Friday, 18 October 2013

Alaska Day: Remembering an Extraordinary Arctic Rescue

The Impossible Rescue: The True Story of an Amazing Arctic Adventure 
                                                                           ---by Martin  W. Sandler












 Sailing the Bear, built in Scotland in 1874 and especially constructed to withstand heavy ice, the rescue party initially make their way past St. Lawrence Island and aim to put in on the south side of Cape Prince of Wales peninsula in the morning of December 13, over three months after the whalers were stranded. "In the afternoon, however," writes Captain Tuttle, "considerable drift ice began to make its appearance. Knowing that as soon as the wind died out the sea would go down and the [drift] ice would form into a solid mass which it would be impossible to get through. . . I went. . . full speed [south]." As the skipper gets his ship safely away, his men see the ice between their position and the cape had turned solid. They later land in Tununak, which adds 700 miles to the Overland Expedition's journey. 

Amongst the inevitable questions following adventures, there always seem to be those seeking to track the main players. Sandler has anticipated this and provides an aptly-named "What Happened to Them" section following the main work. Delightfully, "Reindeer" are included in the cast--for even they had an enormous role to play and without them the mission probably could not have started, let alone continued. Like so many in the Great Land, they gave their lives as a sacrifice to save others. Their human partners, as we learn, go on to triumph and tragedy, some of which readers, children as well as adult, will make connections to from previous information or knowledge. 


The Impossible Rescue: The True Story of an Amazing Arctic Adventure
                                                                     --by Martin W. Sandler

Publisher: Candlewick (September 11, 2012)

ISBN:10: 9780763650803

ISBN-13: 978-0763650803

ASIN: 0763650803


  1. Wow, what a great review - I had never considered the engagement of boys with linear storytelling before this, but it actually makes sense to me (knowing how difficult it is sometimes to engage boys in reading). I am going to buy this book as I have always been interested in the subject matter (ever since Northern Exposure was aired in the 80s). I find the entire cross-population of Alaska fascinating as a local historian and this book promises to do more than continue to whet my appetite.

    1. Thanks so much, Lorri! Yes, even Alaskans find a lot to be fascinated about the place! There is so much great local history that is painstakingly recorded, and most Alaskans will recognise names they read about in books because, as is sometimes said here, it's really just an overgrown village. I think you will truly enjoy the book--perhaps repeatedly!

  2. That is a superb review. I am intrigued by Artic adventure. The photographs are stunning. The black is so black against the white background. Wonderful.

    1. Thanks, Carol! The public then were also definitely captivated, and it was about this time that the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration began, which people couldn't get enough of. It's definitely a topic that draws people in whether they learn of it as the surrounding events occur, or even over 100 years later. It's also interesting to remember the youth of photography as Dr. Call was making his photos. Even if he was using the gel plate developed about a decade or so before (which minimised the equipment as well as time- and labor-intensive process), how did it not freeze or even get ruined under the conditions? Even today cars have block heaters on them, materials crack from the cold. Yet he came away with these haunting photographs that weren't lost to any damage that might have been suffered. Yes, wonderful indeed.

  3. Great review, very enlightening.

    1. Thank you, Louise! It certainly provides a lot of perspective, doesn't it?

  4. That's a very interesting article and even the photographs here are breathtaking so I can only imagine how amazing they are in the 'coffee table style' book! I'm intrigued that middle school boys tend to prefer a linear style of story. I'll have to look into that. Thanks!