TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD

An unlikely adventurer proves it’s never too late to pursue one’s passions.

Having worked for 55 years as a nurse, Barbara Hillary (1931-2021) decided to make her dreams of travel and adventure come true. Growing up poor in Harlem, she loved reading about explorers, though as a Black woman, she rarely encountered explorers who looked like her—except for Matthew Henson, the first African American man to reach the North Pole. Inspired, she resolved to become the first Black woman to achieve that feat. Despite her age and health issues (a bout with cancer had left her lungs operating at only 75% capacity), Barbara attained her goal, which only made her hungry for more. She made history again when she traveled to the South Pole. Her experiences traveling both to the poles and elsewhere brought her face to face with evidence of climate change, and she began speaking out about small but doable ways to preserve the places she had visited. Blumenthal laces her upbeat text with personal details—like Barbara getting frostbite after enthusiastically yanking off her gloves for a photo-op—that make for an intimate portrait. Williams’ digital illustrations feature both snowy, wide-open vistas and close-ups of Barbara striking triumphant poses as she succeeds again and again.

A remarkably uplifting tale of tenacity and determination.