Безбілетний пасажир. Дивовижні пригоди юнака в Антарктиці

by Laurie Gwen Shapiro, Наталія Лавська (Translator)

Йшов 1928 рік: то була доба незаконної випивки, Великого Гетсбі та веселих розваг, а також слушний час для організації експедиції до Антарктиди, найзагадковішого та найменш вивченого континенту планети.

У цій пригоді жадали взяти участь найкращі фахівці, найзнаменитіші американці, представники найбагатших родин і разом з ними вісімнадцятилітній мрійник й авантюрист з Нью-Йорка Біллі Гавронський. Завдяки силі волі та наполегливості юнаку таки вдалося долучитися до найвидатнішого наукового і героїчного подвигу "ревучих двадцятих".

Авторка майстерно залучає читача до неймовірних пригод головного героя, змальовує низку непересічних персонажів, наводить маловідомі подробиці й факти експедиції, проте насамперед оповідає чудову історію вивчення й освоєння сліпуче білого континенту, що ніби оживає на сторінках книги.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Adventure, Travel, Audiobook, Biography Memoir

232 pages, Hardcover

First published January 15, 2018

About the author

Laurie Gwen Shapiro is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist whose writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, New York, The Daily Beast, Lapham’s Quarterly, Slate, Aeon, The Forward, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. Her documentary film awards include an Independent Spirit Award for directing IFC’s Keep the River on Your Right, and an Emmy nomination for HBO’s Finishing Heaven. Shapiro is the 2022 winner of the Silurians Press Awards Gold Medallion for Best People Profile for “He Bombed the Nazis, Outwitted the Soviets and Modernized Christmas” for The New York Times and the 2021 winner of Best NYC Essay or Article from the GANYC Apple Awards for “The Improbable Journey of Dorothy Parker’s Ashes” for The New Yorker. The Stowaway (Simon & Schuster) was her best selling first full-length work of nonfiction, and was an Indie next selection. Her next nonfiction book will be The Aviator and the Showman, for Viking Books. July 2025.

Reviews

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

❄️ 4 adventurous, Antarctic stars to The Stowaway ❄️

I enjoy reading nonfiction, and it’s a delight when I read nonfiction that feels like fiction. I would say this particular book feels mostly like fiction, but it is a bit on the detailed side. This worked perfectly for me, but I wanted to mention it for fiction fans who might be considering this book.

What fascinated me from the start is I was yet again reading about the 1920s in the United States! I’ve read several books lately set during that interesting time. Billy Gawronski was a captivating figure. How exactly does an 18 year old manage to be a stowaway on one of the most famous expeditions? What will his parents think? Wait until you read the story of his endearing parents.

Admiral Byrd, the leader of the expedition, was another absorbing character, as were the other captains of the ships. Also covered were past expeditions by Byrd and others, as well as the controversy surrounding them (i.e., did they really go to these places, or did they lie about their coordinates for the fame?).

Polish culture, the struggles of the time for different races, the Great Depression, and many other important issues were covered revealing the context of what was happening around Billy.

Billy was intelligent, resourceful, and persistent in making his enormous dream come true, and I absolutely loved him; however, his second wife and their story 💕 ended up stealing the show for me towards the end of the book. The Author’s Note that ties into that story is not to be missed!

These days, instead of giant multi-ship expeditions, people take cruises to Antarctica. I admit I’ve thought about it. We love a cruise and a big adventure. 🚢 Luckily, there’s still much about Antarctica that’s left untouched and undiscovered. That’s special and so is this book. The Stowaway met my expectations for a thrilling adventure!

Thank you to Laurie Gwen Shapiro, Simon & Schuster, and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC to review.

The Stowaway will be published on January 16, 2018.

[megs_bookrack · Rating 5 out of 5]

**4.5-stars rounded up**

'Wherever you're from, there's always somewhere more exciting.'



A rollicking ride to the edge of the earth and back!



The story of Billy Gawronski is one I had never heard before, but I feel like now, it will be one that I never forget.

A true tale of perseverance and adventure. Young Billy dreamed of traveling to far off places.



When the infamous Admiral Byrd planned to depart for an excursion from NYC, where Billy lived with his immigrant parents, to the last unknown frontier of Antarctica, he could suddenly see a way for all of his dreams coming true.

Billy was willing to do anything to be a part of the expedition, including stowing away, which is exactly what he does.



This book takes us on a journey to the far reaches of the earth, filling in history, geography and science along the way.

