Book 22 (Christmas draws ever closer) of my bookish Advent calendar is a memoir with a great title. To the Poles Without a Beard by Catharine Hartley is the story of how she became one of the first women to walk to each pole, unaided by dogs or machines.
I haven’t heard of this book before but I am always willing to try a memoir. The information on the back cover tells me that the author had no experience in Arctic life when she made her decision to undertake this feat and it implies that she was woefully underprepared. I hope that this isn’t the case as I don’t enjoy reading about people who risk their own lives and those of others because they want to achieve self-discovery. I am hoping that this book is about the experience of training for and being prepared for the journey, even if the trek itself presents more challenges than anticipated.
I have never wanted to go to the Poles but I do have a few books about Arctic and Antarctic exploration so I have a bit of understanding about the task ahead of the author and I shall be interested to see how she approaches the very real risks and dangers that exist in these regions. Journeys such as this allow people to discover more about themselves by challenging them both mentally and physically and I expect that the book will cover that too. I am just a bit wary that the praise for the book on both covers and the inside pre-title page call the writing “funny” and “hilarious” as we don’t all share the same sense of humour.
This is a book from 2002 and is in good condition for its age. It also has some photographs included which is always nice. I am looking forward to trying this one despite the reservations I have identified above.
Anne Is Reading 