White Darkness — Book Review

by Bonnie Tollefson

Review – White Darkness, David Grann, Doubleday, 2018.

Antarctica, land of snow, ice, dark, and mystery.  Most of us know the names of the great Antarctic explorers — Ross, Scott, Amundsen and Shackelton.  Many of us have read books about the adventures of these men.  We know that Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance was caught in the ice and sunk,  We know that in1912, Scott won the race to the South Pole beating Amundsen by a month.  Has anyone heard of Henry Worsley – Antarctic explorer of the 21^st Century?  This small book by David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower Moon, looks at Worsley’s life and his fascination with the land furthest South.

Henry Worsley grew up in Great Britain.  A slight boy, he never the less excelled at sports in school, especially cricket, rugby, skiing and hockey.  While class work was not his forte, he often slipped away to the library to read about adventures that stirred the mind.  He thus discovered the life of Ernest Shackleton.  When he learned that a distant relative, Frank Worsley, had been a trusted member of Shackleton’s expeditions he became an ardent devotee.  Upon graduation from school, he joined the military at his parents urging.  He survived the SAS training and went on to serve with distinction until retirement at the age of 55.

During his military service, the polar regions continued to call and he joined/led several expeditions to commemorate the centennial anniversaries of Antarctic milestones in exploration.  Upon retirement, at the age of 55, Henry decided to attempt the crossing of the continent – alone.  That is where the book, White Darkness, starts as we learn about the difficulties and enjoy the myriad pictures that grace these pages.  Having been to Antarctica twice, I can understand the fascination, but even if you are only an armchair traveler, this book will captivate.

The book is available from the RVM library and the Jackson County Library System in regular print and from the JCLS in audio format (but you will miss some great pictures).