This is actually a fairly quick read for a nonfiction book, not quite as dense as many tend to be. Because of this, it would actually be a great book for YA-readers, as well as adults.



If you pick this up, be sure to read the Author's Note at the end. I thought it was truly wonderful!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, for providing me with the opportunity to read and share my thoughts on this amazing story. I appreciate it so much!

[Faith · Rating 2 out of 5]

In 1928, Billy Gawronski was the 17 year old son of a Polish immigrant family that once lived in the lower east side of Manhattan. He was looking for more adventure than he would find by joining his father's interior decorating business and he became obsessed with Antarctica. After repeated attempts, he managed to successfully stow away on one of the ships headed to Antartica as part of Richard Byrd's first expedition. I was expecting an adventure story but what I got was the biography of man who played a small role in the expedition, became a media darling, returned home, dropped out of college during the Depression and served in the Merchant Marine during World War II.

I really don't know what the purpose of this book was. Why should I care about a biography of Billy's family? There is some name dropping of the famous people who lived in the Bayside Queens neighborhood to which the family had moved. We also learn who signed his yearbook. Really, who needs to know that? An additional factoid is that Billy had a high school girlfriend. None of this was at all interesting to me. The expedition doesn't even reach Antartica until the last third of the book. The explorers remained there uneventfully for a few pages and then they all returned home. This book was a big disappointment and I do not recommend it. I'm sure there are better books about the Byrd expedition. There probably aren't any other books about Billy, and there's a reason for that.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

[Andy Weston · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a reader of almost anything that is polar discovery based, especially historical, I was really disappointed by this. It is the story of a young man, Billy Gawronski, Who stows away on Commander Byrd’s voyage of 1928 and mission to fly the first plane over Antarctica.

Though Shapiro has done the necessary research, she fails in the ability to tell a story. It reads like a Wikipedia page. Inevitably I make comparisons to other recent polar discovery non-fiction, the tremendous In The Kingdom Of Ice by Hampton Sides and meticulously put together Andrew Lambert’s Franklin , and it doesn’t even come close to them. One of the problems is that there isn’t enough in Billy’s story to merit such a book. Other than his stowing away, his brief time with the expedition is remarkably uneventful. For that reason Shapiro would have done much better writing this as fiction, and embellishing the story, which it certainly needs.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 review soon.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stowaway starts with a great opening and continues as a tightly written narrative. It's an entertaining non-fiction that reads like fiction. Plucky Billy Gawronski is a highly likable, smart-aleck, teenager who stows away on Admiral Byrd's ship to Antartica. What's special about this book is that I wanted to know more about Billy as he aged - he became a friend. Laurie Shapiro describes the many real individuals with a light, caring and amusing touch so that Billy's parents, teachers, and his pals in the coal room of Byrd's flagship all come joyously to life. She also tells the story in the context of the era, painting images of the Great Depression, sharing little known WWll exploits, and capturing Polish, Jewish and Black struggles to get ahead. All this is done in a straightforward, engaging manner. It's a short novel packed with a lot of fun. I would recommend it to most of my friends.

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable, well written and researched true story about a recent high school graduate Billy Gawronski, who fears being resigned to a life in his father's upholstery business, while he dreams of a life of adventure. He wants permission to go off and join his hero Admiral Richard Byrd who is about to embark on an expedition to Antarctica, but his father has refused, and now it's far too late to apply. He is determined to stow away if necessary, to get his place on this trip...and it leads to a lifetime of lessons learned. A great story that reads like it was made up. Thanks for reading. An advance ecopy was provided by NetGalley for my review.

Expected publication date is January 16, 2018 By Simon and Schuster

[The Captain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ahoy there me mateys! Though this log’s focus is on sci-fi, fantasy, and young adult, this Captain does have broader reading tastes. So occasionally I will share some novels that I enjoyed that are off the charts (a non sci-fi, fantasy, or young adult novel), as it were. I received this non-fiction eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

This novel was recommended by stephanie @ adventuresofabibliophile. The title and cover immediately captured me fancy. Stowaways and a ship! Arrr! It takes place in the 1920s which is a bonus. Also me adventurous ma is currently on a ship heading for Antarctica and penguins and cold! So it seemed appropriate to read about previous Antarctic explorers.

While I prefer sunnier climes, I have always had a fascination for exploration stories of all kinds be it mountain climbin', island hoppin', or south pole ice scramblin'. As a younger lass I read about Shackleton, Darwin, and Cook's true life adventures. National Geographic magazine was a much loved publication. Equally beloved were the fictional survival stories like White Fang, Robinson Crusoe, and the Count of Monte Cristo. I continue to love these types of stories like recent reads castle of water and feel me fall (highly recommended).

