Shackleton's Forgotten Men: The Untold Tragedy of the Endurance Epic

Having read about Shackleton several years ago I am glad to see more interest in this amazing story and people looking at Shackleton's leadership which was incredible.I am troubled by one thing though, in almost everything I have seen and read (such as the Nova special, Caroline Alexander's Book, and Alfred Lansing's book) there is almost no mention about the crew on the other side of the Antarctica. In Shackleton's South, he wrote about checking on the men, but never went into the hardship they faced. I was disturbed that the Nova special did not even mention there was a crew laying supplies on the other side.In some ways, I actually think their story is more amazing the story of the crew of the Endurance. The crew was to lay supplies almost to the pole and then one night a storm came in a blew the ship back out to sea and then the men on shore had a very small fraction of the supplies from the ship. They still had to lay depots for Shackleton as they did not know there were not going to make it. At one point in the book, the men start out on a sledging journey that to this day holds, the record for the longest trip in both miles and time. If you are really into Shackleton, you MUST read about the other half of the story in this book.

Rather than rehash what previous reviewers have already said, this book for me was very difficult to put down. Bickel does a great job of pulling the reader into the harshest environment on the planet by recounting the incredible physical and psychological barriers Shackleton's depot team had to endure to lay stores and supplies for Shackleton's ill-fated attempt to cross the continent. The book is a chronicle to not only the incredible courage, loyalty, and physical stamina exhibited by these brave explorers, but to a lesser degree that glorious era of exploration and the final throes of the British Empire.As a former research oceanographer, I identified with detailed descriptions of the journey over hostile waters. In the mid-80s while working on my MS degree in geochemistry, I was on the waiting list to work in Antaractica for six months to retrieve recently discovered Martian meteorites embedded in ice fields. I probably would have changed my mind had I read this book if it was available then.

A well written work that reads like a novel about the members of Shackleton's Ross Sea Party whose mission it was to lay food and supply depots for Shackleton's crossing of Antarctica. The brave men united by adversity, experience such unimaginable hardships, that as the reader I found myself rooting for these brave and courageous men to abandon their mission and save themselves. Their persistance to carry on and complete their mission while enduring every suffering possible of the Antarctic is testament to the true character and grit of these men. For anyone who has read any of the published "ENDURANCE" works this book is a must read. The adventure will not be complete until you read this bone chilling tale of the human spirit, unbroken.

If you are a Shackleton fan, then this book is sure to delight you. The epic of Endurance has been given the most publicity but this story is every bit as captivating. These men, who had the responsibility to place food and supply depots for Shackleton's intended journey across Antarctica, endured hardship beyond description. They were totally dedicated to their task and their devotion to Shackleton is heartwarming. It proves, once again, his leadership prevailed even though he was almost 2,000 miles away from them. The writer gives a good insight into each of the characters and, as you read, you will feel you are enduring the journey yourself. It is without a doubt, one of the greatest stories of survival and a tribute to the toughness of the human spirit to prevail.

I have read many Artic and Antartic books and this is very high on my list. Bickel's style is compelling without being overly technical. The saga that these men went through to lay depots for their "boss" (Shackleton) is just as amazing as the Endurance story.