The Swedish Antarctic Expedition (1901–1903) made the first consistent study of the opposite-ish side of the Antarctic continent, breaking new ground;The Swedish Antarctic Expedition (1901–1903) made the first consistent study of the opposite-ish side of the Antarctic continent, breaking new ground; but its real claim to fame is that the ship sank when returning for the overwinter party, resulting in three (!) groups stranded for a second Antarctic winter. No wonder that this got a contemporary English translation, and it's an admirably complete and extremely readable telling, shuffling the slower contextualizing chapter into the middle third of the text to avoid the slow start that many expedition memoirs have, including PoVs from the other overwinter parties, and willing (almost to excess) to skim and omit repetition in order to maintain flow. I want more and crunchier details re: overwintering and the single death, and multiple authors means multiple avenues towards bathos as the parties are miraculously reunited. But I can't fault this: an extremely satisfying telling of one hell of an expedition; fans of Scott's Northern Party should come read about some more men living in miserable stone huts in Antarctica....more
3.5 stars. Polar exploration narratives perforce have a slow start, and Scott is particularly boring when trying to politely thank everyone for the ex3.5 stars. Polar exploration narratives perforce have a slow start, and Scott is particularly boring when trying to politely thank everyone for the excruciating committee-based construction of the Discovery expedition. As expected, things improve once the Discovery reaches Antarctica; the more Scott quotes from his diary, the better the text, as Scott is less self-aware and over-explanatory in his direct account; that said, there's remarkable retrospective sections about the experience of (springtime) sledging in particular.
I'm struck by the fact that both of Scott's major sledging trips on this expedition were haunted by the same issues that would eventually kill him, re: fuel and food shortages, vitamin deficiencies, overwork, and weather. Not because they're surprising--they're endemic to the work. Rather, because he did learn and did improve and it was still, memorably!, unprepared: the risk I took was calculated.jpg. Scott also gives insight into his disinclination to use dogs in his subsequent attempt at the Pole; it's sympathetic without remotely vindicating the Terra Nova's use of either ponies or dogs: further inadequate improvement. While doomed to pale in comparison to Scott's final journals, I'm glad I plowed through this hefty memoir. Scott gets in his own way, and the Discovery is interesting largely in context rather than its own right, but it is interesting in that context, and Scott, at his best, is evocative, honest, and revealing....more
4.5 stars. My first delve into the Franklin expedition, so maybe my opinion will alter as I learn more, but this was a fantastic introduction. As much4.5 stars. My first delve into the Franklin expedition, so maybe my opinion will alter as I learn more, but this was a fantastic introduction. As much about the background to the expedition (why Franklin, why these other players, why the Northwest Passage) as the expedition itself, and in fact largely unconcerned with positing clever explanations for its failure (explanations are all but implied by the catalog of near-failures on record from prior expeditions), this is fairly exhaustive without being stodgy, and its efforts to characterize both the people involved and the fatal British preoccupation with the Northwest Passage achieves a satisfying nuance, a thorough why that still allows for "but why, tho." ...more
3.5 stars. Bernacchi is one of the better writers in my travelog readings: funny, with a dark bent, managing evocative and informative depiction both 3.5 stars. Bernacchi is one of the better writers in my travelog readings: funny, with a dark bent, managing evocative and informative depiction both of the sweeping grandeur of Antarctica and the gripes of close-quarters and rough living. But readers picking this up because Bernacchi "was critical of aspects of Borchgrevink's leadership" (as per Wikipedia) may be disappointed by his understated criticism. Bernacchi is subdued, bordering on passive aggressive: he's frank about the conditions at Camp Adare, but Borchgrevink is notable largely for his absence, rarely mentioned, a quiet dismissal noticeable particularly when Bernacchi contradicts Borchgrevink's version of events. The Southern Cross expedition is largely forgotten, for reasons both unfair and actually quite fair. The sequence of events is a lot of nerd talk (admirable, but not especially engaging) and frustrated, failed excursions; this is a skippable, slipshod cold mess of an expedition, not especially distinctive or memorably tragic, vaguely embarrassing, despite Bernacchi's honesty. Predictably, I still enjoyed it, especially when the accounts are contrasted....more
2.5 stars. The first "British"(-funded) Antarctic expedition, and the first to overwinter on land, among other accomplishments, as told by the command2.5 stars. The first "British"(-funded) Antarctic expedition, and the first to overwinter on land, among other accomplishments, as told by the commander. This is imminently skippable and, yet like most polar memoirs, fascinating, albeit rarely for intended reasons. This expedition is remarkable for being poorly planned, and the location poorly chosen, which makes other expeditions look more successful by contrast. Given the inimical setting, Borchgrevink's slipshod focus on research and slew of manufactured adventures feel almost comically blithe, although his tone isn't as insufferable as I was lead to believe; it's only in contemporary context (the Southern Cross expedition was considered a competitor to the upcoming Discovery expedition) and in the differences of opinion in Bernacchi's memoir that "insufferable" makes sense. Do skip this one unless reading also Bernacchi, mostly because Bernacchi is funnier with this as a counterpoint....more