So I began to read this book about Billy Gawronski who was so obsessed with being a member of Byrd's crew that he was a stowaway on Byrd's ships not once but three times! His tenaciousness and pure grit to make it to Antarctica was endearing and fun. He wasn't the only one trying to secure a place on this expedition. Byrd was a crafty man and had thousands of candidates trying to obtain a non-paying berth on the voyage attempting to make American history.

Overall I found this to be a more a story about the facts surrounding getting to and from Antarctica rather than what happened on Antarctica. It is a seemingly well-researched book. Much like in real life, Byrd really is the center of the story with Billy's portions as the more humanistic filler. The beginning of the book up until the establishment of Little America is the best part of the book though the story loses steam after that. In any case I found many of the tangential facts to be fascinating. Like how President Coolidge had a pancake breakfast with actresses in an attempt to bolster his election campaign. This book was a quick read that I enjoyed even if I thought it would be more about Billy's adventures in Antarctica.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Simon & Schuster!

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...

[Marika · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1928, Admiral Richard Byrd decided to explore the unknown..the Antarctica. At that time going to Antarctica was the last frontier to conquer on earth and just the idea of his attempting this voyage was the stuff of legends. Thousands of men and women wanted to be a part of Byrd's adventure, and even members of the Rockefeller and Vanderbilt family begged to be allowed to come along.
Then you meet Billy Gawronski, a 17 year old from New York who was so desperate to be a part of that he jumped into the river and swam to the boat to be a stowaway. Did he make it? This is one rollicking read that brings to life the past in ways that will leave you flabbergasted. It's written in the same manner as Unbroken by author Hillenbrand in that you have a hard time believing that it is all true. Every word.
I read an advance copy and was not compensated for it.

[Jennifer S. Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing story about a young man who is a stowaway on then-Commander Byrd's Antarctic expedition in 1928. I normally gravitate toward fiction, but this book gripped me, and I read it in a single day. The balance between background/history and adventure story was perfect, and a clear picture, through Shapiro's use of great details, emerged of both the times and the exploits of the crew. I developed a real connection to Billy Gawronski (and also his poor, frightened mother!) and was happy we followed him through the years. Definitely enjoyed this. An exciting read!

[LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!" · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Shapiro brought this amazing story to life. It reads like fiction, but it's not. No stuffy professor, boring, dust ridden, dry reading here. Billy is someone I admire. The guy had chutzpah! I'll confess to being a bit envious. There are oftentimes that I wish I had discovered my love of the Northern Arctic much earlier in life. Would it have made a difference? Ach, probably not. Thankfully I have fantastic books like this. If you like tale of the north or south regions, and adventure then this is a recommended read.

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Looking at the other reviews, I am definitely in the minority with regards to this book!

I am a big fan of historical books; I find learning about other time periods and how life was then fascinating. I am also a big fan of biographies because I love the feeling of getting to know a person, seeing what shaped their life. Putting the two together, I thought The Stowaway would carry me away with young Billy on his adventure to travel with Admiral Byrd to the South Pole. A sure fit, I thought. I can't tell you how much I looked forward to settling in with this book for a vicarious adventure. But such was not to be. While it is obvious that Ms. Shapiro has done extensive research on the topic, her characters are so flat and lifeless that I put the book aside at 56%. Awww, other readers might say, it all came together in the last 44% of the book!! I doubt it. To me, the book that I started with such eagerness ended up reading like an overlong school report.

Not a match - it happens. But I'm still disappointed.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read an e-copy of this book that everyone else seems to love.

[LibraryCin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

Billy Gawronski’s parents immigrated from Poland to New York. He grew up wanting to be a sailor, and at 17, though his Dad wanted him to take over his successful interior design business, Billy stowed away on a ship belonging to his hero, Richard Byrd. Byrd had planned to be the first to fly over the Atlantic, but Lindberg just barely beat him to it. Instead, Byrd decided to head to Antarctica by ship, then to be the first to fly to the South Pole. Billy wanted to be part of it all.

This was good. It followed Billy (and Byrd), not just to Antarctica and back (and that is the bulk of the book), but I liked that it continued when they returned. They returned in 1930, just after the collapse of the stock market and the economy was bad, so it was not easy for any of the returning crew (though hailed as heroes) to find work at that time.

