Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Which elements of Lansing’s storytelling approach affected your engagement with this survival narrative?

2. Endurance has been described as both a survival story and a leadership case study. Which aspect resonated more with you?

3. How does Endurance compare to other historical expedition accounts such as Caroline Alexander’s The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition or David Grann’s The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Which of Shackleton’s leadership qualities do you find most applicable to challenges in your own life?

2. The crew maintained remarkable optimism despite their dire circumstances. When have you relied on positive thinking to overcome difficulty?

3. What everyday conveniences do you think you would miss most in a survival situation like the one faced by the Endurance crew?

4. The book shows how isolation affects people differently. How do you personally respond to isolation?

5. The men alternated between focusing on immediate survival tasks and allowing themselves to dream of rescue.