The Perfect Storm

The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger

My rating:

4 stars—I really liked it.

My Thoughts

Another example of Junger’s superb journalism. His account of this tragedy was factual and well-researched. I learned from this book about the fishing industry and I felt compassion for the families these men left behind.

I have never seen this movie, but I might need to check it out now!

Description from Goodreads.com:

“It was the storm of the century - 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 virtually no warning. "She's comin' on, boys, and she's comin' on strong," radioed Captain Billy Tyne of the Andrea Gail from off the coast of Nova Scotia. Soon afterward, the boat and its crew of six disappeared without a trace.

The Perfect Storm is a real-life thriller, a stark and compelling journey into the dark heart of nature that leaves listeners with a breathless sense of what it feels like to be caught, helpless, in the grip of a force beyond understanding or control.”

Monday Recommendations

Monday Recommendation List

Random list of 10 books Monday! I have read and enjoyed each of these enough to flag for a potential personal library purchase.

Be bold and just choose randomly, stick to your normal genre...or step outside of your normal reading zone and try something you usually wouldn’t. You can look up the descriptions at Amazon.com, or search my blog for old posts by entering the title in the little search box in the top left-hand corner and clicking the magnifying glass.

This week-- 10 recommendations (in no particular order):

1. Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
2. Love Your Life by Victoria Osteen
3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
4. Wild Swans  by Jung Chang
5. Wherever You Go, There You Are  by Jon Kabat-Zinn
6. Day After Night by Anita Diamant
7. Say You Love Me by Johanna Lindsey
8. The Quickie by James Patterson
9. War by Sebastian Junger
10. Tao Te Ching  by Lao Tzu

War

War by Sebastian Junger

My rating (out of 5 stars):

5 stars—Amazing.

Goodreads.com Description:

“Junger turns his brilliant and empathetic eye to the reality of combat--the fear, the honor, and the trust among men in an extreme situation whose survival depends on their absolute commitment to one another. His on-the-ground account follows a single platoon through a 15-month tour of duty in the most dangerous outpost in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. Through the experiences of these young men at war, he shows what it means to fight, to serve, and to face down mortal danger on a daily basis.”

My Thoughts:

Junger is certainly a brilliant story teller. This book is gripping and the men profiled are brave, upstanding soldiers. Junger tells their stories in such a way to show their bravery, but also to show that they are flawed people, like everyone else. War is horrific and most of us will never understand being in a combat situation. Junger tries to bring the conflicted emotions of a soldier to the page.

What a dedicated journalist…Junger actually lived with these soldiers. I admire him!

A definite recommend.