This hardcover was a birthday gift from my sister, who knows my interests! This one is a bit unusual, though; instead of dealing with the "heroic age" of Antarctic exploration, this focuses on the late-1920's Byrd expedition, which hoped to use airplanes and other technology to do more exploration at less risk. But the story of a spunky 17-year-old New York boy who keeps trying to stow away so he can get to the Antarctic is vastly entertaining, and combines young Billy's adventures - and persistence - with the publicity-conscious Byrd's attitude, and the considerable public interest in the whole affair.

There are sadder aspects: it seems Billy wasn't the only hopeful stowaway - indeed, he was one of *three* to stow away on the first attempt - but one of them, Bob, a young black man, received some pretty awful press, especially as contrasted with that given to Billy and to Jack, the 15-year-old Jewish kid who had also hidden on the ship. Even the kindest news items came across as patronizing, and this example of casual and institutionalized racism really grated. (I admit I was surprised to learn that Billy, of Polish Catholic background, had encountered a more liberal part of New York society than I'd expected in that day and time...) Bob's public image took more hits later on, but - to his vast surprise - he was rather taken to heart by the New Zealanders...

But back to Billy. From the context-setting opening to Billy's repeated and increasingly-risky attempts to stow away - the last of which involved hitching rides to catch the ship at its last US port - to the details of his time aboard ship, he's always contrasted with another youth, a 19-year-old Eagle Scout who'd been chosen by Byrd as an official member of the Antarctic team. (In a film version of the story, the two would have wound up as rivals turned best friends; in real life they seldom crossed paths, and thus was a great dramatic opportunity lost {wry grin}.)

The story includes the down-to-earth details of actual life as a lowly crew member on an Antarctic-bound ship; Billy's dreams of iceberg-related glory tended to pale when he found himself doing heavy manual labor stoking the engines or cleaning the deck. But he applied himself to any task he was given, and became quite a respectable hand - but as to whether he'd be accepted on the team that would stay on Antarctica with Byrd, that's another matter...

One factor that rather impressed me: we tend to think of pre-internet days as having painfully-slow communication, and in many cases that's true, but the combination of telegraph and radio meant that some news stories got from Antarctica to the US public with surprising speed, with many people riveted to the newspapers for the latest updates. On the other hand, hand-written letters could take weeks or months to reach their destinations, so at times Billy's folks had to learn of him through the news, long before his personal mail arrived.

The book does touch on Byrd's expedition, including the silent film made about it - With Byrd at the South Pole - which, alas, didn't do quite as well in theaters as had been hoped. (For one thing, it was released at the same time that a Clara Bow romantic comedy was in theaters. Penguins vs. the "It" girl!) The book notes that while Billy isn't credited in the film, he does appear in a few frames.

While Billy's attempts to join the expedition didn't *quite* turn out the way he'd hoped, it did put him on the path that would lead to a long and successful career in the Merchant Marine. But to get there he went through some years of difficulty; we get a good glimpse of life in the midst of the US Depression.

Very unusual and unexpected story; I enjoyed it!

I'm adding this to the Travel Narrative bookbox, which will be on its way to its next stop soon. Enjoy!

Stock piling this in case I want to do the 666 challenge next year.

I did indeed read this for my 666 challenge. This is the last book for the Oceana region. Now all I have left is one book from Africa and another from S America! Also using it for the Magical readathon (for the prompt: a book recommended by a friend. https://www.magicalreadathon.com/saving-ginny)

I don't always enjoy the books I read for the challenge, sometimes reading (and persevering in) one just for its geographic affiliation. However, this is one title I find thoroughly interesting, well researched and well written. It manages to capture the indomitable spirit of the youngster, and the romantic explorer heroism of the era. I wonder if the people find it disheartening that there's no life, no unknown tribe or species, hiding in the last continent?

Thanks for sending this my way. In my head, I think I'd love to sail to Antarctica (though probably not as a stowaway). But we shall see if I feel that way after I read it.

Interesting read about the notoriety Billy/William got for simply being a novel point-of-view for reporters. The author did a great job of going beyond just the sensationalism of this boy being a plucky stowaway on Byrd's ships, not one time, but three! And then taking us past that to him actually becoming a real shipmate and traveling on many expeditions after the journey to the South Pole. I loved the way the author set the stage for the 1920's, the buzz and excitement surrounding Byrd's adventure, and how incongruous that seemed to be with the Depression looming on the horizon like a dust storm. The writing really brought it to life. In the end, Stowaway Billy was only part of a much larger story, and I enjoyed watching that unfold throughout the book.

This book stowed away on the L.A. Dunton.
Enjoy!