Ada Blackjack cover art

Ada Blackjack

A True Story of Survival in the Arctic

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Ada Blackjack

By: Jennifer Niven
Narrated by: Laural Merlington
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About this listen

In September 1921, four young men and Ada Blackjack, a diminutive 25-year-old Eskimo woman, ventured deep into the Arctic in a secret attempt to colonize desolate Wrangel Island for Great Britain. Two years later, Ada Blackjack emerged as the sole survivor of this ambitious polar expedition. This young, unskilled woman - who had headed to the Arctic in search of money and a husband - conquered the seemingly unconquerable north and survived all alone after her male companions had perished.

Following her triumphant return to civilization, the international press proclaimed her the female Robinson Crusoe. But whatever stories the press turned out came from the imaginations of reporters: Ada Blackjack refused to speak to anyone about her horrific two years in the Arctic. Only on one occasion - after charges were published falsely accusing her of causing the death of one her companions - did she speak up for herself.

Jennifer Niven has created a compelling history of this remarkable woman, taking full advantage of the wealth of firsthand resources about Ada that exist, including her never-before-seen diaries, the unpublished diaries from other primary characters, and interviews with Ada's surviving son. Ada Blackjack is more than a rugged tale of a woman battling the elements to survive in the frozen north - it is the story of a hero.

©2003 Jennifer Niven (P)2020 Tantor
Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Arctic & Antarctica Women

What listeners say about Ada Blackjack

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Touching

An excellent and well researched account of an extraordinary woman. Unexpectedly, the narrator’s slow, almost expressionless delivery suits the story well.

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Gripping and heartfelt

Amazing story of that humanises one of the greatest tragedies in the arctic. Shines a light on the heroic and unassuming hero, who should be mentioned in the same sentence as people like Greeley and De Long.

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Dragged Out

This story could’ve been told in an hour. It became so drawn out I was speeding it up as much as I could tolerate to get it over with.

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