The Impossible First, book review/muse
The Impossible First
Colin O’Brady
Scribner
January 2020
Colin O’Brady
Scribner
January 2020
Readers of this blog, both of you, and friends know that I love all things Artic or, the polar opposite, Antartic. Growing up I read journals and autobiographies of polar explorers. There must have been some curiosity already developing within me of what it means to live on the edge of extremes. It seems I have been walking that tightrope ever since.
The Impossible First was an ALA youth recommended book= Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences.
Colin O’Brady is a 30 year old guy from Portland, OR, a child of the Pacific Northwest. He was probably hyperactive and in the acknowledgements gives credit to his first grade teacher for putting up with him. If he got too busy she’d tell him to go outside and run off some of his energy. He excelled at swimming and competed for Yale University. Afterwards he traveled and was in an accident in Thailand leaving him critically mobility compromised. He had to overcome adversity—which as we read was right up his alley. His drive to excel and compete forced him out of a wheelchair and into—
Triathons. National championships. Olympic training camp. Wow, that’s some drive.
There were times while reading his account of traversing the continent of Antarctica unassisted, unsupported, carrying all his own food, equipment etc that I was reminded of my latest bike tour from Chicago – Seaside, OR last summer—though to be perfectly clear it was no Antarctica, it was the polar opposite. I was able to buy food along the way, stay with friends or get a room at a motel, and at times I loaded my bike into a pick up for a ride.
But I wasn’t a total slug, either.
I had to depend upon my own wits and ability to get out of jams and keep going. I think it is the keep going I want to emphasize. No matter what the project is, either a cross-country bike tour, climbing into a harness and pulling a 500 pound sled across Antarctica, or writing a novel—we all have to stay at it. Butt in chain, turn the pedals, one more footstep.
The Impossible First was an ALA youth recommended book= Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences.
Colin O’Brady is a 30 year old guy from Portland, OR, a child of the Pacific Northwest. He was probably hyperactive and in the acknowledgements gives credit to his first grade teacher for putting up with him. If he got too busy she’d tell him to go outside and run off some of his energy. He excelled at swimming and competed for Yale University. Afterwards he traveled and was in an accident in Thailand leaving him critically mobility compromised. He had to overcome adversity—which as we read was right up his alley. His drive to excel and compete forced him out of a wheelchair and into—
Triathons. National championships. Olympic training camp. Wow, that’s some drive.
There were times while reading his account of traversing the continent of Antarctica unassisted, unsupported, carrying all his own food, equipment etc that I was reminded of my latest bike tour from Chicago – Seaside, OR last summer—though to be perfectly clear it was no Antarctica, it was the polar opposite. I was able to buy food along the way, stay with friends or get a room at a motel, and at times I loaded my bike into a pick up for a ride.
But I wasn’t a total slug, either.
I had to depend upon my own wits and ability to get out of jams and keep going. I think it is the keep going I want to emphasize. No matter what the project is, either a cross-country bike tour, climbing into a harness and pulling a 500 pound sled across Antarctica, or writing a novel—we all have to stay at it. Butt in chain, turn the pedals, one more footstep.
Everest to Antarctica—The Impossible First reveals how anyone can reject limits, overcome immense obstacles, and discover what matters most. A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. Colin O'Brady's awe-inspiring memoir spans his triumphant recovery from a tragic accident to his gripping 932-mile solo crossing of Antarctica.
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