5 comments about A Negro Explorer at the North Pole: The Autobiography of Matthew Henson.

1. Matthew Henson was a great and courageous American who never got the proper respect or credit for his contribution toward the exploration of the North Pole from 1891 to 1909. Racism was undoubtedly the reason, and perhaps this is why his book is so frustratingly short on detail.
   
   As a quick romp through the Arctic, Henson wrote a good book: missing is any significant reference to racism, and the relationships between the various explorers, including Peary, are always positive. We know that Henson endured more than just the frigid arctic temperatures during the polar expeditions, but throughout his book he is the consummate gentleman; his narrative is understated and toned down to the gentlemanly pitch of the period. In this regard, Henson again shows his greatness because while it is obvious that he was subjected to abuse and humiliation, and while it is further evident that he was proud to have stood at the North Pole not only as an American, but also as a black man, Henson did not let his book become anything other than an account of an arctic expedition.
   
   In his later years, Henson did finally speak out about many of the inequities under which he had struggled during the polar expeditions. These later revelations render "A Negro Explorer at the North Pole" virtually unusable as a primary reference beyond dates and times. Still, the book is written in Matthew Henson's voice, and is worth reading if only to know him better.



2. I've always had a soft spot for Henson ever since Peary was quoted as saying he took Henson, a black man, with him because he didn't want to share the honor of reaching the North Pole with another man. I too tend to doubt that Henson wrote this, but he deserves a great deal of credit. Especially for putting up with Peary.



3. Matthew Henson's life was different from those of many other blacks of his day. He was privileged to be in on one of the greatest adventures of the early 20th century: reaching the North Pole. Taken from and based on a diary he kept at the time, A Negro Explorer at the North Pole provides a good timeline and basic account of the trek. Accompanying Commander Peary and Henson in the final stretch were Eskimos and dogs.

   The account as written by Henson, speaks well of Peary and their relationship. However, the cover blurb tells a bit of a different story. Of tension between the two men. Of Peary's intentions not to have Henson reach the Pole with him. And of vengeful actions by Peary afterwards, such as stealing Henson's photographs.

   If Henson had given more descriptions of the day-to-day efforts, the reader might have a fuller understanding of the relationship between the two men, as well as the amount of effort and the toll on the men that actually occurred. Included in this edition are articles written by Henson to counter Peary's not giving him credit for his contribution to the expedition. These were included by the editor and add to our understanding of events.

   There are many published biographies of Peary and his expeditions to the North Pole for those who are interested in adventure literature. For those who might like more on the contribution of blacks in history, try Fire on the Beach by David Wright & David Zoby, the story of the Pea Island Lifesavers.




4. If you are looking for a reprint of this book, first published in 1912, the two paperback editions currently available are very different. The Cooper Square Press edition has the edge for several reasons.

   The edition published by Invisible Cities Press substitutes a neat modern typeface for the 1912 original's old fashioned one, and it has a very nice selection of pictures, but few, if any, that appeared in Henson's original book. It also adds as an appendix what it calls an "extremely rare article" written by Henson, detailing "the real story of Peary's trip to the Pole," in which Henson claims Peary planned to leave him short of the Pole and go on alone. The article also details "Peary's uncharitable actions toward Henson once they had returned to civilization," the book cover claims.

   Many of the details of this article are in direct conflict with the book's text. If the article is truly the "real story of Peary's trip to the Pole," then what is the markedly different account contained in Henson's book? The article also raises questions about the introduction written by S. Allen Counter, who claims that rather than Peary being "uncharitable" to Henson after the expedition, "they remained friends and collaborators until Peary's death in 1920."

   Oddly enough, the other edition, published by Cooper Square Press, solves these contradictions in a lengthy introduction written by Robert Bryce, who claims to have seen most of the original documents associated with Henson. He explains the differences in the Henson book's text and this same article in some detail. In doing so, he makes much of Henson's lack of credibility, even making a case that A Negro Explorer at the North Pole was not really authored by Henson himself. He also addresses some remarks to Counter's former writings about Henson that help explain the apparent contradictions in Counter's new introduction. The Cooper Square edition preserves the original typeface of the 1912 book, but is not really a facsimile, as its introduction claims. It lacks some of the original pictures and uses others that were not in the original. In rating this title, I have split the difference. Certainly you will learn a lot more about Henson from the Cooper Square edition. Four stars for the Cooper Square Press edition, one star for the less enlightening Invisible Cities effort.




