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by: Sebastian Junger
Amazon.com's Price: $6.99 Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 974.45
EAN: 9780061013515
ISBN: 006101351X
Label: HarperTorch
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 320
Publication Date: July 01, 1998
Publisher: HarperTorch
Release Date: June 03, 1998
Sales Rank: 137876
Studio: HarperTorch
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
Meteorologists called the storm that hit North America's eastern seaboard in October 1991 a 'perfect storm' because of the rare combination of factors that created it. For everyone else, it was perfect hell. In The Perfect Storm, author Sebastian Junger conjures for the reader the meteorological conditions that created the 'storm of the century' and the impact the storm had on many of the people caught in it. Chief among these are the six crew members of the swordfish boat the Andrea Gail, all of whom were lost 500 miles from home beneath roiling seas and high waves. Working from published material, radio dialogues, eyewitness accounts, and the experiences of people who have survived similar events, Junger attempts to re-create the last moments of the Andrea Gail as well as the perilous high-seas rescues of other victims of the storm.
Like a Greek drama, The Perfect Storm builds slowly and inexorably to its tragic climax. The book weaves the history of the fishing industry and the science of predicting storms into the quotidian lives of those aboard the Andrea Gail and of others who would soon find themselves in the fury of the storm. Junger does a remarkable job of explaining a convergence of meteorological and human events in terms that make them both comprehensible and unforgettable.
Product Description:
October 1991. It was 'the perfect storm'--a tempest that may happen only once in a century--a nor'easter created by so rare a combination of factors that it could not possibly have been worse. Creating waves ten stories high and winds of 120 miles an hour, the storm whipped the sea to inconceivable levels few people on Earth have ever witnessed. Few, except the six-man crew of the Andrea Gail, a commercial fishing boat tragically headed towards its hellish center.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - The Storm Of The Century and the people caught up in it. An education
I watched the movie of this book before I read the book itself, and I have to say that the movie has taken some liberties with the story and the book is still better than the movie despite its great storm special effects. Nobody can say exactly what happened to the swordboat Andrea Gail but this book does a credible job of describing what probably happened based on knowledge of swordfish fishermen, the fishing industry, the ocean, storm behaviour and the rescue services involved.
Having ... Read More
Rating:  - But you already saw the movie...
Well that is what I thought too, but decided to read this on a trip and found it hard to put down. First, much of the movie and book (the part about what happened on the boat) is pure speculation, but it is the other parts of the book (not in the movie) that made the book so good.
Mr. Junger did a great job educating the lay person on the rigors of being a swordsmen, the rigors of working in the northern Atlantic and (the part I found most interesting in the book) the challenges faced by ... Read More
Rating: - a facinating read
well researched, beautifully written true story of a huge storm and the swordfishing boat that didn't make it through. Shows you the dangerous job of fishing, explains how many ways the sea can sink a ship, and gives you a feeling of what it means to drown. I found it all interesting, especially learning about waves and the details of the rescue swimmers and their incredible training. Dense with details but gripping and ultimately frightening. Gives you new respect for the ocean and the rogue waves that ... Read More
Rating: - A Masterpiece
This book was extremely well researched and very detailed and descriptive...I couldn't put it down, and quite frankly learned so many things from it that I was not aware of regarding the risks taken every day by commercial fisherman everywhere, nautical terms, all about charts, weather tracking and patterns, rescue protocall...just sooo many new things. If you are looking for a romanticised version such as the movie portrays, this is not it....this is the hardcore truth that places it in a non fictionary ... Read More
Rating:  - The Not So Perfect Storm
*I recently got this book while on vacation to have for a good summer read. While not completely disappointed, I would have to say I am not at all a fan of this book either. A mistake I made was that I saw the movie before I read the book and while reading it felt unaffected by what I read due to the over the top action and tear jerking in the movie. I expected the same in the book and just didn't get it. Also, while interested in fishing and the ocean in general this book failed to keep my attention. The ... Read More
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