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

GNab Laurie Gwen Shapiro has done an exquisite job of bringing to life the times and trials of that Polish stowaway 'Billy' Gawronski. Her author's note following this work, telling of the steps and luck involved in uncovering the story of the life of this stowaway is as extraordinary as the tale itself. This is a book I was not able to put down.

Every decision Billy makes, from the approach most hidden while swimming through the dark port waters in the small hours to stow away on the 'City of New York' and try to talk his young 17 year old self into becoming a member of the crew on the first American expedition to Antarctica under the direction of Commander Byrd, to how to secure employment for himself in the height of the Depression, highlight the drive and worth of William Gregory Gawronski. However you want to spell that last name. The Stowaway gives us insight into New York City in the roaring '20's, the intricacies of fielding an exploratory force into unknown territories and an environment completely hostile to mankind, to what makes the call of the sea so compelling to some souls to New York during the Depression, and World War II all around the world. This is a book I can recommend to my friends and family, of all ages and all walks of life.

I received a free electronic copy of this biographical history from Netgalley, Laurie Gwen Shapiro, and Simon Schuster in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

pub date Jan 16, 2018
Simon Schuster

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read! Full of so many details about the early 20th century in America: the media landscape, New York (esp. the Polish community), & Antarctica (of course). An interesting detail was that the expedition at one point speculated to the press that they might find "lost world" sort of environments, or even humans living on the continent; this made me wonder if that was the state of knowledge in the 1920s, or if the expedition was feeding sensational ideas to the press in hopes of increasing public enthusiasm and funding. It would have been nice to get more of the stories of the other two stowaways, who, like the titular stowaway, both stowed away multiple times on multiple vessesls! But, it sounds like the historical documentation isn't really there for either of them. This book also makes me want to read more about Antarctica & the history of exploration there. Finally, I noticed the author used the terms "Ford Trimotor" and "Fokker Trimotor" interchangeably. They're two different (albeit similar & similar looking) aircraft types! Both were early airliners used in 1920s exploration. It doesn't really matter, but it irritated me slightly.

[Luanne Ollivier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a winter person at all. But a recent cold, blustery week seemed like the perfect setting to listen to Laurie Gwen Shapiro's latest book - The Stowaway: A Young Man's Extraordinary Adventure to Antarctica.

While adventures and tales can by imagined by authors, sometimes the most intriguing and captivating stories are those plucked from real life. Such is the case of Billy Gawronski. In 1928, Billy was a seventeen year old high school student. Explorer Richard Byrd was putting together an expedition to Antarctica. Over sixty thousand people volunteered to go along with Byrd. And Billy? Well, Billy stowed away on one of Byrd's ships, determined to go along. His attempt to join was not smooth sailing though. But his spunk, determination and heart captured the public's interest.

Shapiro's telling of this fascinating story is really well done, bringing intimate details of Billy's life and family to the story, through interviews and mementos shared from family members. The details surrounding the actual expedition, time period and players are equally captivating.

Jacques Roy was the reader. His voice is well modulated and pleasant to listen to. His enunciation is clear and easy to understand. His accents were believable. Roy's interpretation is understated, letting the listener absorb the details and imagine the time and events.

This armchair adventurer quite enjoyed The Stowaway, imagining the tenacity, fearlessness and courage it would take to follow such a dream - all from my comfy chair by the fireplace.

[Іван Синєпалов · Rating 4 out of 5]

Чим більше читаю про Антарктиду, тим більше дізнаюсь якихось нових історій, гідних опису. Це якийсь бездонний колодязь напівзабутих пригод.

Наприклад, завдяки "Безбілетному пасажиру" довідався про експедицію Берда як таку і про книги, в яких вона описана, зокрема - книгу журналіста "Нью-Йорк Таймс" Расселла Овена "На південь від сонця" і книгу учасника тієї експедиції Гаррі Адамса "За Бар'єр із Бердом". Колись, відчуваю, візьмусь і за них.

У цій же книзі Антарктиди як такої майже й немає. Але це все одно дуже гарна пригодницька історія. Авторка сама зізнається, що все це аж занадто схоже на якусь вигадку Джека Лондона чи Жюля Верна, але в тому-то і краса.

Це все ж зовсім не художній, а документальний роман, заснований виключно на документах та спогадах рідних і знайомих головного героя - Біллі Гавронського. Тобто все, що тут описане, відбувалося насправді - художній домисел стосується тільки власних переживань Біллі, але вгадати їх нескладно.