5. Hats off to Dr. Counter and Invisible Cities Press for presenting Matt's amazing account of how he reached the North Pole with Peary. This inspiring work is presented with the dignity it deserves. (Unlike earlier reprints this one is complete with every word Matt put into the 1912 original.)

   The publisher went all the way with photos! This has to be the ultimate Henson photo book with restored prints from such hidden jewels as Peary's rare "Secrets of Polar Travel". Here you see the Eskimos skinning a polar bear with paws that look to be 2 feet across! The pictures comprise a significant resource allowing the reader to see every detail of the dog sledges, ice trails, and even artists illustrations from the very rare 1910 Hampton's magazine series. Bravo!

   The introduction is by Dr. Allen Counter of the Harvard Foundation. He is the world expert on Henson, a man whose deeds and accomplishment on behalf of Matt's memory have made history. He presents a perfect compliment to the original (1912) introductions by Commander Peary and Booker T. Washington. Much more than that, he gives us a cohesive narrative explaining many details about Peary and Henson that had been "murky". His scholarship (extensive research, reading Matt's diaries, etc.) lets us appreciate the historical context in which the North Pole was attained and why Henson was the key man that made it physically possible. Dr. Counter's 15-page intro will be much read in years to come. It is an outline of, hopefully, a full-length book on Matt that he should author someday to preserve his wealth of Henson knowledge. There is no one else in the world, writing about this subject, that is in Counter's league.

   At long last Matt's 1912 work has been made available to everyone who wants to experience first hand Henson's excellent (and charming) account of reaching the Pole. In this respect he wrote a better, more intriguing, narrative than Peary did. Matt is an inspirational hero for all of us; a man of courage, humility, endurance, and great skill. He is still, to this day, a legend in the Arctic where the Inuit people adore him. His grandchildren live on in Greenland and speak with heart felt pride of Mari-Pahluk, "Matthew the kind one", the first man to stand on top of the world.

No comments about Pizarro: Conqueror of the Inca.

5 comments about My Life with 3 Women.

1. Great book, couldn't put it down. Read it all in one sitting. Enjoyed the story and the discription of the places they traveled and their adventures. I felt I was right there with them. Makes me want to quit my job, get on my sailboat and take off. Found no problem with the way it was written, seemed honest and accurate. There must be a sequel or two, would love to find out what happened the next six months and what they are all doing now. Are you listening Alan??



2. Great story, hard to imagine they survived some of the things they went thru. Read it in record time. Just wished it hadn't of ended.
   I see where he settled in the Caribbean where he lives and writes.
   What is he writing now? Anyone know let me know.
   Worth the money to me



3. This former real estate broker decided to sail away after his long-term marriage ends up in divorce. He makes it to Tonga where he meets up with 3 women who join him onboard his small sailboat. They live through storms, piracy, wonderful anchorages in deserted islands and exotic towns. The reading is very entertaining, the sail advice is not the best (he had only a few months of sailing experience before writing this book), the writing is not the best, but the story of these four souls is great. This is one of those books that are hard to put down and you are sorry they do not go on for another few hundred pages. The limited English can be forgiven as is so entertaining and original. Any male (and many females) that reads Alan's story will have a huge envy attack. It would be great to have a follow up book on what happened afterwards to each character in the book. It would be interesting to read the version of these events by the other participants. It would be reassuring to get confirmation that this story is real (or maybe not, a guy should not be that lucky!) There is no mention if the picture on the cover shows the actual characters. Anyway, it is great reading.



4. If this book were a horse it wouldn't even make good glue. First, the author writes this in the third person which, after fifty or so pages, I finally over came. Then he uses italics and quotation catch phrases over and over and over and over - ad nauseum. There is a hint of the erotic, what with three women and just him. But it becomes apparent very soon that he is as bad a lover as he is a writer.

   A complete waste of money and time.




5. When reading this book, I kept thinking of this joke as a possible insight into why the author wrote his book:

   This average guy, he finds himself stranded on a desert island with none other than Cindy Crawford. After some time, with no rescue, the average guy and Cindy start an intimate relationship.

   Things are going quite well until one day, the guy asks Cindy something strage. The guy asks her if she will dress up like a man, and pretend he is the average guys best friend from back home. Cindy, a little taken back, thinks this is a little odd, but indulges him.

