Just as the Great War—World War I—is heating up, colder-than-usual temperatures in the Antarctic leave the expedition ship, The Resolute, locked in sea ice. When the ship sinks and communication is lost with the outside world, it is presumed that all the crew is dead. And blame is laid on the fact that a woman was on board, something that is considered bad luck.

A Suffragist’s Guide to the Antarctic is a fictional work that takes inspiration from the adventures of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew on the Endurance. Its protagonist is Clara Ketterling-Dunbar, an eighteen-year-old American suffragist, who is passing as twenty-one years old and Canadian. This because the English currently have a low opinion of the United States, which has not entered the Great War.

Clara has been living in England with her mother (and periodically, her mostly absent father). Her upbringing includes lots of camping and learning outdoor skills, such as hunting. Without much influence from her old-fashioned sexist father, Clara becomes a feminist. She yearns for enfranchisement and joins the suffragist movement the Women’s Social and Political Union, considered by some a terrorist organization. There, she learns fighting techniques, including jiu-jitsu.

At one point, frustrated that her hard work is not gaining her any status with her crew mates, Clara writes:

“I can do anything, I want to tell them. At least let me try. If only they knew of the things I had been a part of in London! If only they knew just who on this crew had cut the telegraph wires, who on this crew had stood in front of Parliament to ask for the vote.”

Being the only woman among the shipwrecked crew, Clara experiences a lot of sexism. She keeps a diary, as do all the crew members, not only for themselves but as a record of their journey for its investors. Clara decides that her record will be a guide to the Antarctic for women.

Even those men who wish Clara well—and there are several—don’t understand her needs or desires. Primarily because they don’t ask or, when she tells them about herself, they don’t always listen, but rather fall back on female stereotypes to figure her out.

Left to survive in packed ice near the Antarctic until the weather warms, the entire crew is in extreme jeopardy. Nature is harsh. Not only is there terrific cold, but the lack of food and appropriate shelter haunt them. Some of the animals they might hunt—if those animals are in the vicinity, which isn’t a sure thing—are dangerous. Knowing when to hunt and when to keep away is a skill. 

While everyone is in jeopardy from nature, Clara has the added danger of a predator crewmate, Hotchkiss. He is a wealthy Englishman who flaunts his privilege. He’s demeaning to others in the crew and self-interested, the worst sort of person in a situation where the castaways must band together. In addition, he has it out for Clara simply because she’s female. She must defend herself against him while staying in the good graces of the other crew members. It’s a difficult and frightening line to walk, leading to one of the most scary events on a regularly hair-raising journey.

While this is a story of survival, details about the ship and its contents are also interesting. Clara loses lumps of sugar and chocolate in games of poker. The ship has the equivalent of a small farm on board—chickens for eggs and pigs—before it sinks. There are dozens of sled dogs, who must be fed and kenneled (and loved by Clara!). Storms create whiteouts, so rope must be attached among all the tents to prevent death by getting lost mere feet from shelter. The crew read to pass the long hours and exchange books.

High school housekeeping

There’s a lot to love in A Suffragist’s Guide to the Antarctic. Clara is a heroine teens will root for. Many interesting details about life in the arctic region and life on a ship in the early twentieth century are woven between the intense scenes of the fight for survival. A pen and ink map of the area is included as are some notes on the real life expedition of Shackleton and the crew of the Endurance. I highly recommend A Suffragist’s Guide for high school libraries.