A Negro Explorer at the North Pole By Matthew A Henson About his quest for the North with Admiral Peary. Receiving many honors posthumously, Matthew Henson was much overlooked throughout his entire career as an explorer. Though he traveled throughout the northern hemisphere and is acknowledged the first man to reach the North Pole, his accomplishments were overshadowed by his colleague, Commander Robert Perry. Henson faced and overcame many of the limitations and struggles inherent for African Americans at the time. ...
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A Negro Explorer at the North Pole By Matthew A Henson About his quest for the North with Admiral Peary. Receiving many honors posthumously, Matthew Henson was much overlooked throughout his entire career as an explorer. Though he traveled throughout the northern hemisphere and is acknowledged the first man to reach the North Pole, his accomplishments were overshadowed by his colleague, Commander Robert Perry. Henson faced and overcame many of the limitations and struggles inherent for African Americans at the time. Orphaned at a young age, Henson worked hard to earn his way from being employed as a dishwasher, to a position as a Cabin boy, and eventually, he became a skilled navigator, and explorer. Reflecting back he wrote two books about his experiences, "A Negro Explorer at the North Pole" and "Dark Companion". The story of Matthew Henson's fascinating life encourages one to believe in oneself despite the odds, and to rise above the limited expectations of others to reach any goal.
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I loved this book; Henson has a wonderful, gentlemanly style with flashes of understated wit-- some of this humorous passages remind me of Mark Twain. From what I've gathered reading numerous other works on polar exploration, Henson also understates the incredible difficulties & challenges of life in Arctic climates. I really enjoyed his recounting of the efforts involved, and really did wish the book were longer or that I could read more by Matthew Henson (I've since seen references that he wrote an article a few years after this book, but haven't gotten it yet). His interactions with & attitudes toward the Eskimos are fascinating to read.
From an historical perspective, it's illuminating to realize just how invisible this man has been. I have read dozens of polar exploration books, seeing references to the 'big' names-- Peary, Greely, Brainard, Franklin, etc, along with their many, many assistants. But I never heard of Matthew Henson until I stumbled across this book while wandering in the forest of Google. It is deeply sad that this intelligent, highly capable man has been largely lost to history because of his race... as have thousands of others.
We have come a ways from then, thankfully. I'm glad Matthew Henson had been able to explore all his capabilities, instead of fading into clerking & obscurity after reaching the Arctic.
stuckey
Aug 2, 2007
Henson Book is Wonderful
The book was great. It was a wonderful first hand account of an important time in American history. His descriptions of the arctic conditions and its hardships, gave me a much greater appreciation for his courage and intellect. Henson was a first class explorer and a first class man that has only recently received his due.