   So she dresses up as the guys best friend and they proceed to walk along the secluded beach, Cindy 'playing' her part.

   Suddenly, pretending that Cindy is his best friend from back home, the guy turns to her and says, 'Dude, you're never going to guess who I'm having sex with.'

   That's what I kept thinking reading this book. Here is this guy, by his own admission nothing spectacular, sailing and carrying on a relationship with three women all at the same time on the same small boat. I've sailed enough to know that relationships develop fast on small boats, and you learn more about people a lot quicker and become closer as well. But here is this gentleman, not only living the sailing dream, but living it with three beautiful women. Is it any surprise he wrote a book about it? Hell, he should write two books.

   Beyond that though, on another level, he conveyed how close they all came through their adventures. About the only thing I didn't like about the book, was it didn't tell how it ended and only covered 1/2 of their experience.

   Maybe he is writing a second book.

No comments about Bartolome de Las Casas: Great Prophet of the Americas.

2 comments about The Journey Less Traveled: Choose to Turn Your Tragedy into Triumph.

1. In "The Journey Less Traveled: Choose to Turn Your Tragedy into Triumph" by Loretta L. Harris she poignantly details tragedy and triumph after being involved in a major car accident with two of her students. An emotional rollercoaster ride, readers plunge into depression and suffering and experience the highs of recovery and triumph.
   
   "The Journey Less Traveled: Choose to Turn Your Tragedy into Triumph" is a powerful and excellent read. This book gave me a reality check. It made me look at all the things that are going on in my life and realize how grateful I should be. Had I experienced what Ms. Harris went through, I honestly don't think that I would have had the will power that she had. For those people that are not sure if there is a God or not, they need to read this book, because his power is felt in every page. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially someone going through a hard time in their life and they just don't see how they can make it.
   
   Reviewed by: Marcella



2. (Official Apex Reviews Rating: 4.5 Stars)
   
   Imagine one morning walking out of your house on your way to work, not knowing that in a matter of hours it would take you nearly a year before you could ever take another step...
   
   Such a grim prospect may be too difficult for many people to conceive, but, for Loretta Harris, it became a traumatic reality.
   
   The Journey Less Traveled chronicles the tragic events that transpired in Harris' life surrounding a near-fatal car accident that she suffered in the summer of 2006. Following a head-on collision that caught her and her passengers completely by surprise, Harris underwent numerous emergency surgical procedures over the ensuing critical hours to repair the extensive damage done to various bones, organs, and systems of her body. Her very life hanging in the delicate balance, many times during the initial stages of her recovery, doctors, other medical staff - and even associates of hers - declared that she wouldn't pull through, but her family, friends, and extended network of supporters all banded together in a united prayer chain for the preservation of her life, all bolstered by the faith that she would survive.
   
   And survive she did, but, as it would turn out, that may have actually been the easy part. What followed for Harris was a grueling stint in physical therapy, where she had to learn all over again how to function on her own, including re-learning how to walk - one agonizing step at a time. During the seemingly endless months of her journey to ultimate wellness, Harris endured the full spectrum of emotion - including everything from hopelessness to depression to all-out anger - but she persevered through it all and made an amazing full recovery, emerging stronger, healthier, and wiser than ever before.
   
   The Journey Less Traveled is not your typical survivor story. The injuries that Harris suffered from the accident - not to mention the extreme difficulty of the recovery process - would be entirely too much for most individuals to handle. Appropriately enough, though, Harris is colloquially known as "Faith" by her family and friends, and it is that very faith that brought her through the darkest time of her young life. During the entire ordeal, Harris questioned many things, but one thing she never questioned was her faith in God and His ability to have her emerge victorious over her situation. Even when she couldn't take a single step in physical therapy without yelping in enormous pain, she drew on the strength of a higher power - a strength that superseded her own - which made it possible for her to overcome the adversity of her recovery.
   
   And Harris credits that same higher power for helping her deal with the aftermath of the accident, including the death of a beloved student of hers who was a passenger in the car with her. By focusing on the beauty of the young life that he lived, as well as the considerable impression that he made on all those who knew and loved him, Harris is able to celebrate him in the wake of his death, preventing herself and others from succumbing to the throes of their grief.
   
