Rating: 
Summary: Amazing
Review: "South" is an extraordinary story of leadership, dedication, perseverance, ingenuity and survival. It is difficult to accept that the book is a non-fictional account of an Antarctic exploration. Time and again, the men of the expedition exhibited superhuman strength and a tremendous will to live. It's ironic that the Endurance, Shackleton's ship, could not endure the cold, ice, snow and wind of Antarctica but her crew could. In an age before Goretex (R), Polartec (R) and Thinsulate (R), all of Shackleton's men survived.The tenor and cadence of the book changed significantly when the story of the Aurora and her crew was told. The change was likely due to the fact that Shackleton was relying upon the accounts and diaries of others. It is obvious that he was not writing out of his own experience and pain. As an African-American, I must say that I lost a great deal of interest in Shackleton after reading his comparison of the soot-covered faces of his men to the faces of "niggers." And he was not refering to "Nigger (dog)" listed in the index. I find it disappointing, but not unbelieveable, that given all of his physical and mental suffering that there was a place in his mind and body where racism could comfortably and warmly survive. It speaks volumes about him and the nature and endurance of racism.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent story of human endurance and faith
Review: A compelling account of Shackleton's voyage in his own words. Although the voyage was laden with problems, Shackleton portrays the voyage as one, not of dispair, but of never ending hope.
Rating:
Summary: A harsh place for only the most courageous
Review: A true to life compelling story of the crew of the Endurance, and their survival in the most unhospitable place on earth.
Rating:
Summary: A classic tale of seamanship and leadership
Review: An unbelievable tale of the fate of twenty eight men on their journey to Antartica. The only problem with the book is that the illustrations are not coincident with the story line.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing story of man's will to survive.
Review: As a fan of literature that captures the truly heroic and sometimes incredulous accomplishments of man, I read Shackleton's account of his attempt to cross the South Pole with utter amazement at the ability of a group to overcome not only the physical exhaustion of such an effort, but to survive the mental anguish and ennui of being isolated and trapped amidst a frozen sea. While reading this book, an attempt to cross the South Pole is currently underway by a group of men using the latest technology- GPS, sails for their sledges, satellite communications, thermo clothing- and in watching their progress, daily mileage, and physical ailments, their attempt pales in comparison to the expedition of Shackleton's ill-fated journey, and the efforts of their support team. Never again can I complain on a cold day in good conscience!
Rating:
Summary: A Gripping Tale
Review: Ernest Shackleton has always been one of my heroes. The story of the Endurance and how the Shackleton Expedition kept body and soul together and made it safely home after losing its ship in the Weddell Sea ice pack is one of the most heroic episodes in the annals of human adventure. Hollywood could not write a more compelling epic.
I bought the book because I wanted to read a first-hand account of the Expedition, despite being somewhat afraid of its being bogged down in technical details. It was not. Once the scene was set, what the reader gets is a fast-moving, easy-to-read, and very gripping tale of the attention to duty, the guts, and the undying optimism it took to overcome what must have seemed like insurmountable odds. Shackleton's wry sense of humor and his willingness to take calculated risks and make hard decisions undoubtedly helped to inspire his men to work as a team.
You will sit on the edge of your seat as you read of the harrowing voyage in the tiny dinghy across the raging seas as Shackleton and a chosen few set out from Elephant Island in a desperate attempt to reach South Georgia. You will feel the weariness and the agony of his party as they seek to find a way to the other side through what had been considered inaccessible territory. And you will feel the sense of relief and triumph as the party stumbles into the whaling station where it was able to organize a rescue for the comrades left behind on Elephant Island.
That is really the climax of the story. Some readers may find the second portion of the book a bit anticlimactic, and it is, but that does not take away from the main story. The second part merely recounts the trials and tribulations of the other half of the expedition. The story of those men and their ship is interesting in its own right and is included here only because Shackleton, as overall commander of the expedition, included their story in his journal.
Sir Ernest Shackleton's story is an inspiration to me. His heroism shines in a world that produces too few heroes. I highly recommend this book to all who like a good story. Perhaps you will be inspired too.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: Ernest Shackleton is little known today, yet during the early part of this century was one of the leading figures of Antartic exploration. In modest, self-deprecating terms Shackleton describes the ordeal of his crew as they struggle for survival after being stranded in the Antartic after their ship is crushed by ice. In an era without reliable long distance communications, or modern equipment, 28 men managed to survive nearly two years in the frozen Antartic. Even more amazing, Shackleton and 5 companions crossed over 800 miles of some of the worlds roughest ocean in a 22 foot boat to bring help for the rest of the party. Having read Alfred Lansing's work "Endurance" this personal memoir by Shackleton also includes a description of the southern party, which was waiting in vain for him on the other side of Antartic. Shackleton and his party of 28 accomplished one of the most amazing examples of man's fortitude and indomitable courage. Somebody please make a MOVIE!
Rating:
Summary: the straight-ahead momentum of an ice breaker
Review: His party stranded on an ice floe hundreds of miles from their destination, beyond the reach of the outside world -- even had the outside world known they needed help, or where to look -- his ship crushed by countless miles of pack ice and supplies running low, Ernest Shackleton spent not a moment in lamentation. He set about saving his crew and himself. They made their way to a small, desolate bit of island shore, from which Shackleton and five men journeyed 800 miles in a 22-foot open boat across the most dangerous sea in the world. A trek through miles of snow-covered mountain wilderness finally brought rescue. And everybody survived! Shackleton's is an epic tale of true adventure and derring-do, and he tells it with the straight-ahead momentum of an ice breaker diving into the pack. He sees beauty in the Antarctic, and he carries a touch of poetry (Browning, anyway) in his soul. He is also a detail man, and his flights of descriptive eloquence bog down amid facts, figures, wind speeds and diatomous striations. But this piling-on of minutiae proves riveting in the action sequences (most of the book). We feel like we are there. Having told his own party's tale, Shackleton gives a useful if anticlimactic account of the Ross Sea wing of the expedition - a story with its own generous measure of adventure, heroism and poignancy.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing voyage but completely boring
Review: I found it very difficult to continue on in this book after the first couple of pages. The story had little character development and had way too many boring details. I found that I was reading about latitude and longitude markings along with ice drifts over and over within the first 30 pages. Pass on this book if you like story development instead of journalistic details.
Rating:
Summary: South:A Memoir of the Endurance Voyage
Review: I highly recommend this book to anyone who manages people.It is a very intense book that is long on bravery and short on cowardess.
| 
