“The human story has always been one of perseverance—often against remarkable odds.”
I’m Mark Martin with "Martin’s Must Reads" and Andrea Pitzer in her book Icebound: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World tells a tale of adventure, success, failure, the brutal Arctic winter, and the human will to survive incredible obstacles.
Sixteenth century Europe was looking for a faster course to China and its lucrative trade. The proven course was the long journey around the African continent passing the ever dangerous Cape of Good Hope. Many were convinced that a northeast passage, past Norway, Sweden and around Russia could be found. They believed that if a person sailed far enough north, the north pole region would be open navigable water, even in the depth of winter.
The Dutch explorer William Barents set out to prove this theory. He made three voyages, the last of which claimed his life. His ship became icebound on the Northern coast of Nova Zembla, some 800 miles above the Arctic circle. There Barents and his crew were forced to spend the long cold dark winter in a desperate struggle for survival.
“Icebound” is filled with compelling descriptions of Barent’s voyages: what led them to be stranded farther north than any European had traveled, the dangers from polar bears, scurvy, starvation and the long bitterly cold winter. Once they survived the winter the survivors still had to travel the long way back home, this time in only two small boats as their ship had been destroyed by the winter icepack.
If you are looking for book of great adventure, courage and the human will to survive then Andrea Pitzer’s book Icebound is a must read for you.