   The Journey Less Traveled is an inspiring, uplifting account of an indomitable spirit, as well as a striking testament to the sheer power of human will. Readers will surely be enlightened by this compelling tale of someone who was thrust into the darkest recesses of earthly suffering and overcame it all with the force of a true spiritual soldier. The greatest lesson offered in the pages of this moving memoir is that no matter how difficult events in your life may seem, always know that someone else has not only suffered worse, but overcame it all - so nothing is stopping you from doing the same.

5 comments about Story: The Way of Water.

1. A very detailed look into the life of an iconoclast. This is a truly deep dive into, not only the life of Story Musgrave, but his philosophies and methodologies toward living life the way you want. It stares into hardships unflinchingly and takes the viewer into space with the proper sense of anticipation and awe.
   
   A very great read presented in an original and entertaining manner. Not your typical biography.



2. I thoroughly enjoyed "Story, the Way of Water". It is a gripping book that keeps you riveted to the development of Story's life as he overcomes the problems he encountered. The book gives a clear picture of his strong character, intelligence, and robustness. The great part of the book is that
   it conveys his feelings as he accomplished the many great tasks he set out to do. Using those that knew him to help tell his story was truly magnificent. I picked up the book and could not put it down until I finished it.



3. This is a biography with a difference about a man whose lifetime achievements are incredible; leaving school unqualified, obtaining multiple degrees, more hours on the T38 jet than any other human being, astronaut, multiple spaceflights, multiple space walks, poet etc.
   As well as the straight biography you get quotes and writings from Story himself. Somehow he seems to view the world differently from other people.
   A really good read but enough to make even the highest achiever seem like a bit of a failure!



4. This book is the first major work by a young author. It has been written with passion, based on incredible research. This book is both educational and motivational as you witness Story's persistent efforts leading to extraordinary achievements. You are encouraged to follow his example in some small way in your own environment.



5. A very thoroughly and thoughtfully researched chronicle of the life of an iconoclast. Story is a unique person even among his peers. Anne Lenehan captured far more than the typical celebrity biography!

5 comments about Dark Wind: A Survivor's Tale of Love and Loss.

1. After reading some of these reviews I wonder if the people writing them actually read the book or maybe they never experienced a lost love. It is clear the author has written a very gripping account of paradise found and lost. I give him credit for seeking it out and finding it which is something most people never do. I have just started sailing and this book has reminded me just how powerful and deadly a force nature can be, regardless of preparation and skill. It is a risk all people who venture out to sea take and it is no different than driving a car. It is a good thing if this book causes people to err on the side of caution.



2. I've read this book twice in the last two weeks, A very moving story of two people looking for adventure. After both previous marriges fall apart they set upon a journy that ultimately takes the life of one and leaves the other searching his soul for forgiveness. Some how it has left me feeling evey emotion that I think Mr Chaplin had wanted to achieve with the writing of this book. A great book! A real joy reading. I just wish it were possible to tell Mr. Chaplin himself.



3. I am the author of Dark Wind, Gordon Chaplin, and this is not a review. I'd like to correct your listing of my books, which begins with the out of print audiobook version of Dark Wind, instead of the in-print paperback edition. Would it be possible to list the paperback first? Thank you for your attention.
   Gordon Chaplin



4. If you want modern sailing, adventures, dilemmas, botched revenges, lies, exotic settings, anxious families back home and eventual disaster in one of the most beautiful and unspoiled places in the world, this is your book. Dark wind tells an average tale about contemporary sailors: middle-aged couple, bouncing out of failed marriages, decides to have the big trip before it's too late: Belize, Panama, back to the US by plane, when the family needs attention, and beyond. Twilights, sunsets, the weird floating society of a port full of foreigners and their boats. Lonesome beaches, mechanical mishaps, the purchase of an EPIRB system: no classic sailing story, here, in the manner of Patrick O'Brien, but autopilots, engines and tourism. People who argue, face hard times and may look selfish. No multi-talented sailor-hero around the world on sight, either. This book is a memoir, a real story about people who suffered while chasing their dreams, and it rings true, even if it's not, which is rather out of the point as far as I'm concerned. It also provides a charming route to follow in the future, autopilot and all. And it taught me something else: if the hurricane comes close, don't ever do what they did.