Я, звісно, розраховував на більшу кількість Антарктиди в тексті, тож був трохи розчарований. Але, якщо відкинути це упередження, то залишиться захоплива і натхненна історія про те, що навіть хлопчик-іммігрант за допомогою кмітливості, дрібки зухвалості та знанням мов може стати героєм двох націй.

[Vivian Rapacciuolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

wish that was me :(

[Cameron Cook]

I love books about Antarctica. This one is no exception. One of those nonfiction books where you’re like “Wow!” every few pages, and you close your book and tell Hannah the fact you just learned.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate authors who write stories about people like Billy whose history might otherwise go unknown.

[Allen Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://www.themaineedge.com/adventure...

What would you be willing to do to gain the opportunity to experience an adventure of a lifetime? What risks would you take to take part in something historic? How far would you go? Would you travel to the ends of the earth?

For Billy Gawronski, the answer to that last question was “Yes.”

Young Billy is the star of Laurie Gwen Shapiro’s new book “The Stowaway: A Young Man’s Extraordinary Adventure to Antarctica.” It’s the true story of a teenager who wanted nothing more than to take part in a great adventure – specifically, to be a part of Richard Byrd’s expedition to Antarctica. And with nothing more than overflowing reserves of desire and chutzpah, Billy made it so.

In the year 1928, there are only a few unknowns left to be explored. Perhaps the biggest of the bunch is Antarctica – the last true frontier. Explorer Richard Byrd is assembling an expedition to give that icy continent its most thorough going-over ever. The centerpiece of the mission is to be the first flyover of the South Pole, an effort to observe the heretofore unobservable.

And Billy Gawronski wants in.

The Polish teenager lives on the Lower East Side with his parents. He’s a first-generation American and a recent high school graduate with a gift for languages and a thirst for adventure. His father has his future planned out for him – joining him in the family upholstery and design business – but Billy wants something more.

So the night before Byrd’s ships are to head out to sea, Billy leaps into the Hudson River. A strong swimmer, he makes his way to one of the ships and ensconces himself in a hiding place he had spied during an earlier guided tour. And then … he waits.

What follows is a multi-year journey, one which sees Billy knocked down and disappointed, only to repeatedly rise to the occasion and eventually, through sheer grit and will, carve out a niche as part of one of the most notable adventures of the early 20th century.

Nearly a century removed from that adventure, it’s easy for us to forget just how harrowing a journey this was and how courageous those who took part in it were. These men spent months traveling to one of the harshest environs on the planet so that they might build a camp and live in icy darkness for months before actually having the opportunity to undertake the exploration that was at the heart of their mission.

Billy Gawronski was a part of it. It took repeated efforts and a willingness to take on any task, no matter how difficult and/or unpleasant, but he made himself a part of this expedition. And along the way, he became a media celebrity – the story of the stowaway made good became huge in the New York newspapers (a fact that was not lost on Byrd, who understood that the mission was powered in no small part by publicity).

“The Stowaway” captures the freewheeling wildness of the time, placing Byrd’s mission in the greater context of the era while also focusing on the adventures (and occasional misadventures) of Billy Gawronski. It’s a wonderful macro/micro examination – sharp and informative.

There’s no question that this is an adventure story for the ages, the kind of truth that is stranger than fiction. Shapiro embraces the challenges inherent to the outsized true-life narrative, bringing a storytelling flair to the proceedings that makes the book easily-devoured and entertaining as hell. She brings Billy to life, painting a vivid portrait of a mostly-forgotten figure who was a legitimate folk hero in his time.

Most of us have an at least passing familiarity with Admiral Byrd and his adventures, but so many of the people around him – the people who made his accomplishments possible – have faded into the background of history. Billy Gawronski wasn’t a pilot or a scientist or anything of the sort, but he was, for a time, one of the most famous members of the Antarctic expedition. That’s not nothing, and we’re lucky to have someone like Shapiro to relate his story to us in such a propulsive and compulsively readable fashion.

“The Stowaway” brings history to life in the manner of the very best nonfiction. It is a compelling tale well-told, introducing us to a headstrong and courageous young man that we might never have met otherwise. And that would have been a real shame.

[William Matthies · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true story about a teenager who repeatedly attempted to stowaway on the late 1920's Admiral Byrd expedition to Anartica. As author Shapiro says, "Everyone wanted in on the adventure". If you, like me, are a sucker for non-fiction adventure stories, you'll enjoy this book.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book about a stowaway on Richard Byrd’s 1928 trip to Antarctica seemed a natural for me to read. It was okay. The author obviously did a huge amount of research and interviewing, but she failed to continue research on the side topics. It was almost as if she felt she had to include everything she found out and often the topics were okay, but not handled right. There needed to be more about the ancillary topic or it needed to be left out. For example, the few paragraphs about women flyers is too short to be informative and ends up just being distracting. Or, the black stowaway is quite interesting but the follow up left me wondering and unsatisfied. This topic could have been several chapters (think of how John McPhee or Edmund de Waal would have handled this topic).

