The Impossible Rescue
Written by Martin W. Sandler
Narrated by Malcolm Hillgartner
4/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
Whaling in the Arctic waters off Alaska's coast was as dangerous as it was lucrative in 1897. In that particular year, winter came early, bringing with it storms and ice packs that caught eight American whale ships and about three hundred sailors off guard. The ships were imprisoned in ice with no hope of escape. With limited provisions on board the ships that hadn't been crushed by the ice, there was little hope that these men could survive until warmer temperatures arrived at least ten months later.
Martin Sandler tells the incredible true adventure story of three men who were ordered by President McKinley to carry out an overland rescue that covered 1,500 miles of treacherous Alaskan terrain in the dead of winter. Their mission was to drive two herds of reindeer the distance to feed the starving men. With their own survival in the balance, these men battled raging storms, killing cold, injured sled dogs, and their own will to continue to bring relief to the stranded whale men. Entries from the journals of two of the rescuers and photographs taken by the third key member of the unlikely expedition dramatically document every mile of their heroic, unprecedented journey.
Martin W. Sandler
Martin W. Sandler is the author of Imprisoned, Lincoln Through the Lens, The Dust Bowl Through the Lens, and Kennedy Through the Lens. He has won five Emmy Awards for his writing for television and is the author of more than sixty books, two of which have been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Among Sandler's other books are the six volumes in his award-winning Library of Congress American History Series for Young People, a series which has sold more than 500,000 copies. Other books by Mr. Sandler include: Island of Hope: The Story of Ellis Island, Trapped in Ice, The Story of American Photography, The Vaqueros, America: A Celebration, and This Was America. Mr. Sandler has taught American history and American studies at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and at Smith College, and lives in Massachusetts.
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Reviews for The Impossible Rescue
34 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I enjoyed this true rescue story, but I wonder if audiobook was really the way to go. The narration was fine and the story compelling enough that I stuck with it, but it's my understanding that there are many photographs in the book, so I will have to check it out and take a look at them.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A harrowing, true story of shipwrecks, survival, and daring rescue. Great use of period photographs.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5273. The Impossible Rescue: The True Story of an Amazing Arctic AdventureThe Impossible Rescue: The True Story of an Amazing Arctic Adventure by Martin W. Sandler - (US) - (Canada) - (Kindle)Pages: 143 + Notes, Index, Bibliography, etc.Ages: 12+Finished: Oct. 14, 2012First Published: Sept. 11, 2012Publisher: Candlewick PressGenre: non-fiction, history, survival, rescueRating: 4/5First sentence: "The book you are about to read tells the story of one of the world's most amazing adventures, a saga based on arguably the most daring rescue plan ever devised."Publisher's Summary: "In 1897, whaling in the Arctic waters off Alaska’s coast was as dangerous as it was lucrative. And in that particular year, winter blasted early, bringing storms and ice packs that caught eight American whale ships and three hundred sailors off guard. Their ships locked in ice, with no means of escape, the whalers had limited provisions on board, and little hope of surviving until warmer temperatures arrived many months later. Here is the incredible story of three men sent by President McKinley to rescue them. The mission? A perilous trek over 1,500 miles of nearly impassable Alaskan terrain, in the bone-chilling months of winter, to secure two herds of reindeer (for food) and find a way to guide them to the whalers before they starve. With the help of photographs and journal entries by one of the rescuers, Martin W. Sandler takes us on every step of their riveting journey, facing raging blizzards, killing cold, injured sled dogs, and setbacks to test the strongest of wills.The dead of Arctic winter. Whaling ships full of men, stranded in ice. Follow three rescuers in a race against time -- and all odds -- in this heart-pounding true adventure."Acquired: Received a review copy from the publisher.Reason for Reading: This book covers many of my interests; the time period, true tales of survival and life in the Arctic. I had not hear of this true story and it appealed to me.When first setting eyes upon this book, the thing that strikes one is the coffee-table book appeal. The book is an over-sized square and illustrated on almost every page with contemporary photographs taken by one of the rescue members, Dr. Call, from start to finish. This is an amazing photographic memorial to this amazing rescue attempt. Nothing like it had ever been attempted before but public outcry at the dire strands these hundreds of whalers were caught up in prompted then President McKinley to form a rescue mission with objectives but no true sense of how these objectives were to be met. That was left up to the handful of men eventually left in charge of the overland rescue mission.An enthralling story to read about, the whalers were often there own worst problem as the cold, hunger and lethargy left them with low morale and little sense of self-preservation. Sandler has presented the tale by using the rescuers' own words as much as possible. Culled from their own journals which they kept upon this journey. Sandler himself does not have exactly the most favourable voice for telling a story and the segues he's written connecting the contemporary voices can be a bit dry; but fortunately the rescuers do most of the story telling. An extremely harrowing journey and rescue which, in reality, had very little chance at success, yet due to the character and determination of those involved succeeded despite the odds. The publisher recommends for Gr. 5+, personally due to the writing style I would recommend most for Gr. 7+. However, it makes a fine read for history or adventure buffs of all ages interested in the topic.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Decent book about a fascinating arctic rescue in the 1800s. Good photos -- the writing is okay -- might be a bit long -- but fine for middle school students.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is the true story of the 1,500 mile overland journey through Alaska in the winter 1897 of the men driving two herds of reindeer to the relief of 300 starving whalers whose ships are trapped in ice above the Arctic Circle at Point Barrow. The Impossible Recue could be used with The Cruelest Miles (the story of the Nome diphtheria run) or Shipwrecked at the Bottom of the World. Sandler’s account is well documented he prefers to use quotes whenever images of actual documents and includes taken by As a Louisianan, I read with interest that the Ned McIlhenny a naturalist in Point Barrow, is also responsible for the wonderful bird sanctuary at Avery Island home of Tabasco. This book includes information about fates of the main characters, a timeline, source notes and a bibliography. It does not include an index. This review is based on an advanced reading copy from BEA 2012.