Onward: A Photobiography of African-American Polar Explorer Matthew Henson Book

The conquest of the North Pole was an elusive, almost impossible goal at the beginning of the last century. But a son of patrician parents, Robert E. Peary, and a son of sharecroppers, Matthew Henson, shared a dream of conquering the unconquered North Pole and were brave enough to risk their lives numerous times before they finally succeeded. Henson’s great physical stamina and his ability to speak Inuit and develop warm relationships with the peoples of the Arctic were indispensable to the quest. He mastered the complexities of the dog sled and led the team across the layers of ice that covered the frigid, threatening Arctic Ocean. Henson and Peary’s jubilation at finally reaching the Pole was later dashed when controversy swirled around their achievement. Even after their deed was recognized, African American Henson’s contribution was largely overlooked. It took the world many years to hail him as a hero of exploration.

Mike Brown - VOYA

In the latter half of the twentieth century, the eyes lifted heavenward to watch humankind reach the moon. At the beginning of that century, eyes looked to the desolation of the poles. In 1909, Matthew Henson and Commander Robert Peary reached the North Pole. Although there is every indication that Henson arrived first, Peary claimed Henson's calculations were erroneous. Henson was born into a sharecropper's family in Charles County, Maryland, in 1866. The family soon moved to Washington, DC. At thirteen, he walked forty miles to Baltimore to become a cabin boy. In 1887, Peary hired him to help survey a proposed canal route through Nicaragua and in 1891 took him on as part of the Arctic expeditions. From the beginning, Henson was referred to as Peary's "Negro manservant," but he was a full member of the expeditions. Henson was beloved of the Inuit and quickly learned the skills to survive in the inhospitable Arctic. He had a good working relationship with Peary but the two were not close outside the Arctic. The volume contains wonderful pictures that go beyond the normal flag-holding poses. Photos of Henson's Inuit descendants are shown. Back in the United States, Henson still had to take low-level jobs. His accomplishments were virtually ignored by all but a few until quite late in his life. Johnson provides an excellent volume that gives insight into the men as well as the expeditions, with particular appeal to middle school readers. VOYA CODES: 4Q 5P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12).2006, National Geographic, 64p.; Index. Illus. Photos. Maps. Biblio. Source Notes. Chronology., Ages 11 to 18.