The Call of Antarctica: Exploring and Protecting Earth's Coldest Continent

by Leilani Raashida Henry

Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, highest, driest, and most remote part of the world. It’s the world’s largest polar dessert. Antarctica is a true wilderness.

Author Leilani Raashida Henry, daughter of George W. Gibbs, Jr., the first person of African descent to go to Antarctica, recounts her father’s expedition while educating readers on the incredible geography, biodiversity, and history of the continent. Using diary entries from Gibbs' expedition, The Call of Antarctica takes readers on a journey to the rugged Antarctic landscape to learn its history, its present, and the importance of protecting its future.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

128 pages, Hardcover

Published October 5, 2021

Reviews

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a short and to-the-point book on Antarctica, giving you all the beginning info you'd need if you're interested in the subject. It also included diary entries from the first Black man to set foot on the continent (the book was written by his daughter), and told of the other famous groundbreaking expeditions as well. Rather than delve too much into the research aspect that is written about when authors visit various stations, this book covered geography, the environment and environmental impact, and even some tourism. (IMO the research people tend to get a bit sanctimonious and snobbish about THE ICE, so I was happy not to be reading about them.) The book wasn't too technical and it was well-organized. A win!

[Pam Withers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The photography and layout of this book are stunning, and the broad array of facts and stories—involving everything from penguins to the Northern Lights—is enough to entertain an armchair adventurer and science lover for days.
But what makes this tome on Antarctica really special are the interspersed diary entries from the first Black Antarctica explorer, George W. Gibbs. It puts you right there, on the ships, on the ice and in the bitter cold. The wonder, the challenges, the seafaring knowledge and yes, the racism, are a door to another era in Gibbs’ own words.
It’s hard to think of anyone who wouldn’t be drawn in by the photos, maps, sidebars, history and science, especially with that personal touch of Gibbs’ first-person observations tying it all together.
It covers what the crew ate and how they lived, and it covers volcanoes, sealife, crevasses, ice organisms, mountain ranges, sub-glacial lakes (400 of them under the ice in Antarctica!), fumaroles (icy towers), a meteorite-gouged basin and so much more.
It is a touch too “factoid” at times, on the “textbook-like” dry side, and yet all the facts are packaged in age-appropriate vocabulary for young adults, and given the layout, the surrounding photos and the other elements that break it up, it’s eminently readable. Like any great nonfiction book, it also includes a glossary and further-reading section.
Kudos to the author for this labor of love and tribute to her father.
This review also appears at www.YAdudereviews.ca

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Call of Antarctica introduces younger readers to the lure of Earth’s most remote continent,  which despite its withering severity has attracted explorers for over two centuries. The title alternates between history and an introduction to Antarctica unique climate, including the threats posed to it by human behavior, and prominently features the career of George W.  Gibbs Jr, a black man who joined several Antarctica expeditions and whose journal is quoted throughout the text, offering a first-hand look into early exploration.  Gibbs’ story is unusual in that despite the era (the 1940s), he was treated as any member of the crew, and went on to serve in the US Navy during World War 2, earning a series of medals for his performance there. The photographs included in the book are well-chosen to convey the continent’s savage beauty, and though this is written for younger readers, I still found a few surprises in store – like the existence of dry valleys,  areas locked off from the ice by mountains and which see less precipitation than any place on Earth.   Although the book’s mix of biography and natural exploration is sometimes distracting, I appreciated learning Gibbs’ story, and (On an interesting note: the author is a direct descendant Gibbs, allowing for a generous amount of Gibbs' personal photos to be used.)

[Elisabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate to leave a bad review for a personal book (the author is the daughter of one of the first black men in Antarctica).
But this book didn’t have quite the depth of information I was looking for nor did it have the amount of pictures that I was expecting.

It is a good basic book - I could see a 6th grader reading this and getting some good information from it and see if this awakens his interest.

