething resentment! Oh the joys of working with HR and shitty leadership! The Catch-22s that never seem to be in your favor! Fortunately my coworkers have never been as utterly unhinged as some of his have been. But wow this is some top tier Workplace Gossip, the stuff you want to hear about but not be involved with or have people know you want to hear about!
I also enjoyed the historical detours for stories both silly and minor to intense and horrifying. Maybe not ENJOYED all of them, but was fascinated by how the disturbing and disgusting actions of our “heroes” are always hidden away and disregarded. It’s interesting to see how expedition leaders twisted facts, buried worker accounts, and determined the official narratives, and how often (then as now) horrible things are approved under the vague goal of “bettering mankind” or “promoting the public interest.” A good reminder to think critically of our “explorers,” about their motivations and methods, and how much systemic exploitation they directly and indirectly they benefit from.
So many of these large academic and research and government institutions have large issues and get away with frankly shocking things (as obviously do private and corporate ones). But then, slashing their funding makes things worse. Once they get so big, I’m not sure how you go about fixing these issues, and honestly it seems like no one actually does. This book helped me think more critically about these topics and has helped spark my interest in these sorts of systems. So despite its many many flaws, I can’t help but find this book a very valuable reading experience.
And yet it’s also well-researched and it’s hard not to be won over to his biased perpective. The meticulous detailing, the primary sources, the foot notes and the tangents! The unique access to a world that’s deliberately obscured from the general public! It’s both infuriating and satisfying (in a cynical way) to see how much bureaucratic bullshit goes on in Antarctica and NSF. There’s a reason behind all the puff pieces and glamorization of a frankly puzzling system! Love to see it’s not just the corporate/business world and academia that have these problems! I could relate to the intense frustration about parts of your job that aren’t fair or safe or logical, and yet speaking up about them is punished (even when you’re told to speak up!). Sometimes you want a book to inspire you and remind you of the good in the world and sometimes you want one that’s deeply cynical and fed-up to validate you and the little frustrations that over time build up into a seething resentment! Oh the joys of working with HR and shitty leadership! The Catch-22s that never seem to be in your favor! Fortunately my coworkers have never been as utterly unhinged as some of his have been. But wow this is some top tier Workplace Gossip, the stuff you want to hear about but not be involved with or have people know you want to hear about!
I also enjoyed the historical detours for stories both silly and minor to intense and horrifying. Maybe not ENJOYED all of them, but was fascinated by how the disturbing and disgusting actions of our “heroes” are always hidden away and disregarded. It’s interesting to see how expedition leaders twisted facts, buried worker accounts, and determined the official narratives, and how often (then as now) horrible things are approved under the vague goal of “bettering mankind” or “promoting the public interest.” A good reminder to think critically of our “explorers,” about their motivations and methods, and how much systemic exploitation they directly and indirectly they benefit from.
So many of these large academic and research and government institutions have large issues and get away with frankly shocking things (as obviously do private and corporate ones). But then, slashing their funding makes things worse. Once they get so big, I’m not sure how you go about fixing these issues, and honestly it seems like no one actually does. This book helped me think more critically about these topics and has helped spark my interest in these sorts of systems. So despite its many many flaws, I can’t help but find this book a very valuable reading experience.
July 17, 2022
I imagined this would be a book with tales of ghostly frozen landscapes, legends of underground UFO bases and Asperger's disorder having Scientists going stir crazy like Jack Nicholson in The Shining but instead it's some cynical guy talking shit about his years working in Antarctica for some Military Industrial Complex (Raytheon?) subsidiary contractor washing dishes and whatever else random menial work they can assign him as the company does their best to swindle workers out of any bonuses, pay, medical care they are entitled to for the most petty of infractions along with cover up exposure to various toxic substances in the work environment. When not working there is seemingly nothing to do but drink yourself into a stupor.
This book has entertainment value, at times it is funny but not what I expected. All mysterious or romantic notions of Antarctica you may have will likely be erased if you read this book. It sounds horrible actually. I'd just as soon visit hellholes like North Korea or Saudi Arabia over Antarctica after reading this.
3.5 out of 5 stars
This book has entertainment value, at times it is funny but not what I expected. All mysterious or romantic notions of Antarctica you may have will likely be erased if you read this book. It sounds horrible actually. I'd just as soon visit hellholes like North Korea or Saudi Arabia over Antarctica after reading this.
3.5 out of 5 stars
September 10, 2018
I really enjoyed reading this. I've read a lot of books about the experience of being in Antarctica, working in antarctica, but most of them are sort of waxing poetic, usually from the perspective of artists and writers who come down during the antarctican summer for a few weeks. This book is from the perspective of a guy who worked in the galley (kitchen) and in waste management for several years (both winters and summers), so he knew the real scoop. Unlike most of the books I've read about Antarctica, he discusses the cringe-inducing bureaucracy that contract workers must face as long as they come down to the ice. I had no idea it was so frustrating, it's like every bad HR experience and terrible boss I've ever had, rolled into one, with a dusting of snow and ice. I learned a lot, and may look at McMurdo differently now after reading this. Its not all bad, plenty of humorous stories abound.
August 16, 2019
Nick Johnson certainly has a way with words. This is a peppy book about an interesting place, and he keeps it moving and moving fast. He simultaneously manages to be a classic burnout stoner, exacting history nerd, and dedicated blue collar professional, and the changing of the hats is done pretty seamlessly. There's a lot of funny stories mixed with a pretty bleak view of the bureaucracy at the end of the world.
While I understand that he's not exactly in a position to cite of these claims, it's still inevitable that this reads a lot like gossip at times. This doesn't pretend to be a scholarly history or anything, but I can't help but feel like this would have been a lot more interesting if it had been paired with some investigative-journalism type research, especially about the mainland corporations interacting with McMurdo. Still, as a fluffy pop history, this is still very much worth your time.
While I understand that he's not exactly in a position to cite of these claims, it's still inevitable that this reads a lot like gossip at times. This doesn't pretend to be a scholarly history or anything, but I can't help but feel like this would have been a lot more interesting if it had been paired with some investigative-journalism type research, especially about the mainland corporations interacting with McMurdo. Still, as a fluffy pop history, this is still very much worth your time.
January 26, 2025
I enjoyed this book and learned a lot. I have some literary criticisms to make of it, but they aren't very important. The book communicated a lot about the experience of being a worker in Antarctica. The misery and difficulties and strain apparently come more from the absurdist, mean, inhuman, dishonest, moneygrubbing bureaucracy owned by the National Science Foundation and managed by them and their contractors (at this time of this book, it was largely Raytheon), rather than from the harsh natural conditions. I felt quite angry on behalf of the workers at countless stories of cruelty and inhumane treatment they experienced. This book killed what little desire I had to work in Antarctica some day (which wasn't zero!), both because of the management and because the culture of the workers involves more drinking and general craziness than I generally go for.
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