Matthew Henson: Explorer

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

The duties of being a dishwasher, cabin boy, night watchman, dockworker, servant and chain man were not foreign to the self-assured Henson. Born of free parents in Maryland, Henson learned early in life to be self-supporting. A chance meeting with Lt. Robert Peary accelerated Henson's quest for adventure. As Peary's servant, Henson journeyed to Nicaragua in 1867 in search of a route to link the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Henson did such a remarkable job that he was invited to explore the Far North; he struggled for 18 years not only to conquer the elements of the adverse Arctic but to prove himself an inventive genius to others for his many feats. If there were ever an example of turning a negative into a positive, this historical account reflects it. Fast-paced and readable, this biography in the Black Americans of Achievement series includes an introduction by Coretta Scott King and a reading list, providing an extremely useful overview for readers. All ages. (Apr.)

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9 This biography provides long overdue recognition of the black ex plorer, Matthew Henson. Henson be came an expert on Arctic conditions, a friend of the Eskimos, and one of Rob ert Peary's most trusted explorers. He was selected for the advance party to step first on the North Pole. The book documents not only the struggle the ex pedition made to overcome almost in human conditions, but also the difficul ties Henson had back home after the expedition, when Peary's selfishness, Cook's claim that he was the first on the pole, and bigotry undermined Hen son's chances of gaining recognition for his accomplishments. The prose is straightforward, and the story fascinat ing. Easily read and full of illustrations, some not at all relevant, but some ex tremely edifying, this is a biography that will also answer a student's request for a true adventure story. Susan F. Marcus, Pollard Middle School, Need ham, Mass.