The author explains basic things like Southern lights and what species of penguins live in Antarctica.
She explains the difference between the magnetic and geographic South Pole.
She also explains that in the French research base they eat cheese and in the English base they drink tea.
That is when I just could not NOT give it one star.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8

When I started reading, I quickly realized how little I knew about Antarctica.

From the Forward on page 5:
This book is a brief introduction to the continent of Antarctica and its surrounding ocean, an overview of its history, and a sample of the science behind how the continent works.

p 11
The continent covers 5.5 million square miles. That's larger than the United States and Mexico combined.

And I read about Dry Valleys (p 66), the volcano Mount Erebus (p 67), and 16,860 ft Mt Vinson (p 68).

p 83
Scientists have identified 4,000 species of microbes in one subglacial lake.

p 102
Will humanity continue to protect the continent's flora and fauna, and to use Antarctica for only peaceful purposes? I certainly hope so.

[Jane Neumann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful introduction to this remote continent for young adult readers. The author gracefully integrates excerpts from her father's diaries of his trip there with a military research project in 1940 (as the first Black American to step foot in Antarctica). Those diary clips will help her young readers (especially youth of color) relate to an experience of a lifetime for someone not much older than themselves. Henry provides an overview of an array of topics related to the continent, from geology to climate change to governance. Generous use of photos makes the abstract real, including the one of the ice outhouse. An accessible and inspiring book.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by the daughter of the first Black man to go to Antarctica, this is a good introduction to the continent. While a little dry at times, it covers a wide array of topics and has many photographs, maps, and quotes from her father and other explorers. Learn about the ice, the flora and fauna, fumaroles, explorers, climate change, etc in this book that is just over 100 pages long. Back matter includes author's note, glossary, source notes, bibliography, resources for further reading/watching, index, and photo credits.

[Zi Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book written with passion and dedication to her dad.
I have always wanted to know more about Antarctica and this book is definitely a good introduction!

[Cameron Mcconnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting mix of history, geography and biology. Well written with good illustrations

[Susy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read while we were down in Antarctica. A good overview with interesting personal history that add interest to the read.

[Michelle Smart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blah. I flipped through, and the info looked like things I would like, but I couldn't make myself get farther than page 20. I just don't like much nonfiction. I need to stay with memoirs.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh I wanted to like this book so badly! A polar expedition book and biography of a notable local?? Yes please! It read like an elementary school textbook, which in an of itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I was hoping for more of a biography of George Gibbs, especially since the author is his daughter. Instead, it’s kind of a loosely-organized smattering of everything about Antarctica, from exploration history to geology to climate to animals to tourism, etc. The vocabulary and sentence structure read much simpler than the adult non-fiction this was shelved as. Even the pictures (of which there are many, and I do appreciate good visuals) and formatting read like an elementary textbook, including cutaways explaining things like Jim Crow laws. The writing was straightforward and factual, kind of dry in places. What I really wanted was the personal experience, which was present in short excerpts from Gibbs’ expedition journals that loosely tied in to each section, but I really was hoping for more. The book “I go to America” by Joy K Lintelman did a fabulous job presenting the diary of a Swedish immigrant in large entries, then followed that with a discussion on the history and culture to expand on and enhance the reader’s understanding of that content. A format like that, focusing mostly on the journal entires and that person’s life, would have been fabulous here. The author’s note at the end indicates that she took up writing this book after the author originally contracted to help tell George Gibbs’ story backed out after his death. She admits to having had little interest in her father’s stories about Antarctica growing up, but she at least remembered enough about his presentation to her sixth grade class to mention it in the note, but didn’t include any of it in the actual text. I would have liked more of what George Gibbs’ life was like after his service in the Navy, instead of just a listing of his accomplishments. 2024 open books challenge: book recommended by RPL staff (I specifically requested a book about George Gibbs).

[Jenelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to Antartica. The primary resources added depth and a personal side to the exploration of the continent. Highly recommend for young readers or someone looking to learn a bit about it.