The Belgica of the Belgian Antarctic Expedition inaugurated the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, and was the first expedition to overwinter (not oThe Belgica of the Belgian Antarctic Expedition inaugurated the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, and was the first expedition to overwinter (not on land, but locked in sea ice); it's overshadowed by the fame & tragedy of British Antarctic expeditions, and many of the primary sources have never received (good, accessible) English translations. So a book was sorely needed, and this is a great one. I liked it before reading Cook's Through the First Antarctic Night & three of Arctowski's publications & a number of academic articles; having done so I like it even more because, again, so many resources are relatively inaccessible & thus valuable collected here, and the men of the Belgica were larger than life and equally flawed, their expedition a Hot Mess™️ but a landmark within polar exploration, and Sancton ably navigates those contradictions: he builds a coherent narrative while never simplifying the complexity of the people involved, and celebrates the bravery sacrifice achievements etc. while non-exploitatively identifying the many, many, truly ridiculous ways that these men fucked it up....more
While treating a troubled child during her PhD internship, the author becomes mired in memories of her own traumatic childhood. Therapy is a chain of While treating a troubled child during her PhD internship, the author becomes mired in memories of her own traumatic childhood. Therapy is a chain of interconnections, patient to therapist to therapist's therapist, and Rogers insists that these relationships must be two-way in order to be effective and sincere, despite that they're intentionally stymied or curtailed in most therapeutic practice. But this is more experiential than didactic: it sits within events as they unfold, proactively interpreting them in a way which is intimate, evocative, and surprisingly concise. I liked this, I found it compelling and nuanced and compassionate; it also gave me uneasy, hopeless feelings about why I don't do therapy--maybe that's inevitable. ...more
Unlike Scott's, this diary is edited to include relevant pre-expedition content, which means: Wilson out in the world, being racist. It's a productiveUnlike Scott's, this diary is edited to include relevant pre-expedition content, which means: Wilson out in the world, being racist. It's a productive reminder of the culture framing these particular men, especially as racism and exploration are entwined; indeed, racism (via a lack of furs and dogs) helped get Wilson dead.
Wilson wrote primarily for family, and that audience feels present and limiting: this is anecdotes and birds, but the anecdotes are active and chock full of social dynamics from Wilson's frustrated and bemused position as science team lead. Insofar as a certain kind of restrained suffering was both holy and masculine, Wilson got top marks; both understated and honest, profoundly self-abnegating, and unexpectedly funny, this more than anything that I've read about the Terra Nova expedition thus far makes me want to reach for a biography, because the man is almost absent his own narrative, which is fascinating and frustrating and insightful....more
4.5 stars. Scott's diary as a follow-up to Cherry-Garrard's Worst Journey in the World (which is how I read it) is damned to be unsatisfying, because 4.5 stars. Scott's diary as a follow-up to Cherry-Garrard's Worst Journey in the World (which is how I read it) is damned to be unsatisfying, because there are no answers here to lingering questions: Scott does not write of his position, particularly excluding the specificities of (and the crucial logic behind) the orders he gave. (Why five men, Scott. Why??) But what remains is not entirely private: the diary is a potential public document, either directly or in adaptation to travelogue, and as such this is both personal and edited: evocative impressions of daily life and the landscape, a sincere investment in the scientific aims of the expedition, and a fine tension between anxiety, determination, and hope that gives each setback a tragic cast. The polar run and particularly the return journey feel markedly different, aware and despairing of the potential future audience and yet painfully raw....more
A (rather complete) telling of the tragic 1910-1913 Terra Nova expedition, compiled from the author's memories and journals as well as the journals ofA (rather complete) telling of the tragic 1910-1913 Terra Nova expedition, compiled from the author's memories and journals as well as the journals of other men present. Rather complete, I say, because this begins with departure; the packing and sea voyage sections could probably be skimmed, but I've been itching to read about the close quarters & logistics of historical sailing so I appreciated them. The slow cascade from petty errors to great tragedy is more profound, more linear, in retrospect and/or knowing the hero worship/criticisms of Scott to which Cherry-Garrard is responding. But as that narrative builds:
Cherry-Garrard is unexpectedly adroit, moving through tone and time, the long slow trudge of sledging and setting up depots to living among fellow explorers to the overwinter journey to obtain emperor penguin eggs which, frankly, is the titular worst. He's funny, morbidly so, both intentionally and in the horror of hindsight; I took multiple pauses to independently research topics like historical British artic exploration gear (particularly clothing and sleeping bags), and, sincerely, this expedition was a hell of their own devising. The following summer's attempt at the pole reiterates some of the slow build of pacing and is a quiet, well-considered horror, a detailed account that avoids pure hero worship but also bitterness, that becomes something like a study of the stiff upper lip: persisting through suffering is not an accomplishment but a good way to elicit more of the same.
