In 1928, New York and the rest of the country were charmed by news stories about the adventures of Billy Gawronski, a plucky teenager who sneaked and persuaded his way onto Commander Richard Byrd's Antarctic expedition crew. Now twenty-first-century readers will be charmed anew, tagging along with Billy from his home in Queens to the tense moments hiding aboard Byrd's ship and on to the frozen seas of Antarctica. I actually found Billy's endeavors after the Antarctic journey—with the Merchant Marines during and after World War II—the most exhilarating and moving parts of this wonderfully wild and insightful book.