The Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton

There is no shortage of tales of polar expeditions gone awry. The voyage of the Belgica isn’t famous but it is remarkable. Led by a Belgian aristocrat and populated with an international cast of sailors, scientists, and adventurers, the Belgica’s journey to Antarctica was doomed from the start. A combination of lack of funding, shoddy leadership, and naïvete all but ensured disaster. Trapped in the ice for over a year, the crew were the first people to winter in Antarctica. Drawing from the journals of the men aboard the ship, Sancton does a remarkable job transporting the reader to the dark, freezing, rat-infested ship. On par with works from the likes of Erik Larson and David Grann, this is narrative nonfiction at its finest.  —Jade