Against the Odds

We are introduced to twenty extraordinary adventurers in Alastair Humphreys’ Against All Odds. We travel through centuries, around the world and then through every strand of the Earth with these inspiring figures, learning their motivations, backgrounds, setbacks and achievements.

The writer’s choices include people about whom we’ve read such as the amazing Matthew Henson and Junko Tabei. However, others are less familiar, including the first choice, Jeanne Baret. It seems this French explorer disguised the fact she was a woman to travel to Mauritius, working as a botanist. Her skills were needed by the expedition captain, who suffered from ill-health, while her botany knowledge and abilities were superior. In fact, Baret introduced the world to bougainvillea, for example. However, more importantly, she was the first woman to travel around the world!

Then again, Frank Wild, the ‘unsung hero‘ of Shackleton’s Endurance expedition? Frank Wild was tasked with leading the crew left behind on the ice, while Shackleton and five others sought help, when Endurance was iced in. How to keep morale up? Maintain provisions? Keep warm enough to survive and then entertained? What about Joe Simpson? His story, of falling through a crevasse during an Andean climbing expedition with his friend, Simon Yates, is the stuff of horror and miracles! Then again, like every other adventurer whose story is told within this wonderful book, his courage, determination and sense of purpose was exceptional!

Bookwagon recommends Against All Odds as a superb reading choice, a wonderful reference and then a really good gift too. We are delighted to welcome this title aboard!