An Unsung Hero: Tom Crean - Antarctic Survivor (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
Perhaps my favorite book - true story of an Irishman, Tom Crean, who is part of the British expedition to be the first to reach the South Pole. The British lost the race to the North Pole but thought they could save face by focusing on the South Pole. All three attempts fail, and each time Tom almost single-handedly saves them all from dying; often by trekking solo without food through blizzard conditions for days to get help. No one on the team can fathom how he survives (he loses many of his digits to frost bite). Each event is worse than the last. In one expedition the ship gets stuck in ice before they reach their destination and they run out of food and leave on foot. It takes about six months to finally get rescued and over half the group dies by starvation and freezing. During the third attempt (en route the Norwegians beat them but they didn't know it yet), they leave Tom out of the final leg to reach the pole because they don't want to share the success with the Irish.As the only Irish person on the teams, he changes the way the British view the Irish (not all of them obviously). He goes on to become an officer in the Royal Navy and opens a bar in the Irish town of Dingle, which is still there today; aptly named the "South Pole." What is striking about Tom is how humble and loyal he was - many of the British explorers would repeatedly visit him at his bar after he retired from the Navy. Many of the British explorers who survived the first and second attempts were so scared from the near-death experience they wouldn't go back, making Tom one of the few that went on all three expeditions.
I did enjoy this, but, as a couple of other reviewers have said, there's not really a whole lot of new information on Crean here. The vast majority of the book covers his participation in three expeditions to the Antarctic with Scott and Shackelton, which is fine, but all of that is available from a vast many other sources; I was really just hoping to learn more about his life before and after Antarctica, I guess, and this book only contains a couple of fairly skimpy chapters about those times in Crean's life. In addition, I found Smith to be pretty repetitious--it kind of got on my nerves when he said something about Amundsen being the greatest polar explorer EVER three times in about ten pages. The style definitely seemed more casual, and maybe a little too fanboyish at times, than I was comfortable with. Still, Crean certainly was an intriguing and admirable character, and I appreciate the fact that Smith singled him out for a biography. I just wish he'd been able to find a little more of interest on Crean outside of what his fellow expedition members had written about him.
What do You think about An Unsung Hero: Tom Crean - Antarctic Survivor (2010)?
I am ashamed to say that my copy of this book gathered dust on a shelf for almost a year! Once started, I found Michael Smith's book totally riveting as he tells Tom Crean's story so well. And what a story! Weaving together copious research and well-chosen extracts from letters, diaries and recounts of the Discovery and Endurance expeditions with his own compelling narrative, Crean's quiet, remarkable and stalwart character is paid a well-deserved homage. If such a thing is possible, I shall be more reflective over my next pint in the South Pole Inn at Annascaul (Crean's pub). If, like me, you occasionally feel your life dragging its heels, read this and your burdens - whatever they may be - will suddenly feel lighter! Crean's adventures alongside Scott and Shackleton are remarkable: not only was he one of the last to see Scott heading off to the Pole but Crean also survived by the narrowest margin the Southern Ocean and South Georgia crossings through which Shackleton sought rescue for his men. Crean survived. I'm glad his story has too.
—Robin
Tom Crean joined Scott's first Polar expedition almost by chance, but went on to become a stalwart of three Antarctic expiditions, two with Scott and one with Shackleton.An Able Seaman on his first expedition, Tom Crean won the admiration of his messmates, officers and scientists on all three trips. By almost super-human effort he twice rescued companions, earning the undying gratitude of Scott's second in command Teddy Evans. He went on to be a leading member of the crew of Shackleton's epic rescue mission sailing from Antarctica to South Georgia in an open boat and then crossing the interior of South Georgia, a never-before attempted feat.Tom Crean called himself "the wild man of Borneo" apparently an accurate description, however this loyal, dedicated and unflappable seaman impressed all his comrades and was acknowledged as one of the great men of Antarctic exploration.Michael Smith has written a great story about a truly great man
—Trawets
