ADA's STORY

With boundless care and precision, and no small amount of affection for her topic, Jennifer Niven has penned a marvelous biography of Ada Blackjack, the heroic Inuit and lone survivor of Vilhjalmur Stefansson’s ill-planned mission to Wrangel Island. That Stefansson’s vainglorious attempt to squeeze riches from a frozen stone will end in tragedy, we know before page 1. Yet Niven still draws us into this irresistible tale of ambition, greed, courage and sacrifice. She is particularly adept at recreating the feel of the 1920s, when America was strangely fascinated with the uncharted realms of the North. And we get a telling glimpse of the tragedy from Ada’s perspective – a tragedy that continued well after her rescue, with a media circus to rival our present day.  

Ada Blackjack, by Jennifer Niven (Hyperion, $24.95)