This isn't five stars in the sense of perfect; Cherry-Garrard, for all his care, still gives Scott too much credit and is absolutely a product of the echo chamber of his time; and, yes, the text occasionally drags. But in the sense of laughed, cried, would not stop talking about this with anybody in hearing range for a month--I'm obsessed. Exceeds expectation, surprisingly quotable, full of crunchy details but also honest in its character sketches and psychological focus, and, I agree: the worst journey in the world, remarkably evoked.
CW for animal abuse because, while the humans could by and large consent to suffer, the same was not true of the ill-husbanded dogs and horses of the expedition. Absolutely bonkers decision-making and self-justifications where the animals were concerned....more
3.5 stars. On one hand, I appreciate how direct and uncompromising this is; it's common sense that feels less common, more challenging, when confronta3.5 stars. On one hand, I appreciate how direct and uncompromising this is; it's common sense that feels less common, more challenging, when confrontational and supported by challenging antecedents. On the other hand, it saddens me that these bootlicking, moderate tendencies are relatively revolutionary. This is just a starting place, remarkable mostly for its brevity and accessibility....more
A cold-case investigation into the disappearance of two teen girls after the murder and arson that killed one girl's parents. This ticks two distinctiA cold-case investigation into the disappearance of two teen girls after the murder and arson that killed one girl's parents. This ticks two distinctive true crime boxes: extremely overwritten, largely to build a sense of place and to center the victims; author inserted into the text, exploring the personal cost of the investigation. Neither of these are objective flaws, but they also demand a strong voice and a certain restraint, and Miller manages that ... okay-ish. It's a thorough, compassionate approach to the many complications (police incompetence and corruption; drug use and cultural values in rural Oklahoma) of the case; it also runs overlong and turns purple. Not my favorite example of the style, but I appreciate true crime that places a case within its cultural context, and this does a lot in that effort....more
I'm of two minds on this one. I read a lot about death work, as one does. Campbell's pool of subjects is broad, but the category is broader; some of hI'm of two minds on this one. I read a lot about death work, as one does. Campbell's pool of subjects is broad, but the category is broader; some of her picks feel chosen for novelty more than representation, but some (specifically bereavement midwives) were genuinely new to me and captivating. Campbell structures the book chronologically in order to explore her own changing relationship with death through the course of her research; and she turns an open mind to a diversity of experiences and, fundamentally, coping mechanisms. All good. And all flawed, as the personal anecdotes are overbearing but sympathetic, and the human interest focus is unreliably applied, hypercritical one moment, complacent the next (the section on the Mayo Clinic filled me with concern and then rage, as Campbell blithely agrees, yes, fatphobia is probably a good and necessary training tool for medical professionals!). I read about death work for much the same reason Campbell was compelled to write about it, so of course I enjoyed this: many morbid curiosities answered, complicated relationships with death given compassionate room, good stuff, my jam; but, occasionally, frustrating. ...more
This is one of the most difficult books I've read, emotionally; and I've read a fair bit of true crime which intentionally places specific cases withiThis is one of the most difficult books I've read, emotionally; and I've read a fair bit of true crime which intentionally places specific cases within the cultural context that birthed them; but this is many cases, spanning decades, and it's a brutal read. Like much academic writing, there's an excess of signposting and repetition; and, because the message is so emphatic, the repetition can make it feel preachy. But who cares. This is a crucial reframing of the historical narrative, centering the ubiquity of black women's experiences with sexual violence, using it to chart the changing tides of the civil rights movement and to uncover the formative role women played in building it--a necessary reclamation. ...more
The extensive character assassination based on what feels like embarrassing but petty flaws like self-aggrandizement becomes increasingly justified asThe extensive character assassination based on what feels like embarrassing but petty flaws like self-aggrandizement becomes increasingly justified as those flaws are revealed to be the definitive elements of some infamously falsified, culturally significant books. This is thorough, which sometimes means belabored, and Emerson's approach to citing sources sucks; the historical context and room for the redeeming qualities is thoughtful; Emerson's voice is conversational to the point of obnoxious and muckrakey. Fascinating but infuriating, and not always on account of the offenses of Beatrice Sparks. ...more
Per the title, this is constrained to Priscilla Presley in the context of Elvis. There's one pre-Elvis anecdote, and the post-Elvis content is almost Per the title, this is constrained to Priscilla Presley in the context of Elvis. There's one pre-Elvis anecdote, and the post-Elvis content is almost entirely in relation to Elvis. The level of detail varies wildly: early stages of the relationship are presented in minute detail; later years are more amalgamated, an impressionist overview; Elvis's death and beyond are lightly sketched, and entirely omit her stewardship of the estate after Elvis's death.
