If you loved Titanic, this book will take you further in the gruesome halls of maritime disasters. The story of the Whaleship Essex was the inspiration for Melville's famous "Moby Dick". However, "Moby Dick" ends where this true story begins--it is the survival of the crew after the boat is wrecked by a giant whale that tells the more pertinent story. What the human race is capable of in dire circumstances could never be captured as vividly as with the tragic story of the Whaleship Essex.

I should warn that the book is extremely graphic, but altogether honest. It requires a strong stomach, as it is the true story of several men stranded at sea without food or water for 3 months, wandering around the pacific ocean in small wooden whaling boats for a total distance of over 4,500 miles. They are, obviously, reduced to extremes.

This particular book is the first of its kind about this particular disaster. Other books about the Essex use the diary of the first mate as their only source of information. However, the first mate's account of the events over those three months is not altogether truthful nor inclusive. The first mate's diary, written after the incident, was bent in such a way as to make the first mate out to be somewhat of a hero, and his version leaves out many details that may have been considered mistakes on the part of the crew. With this new book, text from the previously ignored diary of the cabin boy has been included. The cabin boy, being only fifteen and uneducated, was unintentionally honest and told a darker story of the actions on the part of the crew members. For this reason, I would urge anyone already familiar with past books on the Essex disaster to read this one for the real story behind the first mate's account.

This particular story is also a study in human behavior and the cultural/social influences of 19th century American sailors. For it is tragic to find out that, had the captain of the Essex and his crew members not been so unnecessarily xenophobic and terrified of the "savages" that they believed lived on the islands of Tahiti and those surrounding, they would have reached land and civilization within ten days. Instead, they floated in the choppy Pacific for three months hoping to sail toward America, which was much further away.

Even if non-fiction is not your bag, I think everyone should be familiar with the story of the Whaleship Essex, not only because it's a great story, but because it is part of the colorful mural of human behavior, social influence, and ethics that make up what we call life.

Those who love disasters-at-sea stories, those who love to read something gruesome and tragic, anyone who enjoyed the stories of the Titanic or "Mutiny on the Bounty", and those who are lovers of non-fiction about 19th century American culture, the history of Nantucket and the fishing/whaling industry.

There were several things I liked. First, the beginning of the book contains a rich history of Nantucket, and I was especially interested in the way the women lived on this difficult island in 18th and 19th centuries.

Also, Learning about the strengths of those who are weak and the weaknesses of those who are supposed to be strong.

Of course, I enjoyed reading of the terrible hardships of being abandoned at sea for three months--almost unimaginable--and the many ways in which human beings adapt.

There was nothing I disliked, though my stomach definitely did somersaults throughout the parts about cannibalism.

Not only read more books about true maritime disasters, but to go out and appreciate all that I have in life.

Inspired; a belief that the human condition is not so bad after all, and that people are at heart moral creatures even if forced to do the unthinkable in an emergency.

Nathaniel Philbrick

It's a classic American story that everyone should know about.

This book is not for the faint-hearted, children, or anyone who cannot read violent or grotesque stories.

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Created Mar 25, 2006 at 1:51pm • Submit your own review...