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[Robert Swan], the first person to walk to both the North and South Poles, combines adventure and environmentalism in this thoughtful consideration of Antarctica. His lifelong admiration for Robert Scott inspired him to follow in the explorer's footsteps, a journey he has written about before and now reconsiders from a fresh perspective.
Science Antarctica 2041: My Quest to Save the Earth's Last Wilderness. By Robert Swan and Gil Reavill. Oct. 2009. 304p. Broadway, $24.99 (978076793 1 755). 577.5.
Swan, the first person to walk to both the North and South Poles, combines adventure and environmentalism in this thoughtful consideration of Antarctica. His lifelong admiration for Robert Scott inspired him to follow in the explorer's footsteps, a journey he has written about before and now reconsiders from a fresh perspective. Discussions of Scott, Shackleton, and Amundsen are particularly affecting; but beyond a traditional exploration tale, Swan explains how he was compelled to seek ways to protect and preserve Antarctica. He is at his most graphically detailed when he writes of organizing and physically assisting in the removal of 15,000 tons of abandoned scrap from the Russian station of Bellingshausen. Antarctica's "garbage problem" is just the beginning, though, and continued efforts to raise money and spread awareness of the fragile environment on the southern continent have occupied Swan's life ever since the first walk. This is a man with a mission, and his story is the sort to make you get up and do something - maybe even try to save the world. - Colleen Mondor
YA/S: Perfect for teen eco-warriorsl adventurers - Swan is no armchair traveler and will engage from the very beginning, CM.
Copyright Booklist Publications Sep 15, 2009