by Nancy Loewen and Ann Bancroft

• Society of School Librarians International 2001 Honor Book

On January 14, 1993, four women made history by becoming the first women to reach the South Pole on foot. For sixty-seven days and 660 miles they skiied, dragging 200-pound sleds, across the white plains of Antarctica, challenged by its bitter temperatures and strong winds. But the biggest hardships they faced were internal, as each one struggled to keep mental focus, emotional perspective, and physical wellbeing in the face of nearly unyielding stress.

This is a true story, told in diary excerpts, dispatches, letters, and narrative. It is an intimate account of four very different people aiming for a single goal: Ann, whose job as leader ultimately came before personal ambition; Sue, whose early worries first closed her off from others; Anne, who fought the injury and mood swings grinding her down; and Sunniva, whose sprained ankle forced her to accept help as well as give it. Because of their synergy and dedication, all four reached the Pole as a team. But as important for each was the inward journey.

Strong and strongminded women, carving out their own paths in life, are still enough of a rarity in books for teenagers to make this one special. It is illustrated with photos from the expedition.

About the Authors

Nancy Loewen has written many books—including biographies of Jack London, Walt Whitman, and Edgar Allan Poe. Ann Bancroft, expedition leader, is the first known woman to cross the ice to both the North and South Poles. She and Norwegian explorer Liv Arnesen will traverse Antarctica on skis in November 2000. Their expedition may be followed on the Web at http://www.yourexpedition.com.

Interested in a video with actual footage of the traverse? See Poles Apart: A Documentary Video.

Interested in books about other remarkable women or girls? See our list of Women’s History.

“Gr. 6 up. It took five years of arduous training, fund-raising, and planning to get this competent team to Antarctica in 1992. Unable to secure the corporate sponsorship of most men’s expeditions, the American Women’s Expedition (AWE) relentlessly pursued their goal to become the first women to reach the South Pole on foot. Their 67-day journey on skis, pulling 200-pound sleds, is dramatically detailed in a well-balanced mix of personal diary entries, interviews, letters, radio dispatches, newsletter excerpts, and narrative. Loewen and Bancroft’s prose is spare and visual, a good match for the subject. They invite readers to imagine the team’s first day as the small plane flies away, leaving them alone in this brutal environment. Many of the struggles are predictably physical, such as blisters, injuries, and nearly overwhelming fatigue. However, the gravest struggles were emotional and psychological. The women’s success in the face of powerful challenges is a testament to their courage and ability. The well-designed book features varying margin widths to signal diary entries and effective use of blue dividing lines and a sastrugi (hard waves of ice and snow) pattern. More than a dozen well-captioned, full-color and black-and-white photographs provide stark images of the punishing terrain, sleds and equipment, and the determined faces of the four women. An epilogue gives information about their continued connection to Antarctica, including Bancroft’s most recent history-making endeavor—a two-woman traverse of the continent. This thrilling book should enjoy a wide audience.” -- School Library Journal* Starred Review, Fall Announcements issue (9/1/01) “Coauthor Ann Bancroft, first woman to cross the ice to the North Pole, became the first woman to cross to both poles when she headed an all-female Antarctic expedition. Diaries and viewpoints of all four participants and a few outsiders illuminate the experience of preparing for such a trip (including the crucial component of fundraising) as well as the grueling journey itself. Bancroft’s trip is particularly interesting for its aura of uncertainty: traveling in debt, she could only afford to traverse the continent, her initial goal, if travel speed was great enough; a pragmatic leader, she chose to terminate her trip at the South Pole with her original team. . . . There’s information enough in addition to the very personal reflections to make this account enlightening as well as provocative in comparison with older Antarctic narratives. . . . Entry headings make clear which woman is the source and provide temperature and map coordinates for each day, enhancing the sense of time and distance passing. The epilogue makes it clear that the tripmates have continued their involvement with the Antarctic, and the overall sense is one of a continuing story in which readers may someday take their part. A resources list of books and URLs includes Bancroft’s website documenting her own recent Antarctic crossing; an index is also provided.” -- Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books (9/01)