Nancy F. Koehn

Worth reading to learn the struggles before the glory

This book is about important people doing important work, so it is worth persevering through. The author repeats herself a lot - she is at her best telling the stories and struggles, and I focused on that ignoring her commentary. But the angles she chooses are unusual and new to me, I enjoyed the book.

From the conclusion chapter, this quote summarises the book well - it is about:

“messy, grueling, exhausting work. And like everyone in the midst of a personal crisis, these five people were at their most vulnerable. Because they were so vulnerable—hemmed in by doubt, fear, and, at times, hopelessness—they were also porous, pried open by the shock and awe of their respective situations. What was each to do in this perilous, fertile space? Somehow, these four men and one woman realized that the emotional penetrability they experienced and that caused them so much suffering was also a door into new insights about themselves and new ways of being in the world. Each decided to walk through this door, to use the subtle but powerful opportunity for personal growth contained in every crisis.”… (more)

This short account of Shackleton's expedition to the south pole is wonderfully told. It is truly amazing that he was able to adequately plan such a trip and bring all crew members back home when most everything went wrong.

This account stresses how valuable Shackleton's leadership skills were in the endeavor. The segments of these skills are itemized and discussed so readers can gain understanding for what made the man and the mission a success in spite of not meeting the goal.

The book is marred by having Chapter 7 appear twice. It is easy, obviously, with a kindle to move to the next chapter but it is jarring hence the loss of half a star. The photographs of the Shackleton expedition included at the end are awe inspiring. 4.5 stars… (more)