A Suffragists Guide to the Antarctic..., Yi Shun Lai
A Suffragists Guide to the Antarctic..., Yi Shun Lai
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A Suffragist's Guide to the Antarctic

Author: Yi Shun Lai

Narrator: Jade Wheeler

Unabridged: 8 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/13/2024


Synopsis

Two starred reviews!

A teen’s fight for suffrage turns into one of survival when her crew’s Antarctic expedition ship gets stuck in the ice in this historical “gripping—and sometimes gut-wrenching—adventure tale” (Shelf Awareness, starred review) told in journal entries perfect for fans of Gary Paulsen and The Downstairs Girl.

November 1914.

Clara Ketterling-Dunbar is one of twenty-eight crew members of The Resolute—a ship meant for an Antarctic expedition now marooned on an ice floe one hundred miles from the shore of the continent. An eighteen-year-old American, Clara has told the crew she’s twenty-one years old and Canadian. Since the war broke out, sentiment toward Americans has not been the most favorable, and Clara will be underestimated enough simply for being a woman without also giving away just how young she is. Two members of the crew know her nationality, but no one knows the truth of her activities in England before The Resolute set sail.

She and her suffragist sisters in the Women’s Social & Political Union were waging war of a different kind in London. They taught Clara to fight. And now, even marooned on the ice, she won’t stop fighting for women’s rights…or for survival. In the wilderness of Antarctica, Clara is determined to demonstrate what a woman is truly capable of—if the crew will let her.

About Yi Shun Lai

Yi Shun Lai lives in Southern California, and she can talk to you forever about plants and animals and deserts both hot and cold. She volunteers for ShelterBox, an international disaster relief organization, and was once invited to be a crew member aboard an Antarctic cruise line. She’s the author of novels Not a Self-Help Book: The Misadventures of Marty Wu and A Suffragist’s Guide to the Antarctic and memoir Pin Ups. You can read her essays in Shondaland and Brevity. Find her on the web at TheGoodDirt.org.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Emma Ann on April 19, 2024

Loosely based on the story of the Endurance and Edward Shackleton. I love survival stories, but I’m unsure of the exact audience for this one. The writing style and general simplicity of the plot feel lower YA to me, but the on-page attempted sexual assault does not. Also, I have quibbles with the e......more

Goodreads review by Shannon on February 10, 2024

3.5* Clara is a young suffragette who decides to apply to an Antarctic mission to prove herself, to prove women in general. Only, whoopsie, the expedition does not go as planned, and Clara finds herself stuck on the literal ice with a bunch of men- some of whom are none too keen to share their missio......more

Goodreads review by Noelle on February 04, 2024

Wow!! A Suffragist's Guide to the Antarctic is exactly what the title says it is. This book is about a girl, Clara Ketterling-Dunbar, and how she joined an expedition of men to cross the Antarctic on foot. When tragedy strikes, the men and Clara have to band together in order to survive the harsh wi......more

Goodreads review by Jesse on February 24, 2024

Antarctic Adventure I first “met” Yi Shun when she was a guest on my podcast. She was a great storyteller and a wonderful guest. When I picked up this novel, I knew I was in for something special, and I wasn’t disappointed having the book be informed of a journal allows us to see and feel what our n......more

Goodreads review by Erica on March 30, 2025

Told through journal entries of a young woman who has been active in the suffrage movements in the US and England and is accepted to be the only female on an Antarctic expedition. The story takes place in 1914. The crew members are interesting characters with various and evolving takes on Clara's pa......more


Quotes

**A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year**

A Junior Library Guild Selection

★ "As a character, Clara feels modern but not anachronistic; she’s wrestling with social issues that continue to resonate today, and her strong voice propels readers through an adventure as compelling as Shackleton’s own to a heartfelt, realistic conclusion. Polar exploration transforms a young woman in unexpected and interesting ways in this original, evocative tale."

★ "A young woman joins an Antarctic voyage at the dawning of World War I in this gripping--and sometimes gut-wrenching--adventure tale. . . Lai showcases her incredible skills as a storyteller. . .. Witty and poignant commentary on unimaginable peril and infuriating injustice (plus some vengeance) ensures that this historical fiction will be long remembered."

 

"A great historical adventure for young adults, told in journal entries. This book would appeal to readers looking for a strong female role model and would be a welcome [addition for] libraries serving teens."

"Clara is a defiant and resilient heroine who immediately endears herself to both the reader and her motley crew. As tension mounts and survival becomes uncertain, Lai neatly underscores the courage it took—and still takes—to be a woman in a male-dominated world." 

"Lai successfully blends the events of Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition with the social climate of the suffragist movement in 1914 and pairs it with a sharp-witted, charismatic narrator who readers can easily root for."