The Perfect Storm

A True Story of Men Against the Sea

by Sebastian Junger

No cover — Sebastian Junger: The Perfect Storm (AudiobookFormat, 2000, Listening Library)

audio cassette

English language

Published Dec. 19, 2000 by Listening Library.

ISBN:: 978-0-8072-8825-2

View on OpenLibrary

(5 reviews)

It was the storm of the century, boasting waves over one hundred feet high --- a tempest created by so rare a combination of factors that meteorologists deemed it "the perfect storm." When it struck in October 1991, there was a virtually no warning. "She's comin; on, boys, and she's comin' on strong." radioed Captain Billy Tyne of the Andrew Gail off the coast of Nova Scotia, and soon afterward the boat and its crew of six disappeared without a trace. In a narrative taut with the fury of the elements, Sebastian Junger takes us deep into the heart of the storm, depicting with vivid detail the courage, terror, and awe that surface in such a gale,. Junger illustrates a world of swordfishermen consumed by the dangerous but lucrative trade of offshore fishing ---"a young man's game, a single man's game" --- and gives us a glimpse of their lives in the tough fishing port of Gloucester, Massachusetts; he recreates the last moments of the Andrea Gail crew and recounts the daring high-seas rescues that made heroes of some and victims of others, and he weaves together the history of the fishing industry, the science of the storms, and the candid accounts of the people whos lives the storms touched. The Perfect Storm is a real-life thriller that leaves us with the taste of salt air on our tongues and a breathless sense of what it feels like to be caught, helpless, in the grip of a force of nature beyond our understanding or control. We know, on the strength of this stark and compelling journey into the dark heart of nature, what it feels like to drown.

16 editions

Stephanie Jane reviewed The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger

A powerful and interesting book

5 stars

I received my audiobook edition of The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger via the wonderful AudioSYNC programme. Having previously only really been aware of the book from its movie poster, I was expecting to be unimpressed by a gungho men triumphing against the sea adventure. Oops! The Perfect Storm is an incredibly well researched factual work of journalistic style reporting. Junger presents not only his best educated-guess of what happened to the ill-fated crew of the American fishing boat, Andrea Gail, but also delves into many related areas to provide an all-round education to his readers. If you memorised enough of this information, The Perfect Storm could be a Mastermind specialist subject! I was fascinated to learn about the history of Gloucester and her shipping fleet, what actually happens on board a swordfish fishing boat, and how such a life affects the men and women who fish. Junger also discusses meteorology and what must occur to create storms, the extensive training of rescue crews, what physically happens to a person as they drown, and how boats do (or don't) keep themselves afloat. These complementary subjects are interspersed with the story of the Andrea Gail and her sister boats during the storm that claimed her. Junger extensively interviewed crews of the other boats so his imaginings of what happened on board as the storm heightened is based solidly in fact, including many direct quotes. This style of writing worked brilliantly for me allowing me to imagine and understand. Perhaps the narrator wasn't the best as he did stumble and lose pace occasionally, but that didn't detract from a powerful and interesting book.

Doc Kinne reviewed The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger

Review of 'The Perfect Storm' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

More detailed than the movie. It was interesting to see how various events that were dispersed in times in the lives of the men were telescoped together for the movie. A lot more data about things here in the book as well.