.webp?h=8 "Merry Fistmas!")
To discuss your weekly readings of books, textbooks and papers.
I began "La Guerre de Cent Ans" 
by Georges Minois and "Fire & Blood" by 
. So one cool real history book about two dynasties fighting (Plantagenet and Capetian cadet branches) with explanations of the economic and demographic context of 14th century England and France, and the other being fake history of House Targaryen up to the Dance of the Dragons and the reign of Aegon III.
Funny how the 100 years war is also centered around whether a king can inherit through a foid's line (England) or through male-only line (Salic Law).
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Finished "One Day, One Night: Portraits of the South Pole"
Written by a husband and wife pair. He's a researcher that was hired to spend a year at the South Pole in 2000-2001. She has an advanced degree in music
, is 15 years younger than him 
, and signed up to be a dishwasher for a year to be with him 
which I have to give kudos for because that sounds awful.
They're both leafs
and oddly enough Christians 
. Somehow the book was released in the mid 2010s, but their descriptions of the living conditions, conversations, and scientific stats of the base are so detailed I suspect they wrote this shortly after (or even during) their stay and just couldn't get it published for one reason or another.
The book splits chapters between the two of them. His chapters usually talk about different scientific investigations on the Pole or about the logistics of running the base, almost always giving exact numbers. Her chapters are usually about some interpersonal conflict stemming from dishwashing, and worrying that no one likes her
. Early on in their stay she mentions playing some neurodivergent classical music when they pass the aux to her, meanwhile everyone else in the kitchen is playing some flavor of popular music. Sometimes her chapters are really annoying watching her act like this
They do a good job talking about all the different people they meet, where they're from, how they ended up at the Pole, etc though. As you can expect, people who want to work at the South Pole, especially multi-year returnees, are misfits. Lots from cold climates, Alaskans, rural Canadians, upper midwesterners, etc. some people that just wanted to see the world so they travel wherever there's work. That's probably what I'll remember most.
I worked at a summer camp for one year, 8 weeks, and this book kind of reminds me of that time, although the environment is way more extreme, stressful, and much longer. You kind of develop your own culture during the stay, and I was absolutely exhausted when it ended. I can't even imagine what doing a year with the same 150 people or so (fewer in the winter!) would be like
The book takes place during a time where they're in the middle of building what it's become nowadays, but I found this video and its sequel more informative if you're interested in what modern day Pole denizens actually live like.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context