The Impossible First

An Explorer's Race Across Antarctica (Young Readers Edition)

Colin O'Brady

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN:
  9781534462007
• Print ISBN:
  9781534461994

In this Young Readers Edition of Impossible First—perfect for fans of My Shot by Elena Delle Donne and Shaken by Tim Tebow—Colin O’Brady vividly recounts his fifty-four-day, unsupported, record-shattering solo crossing of Antarctica using every ounce of his strength, years of training, and sheer force of will.

Prior to December 2018, no individual had ever crossed the landmass of Antarctica alone, without support, and completely human-powered. But Colin O’Brady was determined to do just that—even though ten years earlier a tragic accident raised doubts that he’d ever walk again normally.

O’Brady’s quest drew him into a head-to-head battle with British SAS Captain Louis Rudd—also striving to be “the first.” Enduring Antarctica’s sub-zero temperatures and pulling a sled that initially weighed 375 pounds—in complete isolation and through a succession of whiteouts, storms, and a series of near disasters—O’Brady journeyed 932 miles to a world’s first. Honest, deeply moving, filled with moments of vulnerability—and set against the backdrop of some of the most extreme environments on earth, from Mount Everest to Antarctica—The Impossible First reveals how anyone can reject limits, overcome immense obstacles, and discover what matters most.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Author’s Note
• Epigraph
• Prologue
• Chapter One: The Captain
• Chapter Two: Frozen Tears
• Chapter Three: You Are Strong, You Are Capable
• Chapter Four: The Suggestion
• Chapter Five: Commit to the Break
• Chapter Six: More Hospital
• Chapter Seven: All In, All Gone
• Chapter Eight: Ghost Town
• Chapter Nine: Getting Home
• Chapter Ten: The Whiteboard
• Chapter Eleven: The Ripple Effect
• Chapter Twelve: Farthest South
• Chapter Thirteen: An Inch from Failure
• Chapter Fourteen: Put Your Boots Back On
• Chapter Fifteen: Infinite Love
• Epilogue
• Photographs
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Copyright