I did like a number of things about the book. I liked the peek at the personality of Byrd and wish there had been more about his egoistic approach and his relationship with flyer Bernt Balchen. I really enjoyed the look at the Polish American community using Billy and his father as an entry point. There could have been lots more on this topic. I also liked the brief look at the personality differences between the captains of two of the ships, Melville and Brown. Again, it was just too much a tantalizing drop and needed to be filled out.

[Book Club of One · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book through The Goodreads Giveaway program.

The Stowaway: A Young Man's Extraordinary Adventure to Antarctica delivers on its title. It is an account of the frequently misspelled adventures of Billy Gawronski determination to be part of Richard Byrd's 1928 Antarctic exploration expedition. Gawronski manages to be part of this adventure by stowing away, not once but three times. He succeeds and gets to be part of the experience, but does not winter over with the more select crew, instead he returns home for the year before returning for the end of the expedition. As one would expect as this was a highly publicized event, and shaped the path of Gawronski's life, the 1928 expedition takes up the majority of the narrative. The latter sections of the book detail Gawronski's later life.

For me I found the book a quick read, and while an interesting story I found the authors afterword much more engaging. I would have enjoyed this book significantly more if written as a research travelogue. From Laurie Shapiro first encountering Gawronski's story to her experience flying over the Antarctic. To me this would have been a more powerful story than just a biography.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not what I thought it would be. I love true life adventure stories and was very excited to listen to The Stowaway. I wanted to go along with Billy to Antarctica, and experience all he did. Sadly, the book did not give me that. I thought the book started out good. We learned about Billy, his parents, and his attempt to stowaway on the trip to Antarctica. We were told how he did this, how he was discovered, and then most of the book was focused more on other people and facts leading up to, during, and after the trip to Antarctica.

You can tell the author did a lot of research, and it was all interesting, it just wasn’t what I thought the book would be about. I wanted to take a trip to Antarctica. I barely got that from the book.

The narrator spoke in a dull monotone. I easily could have fallen asleep, but I listened while driving so I didn’t. Only once or twice while he was repeating what a character in the book said did his voice come alive.

If you go into this book knowing that doesn’t give much of Billy’s personal experience, it may be a better fit for you than it was for me. I do know that I’m in the minority with my thoughts.

[Carly O'Neill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although an interesting premise for a book, and an exciting first few chapters (despite the long, drawn out history of the stowaway’s parents and their backgrounds), I could not get into this book. The author’s writing style was so difficult for me to read, and the sentences and paragraphs did not flow. It read more like a stitched together Wikipedia article. It seemed as though they grabbed every tidbit of information available around this era - whether it was relevant to the topic or not - and threw it into the book. There were also a lot of “...perhaps he may have met this person...” or “...perhaps he thought this during this moment...”, which I found so strange to read in a non-fiction book. Overall, the writing style ruined this book for me.

[Joe Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billy Gawronski wanted something more than just working in the family business in late 1920's New York City. He had a dream of adventure and exploration. Richard Byrd's planned trip to Antarctica was just the ticket and nothing was going to stop Billy from joining the crew. Even if he had to stowaway. More than once! A fascinating tale I knew nothing about brought to life. And what a life Billy led. History buffs, adventure fans, and those just looking for a real life story of someone achieving their dreams will love this book.

[Angela Hursh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad I choose this nonfiction adventure tale as my first book of 2019. If you loved Radium Girls, or if you love real-life adventure stories, you'll enjoy this. It's short and does a great job of covering the story in historical context without being boring at all.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strong historical detail and a first rate adventure story. What’s not to love?

[Yakym Yermak · Rating 5 out of 5]

«Я очікував, що тут буде про Антарктиду, ги ги ги, 3 зірки» — половина відгуків на цю книгу виглядають ось так. В той самий час ця книга одна з небагатьох де назва відповідає змісту. Вона про безбілетного пасажира.

Прекрасна історія про юнака і силу волі. Купа деталей, гарні фотографії, цікаві факти. Якщо ви шукаєте книгу про Антарктиду — то мабуть треба почитати якісь наукові роботи, але не чекати від пригодницької історії висвітлення температури в різних точках континенту.

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