Title of the book- The Perfect Storm

Author- Sebastian Junger

Number of pages- 225

Star rating- ☆☆☆

“Thrilling… Even if you have never been to sea, Junger’s account will put the frighteners on you,” (New York Times book review). This review statement from New York times explains the Perfect Storm, well. This nonfiction book begins in Gloucester Massachusetts where a swordfishing crew are about to go on a fishing trip. It goes through the preparation they have to complete and all the work that goes into fishing. The book discusses the background to swordfishing and the reasons for why it’s so popular. Later in the book a storm of epic proportions hits the men who are at sea, and a large number of other fishermen and more. The rest of the book goes through the day by day events during the storm. We see how it affects the fishermen, pilot crews, the Coast Guard, various rescuers and even the people still on shore. The book explains the experiences of all the people involved, and the fates that they experienced.

My overall review of this book is pretty mixed. The style of the author is interesting and informative. However, he can tend to spend a lot of time on things that may not be have necessarily needed to be put into great detail. I do think this makes the book unique. The author gives us a lot of background information on the fishing town, sword fishing itself, storms that have happened at sea, types of boats and how they are made etc. I think this makes the book unique because it tells the story but it is also very informative. We learn so much about fishing and related topics, which almost all of it I had never heard before. The authors overall tone is informative for the greater part of the book. He is also very neutral, giving little to no bias at all, which I think is rare and very unique. I think when he starts getting into the story about the storm, his tone shifts to be a little more thrilling and almost ominous. I think he does very well handling the heaviness of this story, he does not take it lightly and I think he does justice to the story of all those who were involved.

There are many memorable moments from the book, but I do also have to touch on certain things that I felt the book could’ve done better. I think too much time and detail was spent on less important topics. For example, many pages were spent talking about the bar in Gloucester, which was frequented by the fishermen. While this contributes to the theme and feeling, I think it was unnecessary in the telling of the story about the storm. I think less time could have been spent on subjects like that, because I did get somewhat bored of the book during those times. I struggled to make it through the information heavy parts of the book and I felt like what I was reading had little to do with the story that the book was supposed to be telling. In contrast, once the author began getting into the story and details of the storm, I was extremely interested in it. He did a great job describing the storm and what happened to each person. His thoroughness worked in his favor in that aspect, because no one was forgotten and nothing was left missing from the story. I think a very memorable moment was his harrowing description of the rescue helicopter getting hit by the storm, and what all those five men had to go through during that time, fighting for their lives. Those sections of the book were very thrilling and they are what caused me to want to know what happened next, whenever I would stop reading.

All in all, I think I would recommend this book. Although, I can’t say that every reader will enjoy it. It can be somewhat boring, and drag on during the majority of the pages, and the entire beginning of the story. However, once the story of the storm really begins, it is nothing but thrilling and even emotional. Knowing what happened during that time and the affect on all the people involved, is touching and makes the reader think deeply about the story and how it can connect to their own life. I think anyone who is willing to stick it out through less exciting parts of the book, would really enjoy it. Even though it may not seem like a great story in the beginning, by the time I was done reading, I was glad that I took the time to get to the end. I think those who are interested in the lives of others, and being informed of catastrophic events would enjoy this book. I would also recommend it to anyone who likes nonfiction reading in general. As far as nonfiction goes, I think the author did a great job of informing and describing the events. I think it was worth my time to read this book, and I appreciate the author’s take on the story. I do believe that the majority of readers would enjoy this book, and appreciate all the knowledge that it provides.