CYBER/ Boonk Club, Meeting #42:
“In The Kingdom of Ice:The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette”
[archive blog, september 2021]
[LI]: CYBER/ boonk club is a recurring book review meeting that takes place between physical beings, through cyber channels. This blog post contains snippets of content and conversation from meeting #42 regarding “In The Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette”. This CYBER/ Boonk Club meeting was also featured in HELLO/zine issue 2 - “Checking In”.
[AH]: This story of an expedition to the north pole is a reminder that not long ago, even the most resourced people were still arguing about questions that your average middle schooler is expected to now know. This is no knock on those resourced people. The absolute grit and capability of this crew is something worth exposing yourself to.
[AH]: Don’t be disheartened when this book makes you confront our collective loss of individual sturdiness. What appears to be unusual depth of artisan skills were, and may some day again be, necessary for sustenance.
[FC]: Good words! Here are phrases in there that I like the sound of but have never heard:
Wafted thither
Wafted: to pass easily or gently through or as if through the air
Thither: to or toward that place.
Idée fixe
an idea or desire that dominates the mind; an obsession
International cause célèbre
a controversial issue that attracts a great deal of worldwide public attention..
Éminence Grise
a person who exercises power or influence in a certain sphere without holding an official position
[LI] Author Hampton Sides is apparently “…best-known for his gripping non-fiction adventure stories set in war or depicting epic expeditions of discovery and exploration.” Read more about him and his works at - https://hamptonsides.com/bio/