Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World is a great book if you are a fan of non-fiction, or have an innate interest in ships or shipwrecks. It is an incredibly detailed account of Ernest Shackleton, his men and their ship as it gets stuck in the ice, and falls to pieces, during their attempt to be the first crew to cross Antarctica. It is most certainly an impressive story of endurance, hardship and miracles.
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World is also full of real life photographs taken during the experience which, honestly, is the only reason I was able to keep reading the book. While I could tell that it was a well written account of the experience, I found that I struggled to stay interested. Even though it is full of little heart warming anecdotes (such as the Emperor penguins and their affinity for the banjo or how the sled dogs loved to chase the penguins), I wasn't totally consumed by the book.
I don't think my being bored with the book was really the fault of the author, so much as it was my own personal disinterest in the topic. I especially didn't like seeing the picture of the handsome man holding the two baby penguins on route to killing and eating them. I know they had to do it to survive, but I didn't need to see the picture of the cute baby penguins on their way to slaughter. It made me sad.
If I had been reading this book after watching Pirates of the Caribbean or Eight Below I may have been more drawn in, but since I just read The Book Thief, I was mostly just bored with Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World.
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