And that's ... fine. The lens through which Priscilla Presley interprets her relationship - the age gap, the grooming, the fame and drug use and infidelity and drama and decline, the love - is her own lens, somehow both open-eyed and idealizing, sorrowful and forgiving, and the efforts to remediate a salacious public record make for an innate, obvious bias. It's simultaneously manicured and authentic. I respect that choice, as it goes; it also feels like only one fraction of the story, and if I cared more I'd seek out other biographies for more complete portrait.
The audiobook is read by an author, and her giggles sprinkled throughout are as campy as Graceland and Elvis's public image, so ill-timed when paired against clear evidence of bad behavior that it's almost commentary, highlighting the incredibly intentional lens the author is turning on her subject....more
Herman takes a novel approach: to ask survivors directly how they envision justice and community response in the wake of abuse. This made me realize hHerman takes a novel approach: to ask survivors directly how they envision justice and community response in the wake of abuse. This made me realize how large the specter of a vengeful victim looms in my mind and the harm that that stereotype perpetuates. Herman finds consistent threads throughout her interviews, pointing more towards admissions of culpability and social change than retribution. Thoughtful; perforce difficult to enact, because alternative models to the current legal system are still in development.
And not taken far enough. Herman's treatment of sex work and pornography doesn't extend the same grace; here, she categorically refuses to listen to the people who actually experience the damn thing. Radical feminist fingerprints are all over this, and makes me more aware of other limitations that Herman wants to deny, particularly the focus on a specific model of sexual abuse of female victim by male perpetrator that she wants treat as universalizable across other axes of power while rarely making the effort to account for them....more
Part memoir, part academic theory, this is the story of coming through academia to also become a podcaster, and about podcasts as a tool for feminist Part memoir, part academic theory, this is the story of coming through academia to also become a podcaster, and about podcasts as a tool for feminist scholarship as praxis. Ish. The fluid, shifting nature of these essays means it's a little of all of the above, none in exhaustive detail, but still building engaging arguments about both the limitations and strengths of podcasts and other forms of media that hinge on storymaking and sentimentality. The decision to put footnotes at the end of the text in an audiobook was a poor one, but McGregor's reading is otherwise, unsurprisingly, fantastic. I wish this were ... more; I have an impulse to call it slight, which isn't quite right; more like: there's a lot of threads at play here, but the focus on memoir makes for limited "solutions" (if that's the goal) to the issues it raises, a light touch that leaves many of its subjects in airy limbo and returns the focus back to McGregor's own attempts at radial self-care and feminist work, which makes the ending sudden and a little, well, sentimental, and perforce unsatisfying.
But the actual reading experience is thoughtful, intentional, stimulating, and (although I've only listened to Witch, Please) I would be hard-pressed to not enjoy McGregor having thoughts about the world and her place in it....more
4.5 stars. Nonfiction, a history of the witchcraft trials of Hugh and Mary Parsons in Springfield, 1651, forty years before the Salem Witch Trials. Ga4.5 stars. Nonfiction, a history of the witchcraft trials of Hugh and Mary Parsons in Springfield, 1651, forty years before the Salem Witch Trials. Gaskill does something I love, which is to report the events as the townspeople themselves experienced and reported on them, ex. when someone says they saw/experienced an uncanny event, Gaskill simply reports it from their PoV, not interpreting or doubting the account. Simultaneously, Gaskill provides the historical context of social tensions and contemporary religious conflicts, and the broader context of witch trials across Europe and America, although a date-blind reader like me could have benefited from an explicit timeline. Nonetheless, the commentary writes itself: these events were real to those who experienced them; they were, also, the product of their social and cultural milieu. It's a demystifying and compassionate approach that digs deep into one local case, offering takeaways that can be applied to the history of witch trials in the United States, particularly the events in Salem. Very solid!...more
3.5 stars. A bloated but promising text, weighed down by an excess of signposting, a chatty style, and repetitive restatements of the thesis which all3.5 stars. A bloated but promising text, weighed down by an excess of signposting, a chatty style, and repetitive restatements of the thesis which all amount of "so, the unifying feature is language, thus the title and subject of this book"; a thesis frequently undermined by recurring non-linguistic social elements. Still, Montell looks at a diversity of cults and cult-like spaces, not quite satisfying in breadth or depth but still productive when compared, and the thesis holds water. The more technical discussions of concepts like thought-terminating clichés, gaslighting, and lovebombing are what stick with me. As pop-sci cult studies/linguistics go, this is definitely that: approachable to its own detriment, but I buy it....more