5. Some reviewers may not have liked Gordon personally (a bit self-absorbed, seems to bail on his daughters, runs off with his friend's wife...), but they shouldn't hold that against his tale. The story of his ill-fated trip is more of a memoir than an adventure. I'm not sure how a critic could say the story was not convincing -- it's real and very affecting. I don't want to give away the plot, but this is a wrenching tale. How many times have we thought, "If I'd only done x, y or z..." Gordon rakes himself over the coals over and over again, but nothing can bring back the past. I thought he was brave to write of his own personal suffering, even if you don't happen to side with him. I agree that the writing wasn't as good as the very best, but it was exciting and detailed and very solid. Okay, not literary, but respectable enough for its genre. Overall, if you like a bit of the personal mixed in with adventure, you will appreciate this book although remember it is difficult in parts because of the tragedy. Overall, it was an absorbing read.

No comments about Radio Daze.

No comments about Cape Town to Zanzibar.

4 comments about Scott of the Antarctic: A Life of Courage and Tragedy.

1. David Crane shows how the death of the explorer Captain Scott galvanized the UK on the edge of World War I, but he qualifies British response to the tragedy by pointing up that, despite the weight of popular opinion, the pre-war Edwardian years were not exactly the Golden Age of empire the way they are nowadays painted. Crane's life of Scott is in every way a re-revisionist biography, kicking against what he feels has been the unfair denigration of Scott's life and deeds over the past thirty years.
   
   Sometimes this approach works, sometimes it doesn't. Through meticulous handling of evidence, he tells the story without a hint of strain, and yet sometimes whole paragraphs stop the action to argue that history has shafted Scott once again. A prototypical Englishman in the days when "God was an Englishman," Scott has suffered from unthinking backlhas, or so says Crane, and indeed he says it about four hundred times so that, frankly, I began to sympathize with Scott's attackers a bit, for no one's that perfect.
   
   Indeed Crane admits as much, citing his rivalry with Shackleton and then finally with Amundsen as proof, but in each case, the other man is deeply at fault and Scott was just trying to muddle through on Naval smarts and years of experience leading men. It was a time for heroics, and something in the air (together with a thriving media culture) made heroes out of the most unlikely souls. England expected every man to do his duty, and alas so did Norway and Amundsen came home with the gold, so to speak, whereas the Englishmen after the same glittering prize were all dead by the time Amundsen returned home. "The Englishmen, the goal accompished," bleated the press, "lay quiet in the snows. Through the months since . . . while wives and friends set forth for meetings and counted time, they lay oblivious. All was over for them long ago."
   
   Beyond the heroics of the era, Crane attributes the legend of Captain Scott to his indispitable skill as a prose writer. There is something macabre about the veneration given to his last journal, found by the relief party, but it's a bizarre twist totally understandable in the context, the words that live on after the hand that wrote them has grown cold and still. Without that last journal, its reinscription of subaltern heroics, its narrative of deprivation and memory and love, how else would Scott be remembered? In this regard Crane has an interesting passage about the way in which Westminster Abbey had its own little competition going on with St. Paul's Cathedral about which site had the most pomp and had the most heroes of empire commemmorated there.



2. The book is dreadful. It continually refers to other expeditions that the average reader will not know about. The writing is random and its impossible to follow the thread. There are also many deliberate and irrelevant literary references just inserted to be clever. A great subject that I w\as looking forward to, treated very badly by a pseudo intellectual. Try as I might I could not finish it.



3. I particularily like the subtitle to this book, 'a life of courage and tragedy.'
   
   Scott was undoubtedly courageous. He could not have been otherwise. On the other hand, his courage and drive to get to the South Pole was not exactly balanced by experience or perhaps by common sense. There's an old saying that if you wanted to get somewhere like the South Pole, Scott would have been a good leader to follow, but if you wanted to get back, then other expedition leaders like Shackleton would be your first choice. Shackleton's quotation: 'Better a live donkey than a dead lion.' Consistent with this, Scott got to the South Pole, Shackleton didn't. Scott didn't get back.
   
   In this book, the author is clearly a deep admirer of Scott. And indeed he did great things. Coming from a humble beginning he appeared driven to accomplish things, and he did. He was a complicated man, and Mr. Crane's access to the family papers and Scott's letters give a view that is perhaps more balanced than what we have seen before.
   
   If nothing else, Mr. Crane is an excellent writer and the story becomes one of those can't put down books.



4. The history of Arctic exploration is not a subject I've ever had a particular interest in. I picked this book up more or less by chance, was intrigued enough to buy it ... and haven't been able to put it down. The story itself is absolutely gripping from beginning to end, but it's the intelligence and skill of the writing that makes this such a memorable and remarkable book. Wonderful. Six stars.