The Impossible First

January 15, 2020
The tale of a solo trip across Antarctica, on skis and pulling a sled of supplies. It had never been done before: to make a crossing of Antarctica alone, unsupported and unassisted, via the South Pole, a 930-mile trek in temperatures substantially below zero and wind chills doubling the cold. Undaunted, O'Brady, who experiences a "ferocious, uncontainable optimism that boils over inside me at the beginning of almost any new challenge or adventure," has set a number of speed records in such events as climbing the tallest peaks on all seven of the continents and climbing to the highest ground in each of the 50 states. He is also a triathlete of note, so there was little doubt about his physical preparedness to take on the Antarctic adventure. When he writes about the "inspirational path of the polar pioneers before me, and what they'd taught the world about endurance, strength, and perseverance," you know he is on solid ground. However, this adventure would take more than two months in a formidable, monotonous landscape. As we see, the mental challenges in dealing with such an environment occupied much of his time. O'Brady is a confident, crafty storyteller, and he has plenty of captivating stories to tell about his exploits and his family life, which he intertwines with his voyage. Many of his tales have an underlying theme of audacity accomplished through "grit, purpose, and a growth mindset." He also has a charming partner in his wife, Jenna, and it is a pleasure to see them working together to get through the rough spots, whether winning over a new sponsor or talking the author through especially difficult moments. She helps to humanize O'Brady, so he is not simply a robotic master of control and discipline. This inner saga works hand in hand with the physical challenges to make for a full tapestry of remarkable experience. A brutally sublime tale of derring-do that transports as well as teaches.

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Starred review from January 1, 2020
In 2018, O'Brady, an adventurer and endurance athlete from Portland, Oregon, became the first person to cross Antarctica alone, unassisted (no outside help), and unsupported (no resupplies). Pulling a sled brimming with supplies and gear, O'Brady took 54 days to achieve this epic accomplishment, covering 932 miles. Adding to the drama was the unexpected presence of another adventurer racing to achieve the same goal, British Army Captain Louis Rudd. In the course of recounting his harrowing trek, O'Brady also reflects on his life, first as the child of amicably divorced parents, then as a collegiate swimmer at Yale, and to his recovery from a freak accident in Thailand that severely burned his legs (a Thai doctor made the blunt assessment that he would not walk again). Defying odds, O'Brady surpassed expectations to become a professional triathlete and then to embark on various mountaineering challenges, including the Explorers Grand Slam (climbing the "seven summits" and reaching both North and South Poles). And there's romance, too, as he details the relationship with the love of his life, Jenna. An unforgettable memoir of perseverance, survival, daring to dream big, and showing the world how to make the impossible possible.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2020

Adventure seeker and triathlete O'Brady is drawn to testing human endurance and breaking records. After setting the speed record for climbing the tallest mountain on each continent, he chose a new goal: to be the first person to complete the 932-mile solo expedition across Antarctica while pulling a 375-pound sled with the supplies necessary to survive. Because there have been recent tragedies related to this same feat, Antarctica's rescue team oversees where and when these expeditions can be attempted, putting O'Brady, as well as a fearless British explorer with more experience, in a literal race against each other. With the glory of being the first to complete this impossible task on the line, they battle through blizzard and whiteout conditions, they face a 100-mile stretch of notoriously treacherous ice ridges known as "Sastrugi National Park," and they suffer life-threatening misfortunes due to human error and nature's fury. They experience firsthand how Antarctica's wrath can erode one's sanity while offering clarity as well. For fans of David Grann's The White Darkness and David Roberts's Limits of the Known. VERDICT O'Brady's gripping storytelling will have readers feeling they are right there with him, experiencing the subzero temperatures and blizzards. A feel-good, must-read for fans of adventure stories.--David Miller, Farmville P.L., NC

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2019

A multiple-record-holding endurance athlete, O'Brady recently became the first person to cross the 932-mile landmass of Antarctica solo, unsupported, and under strictly human power. That he was competing against British polar adventurer Capt. Louis Rudd to achieve this goal is one thing; that he was doing so after being told that he might not walk again following a terrible accident in his early 20s is quite another. With a 250,000-copy first printing and seven-city tour.

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.