The perfect storm : a true story of men against the sea

The Perfect Storm, written by Sebastian Junger keeps the reader interested because of the story of six determined fishermen.  Throughout the novel, Junger explains the fishing history of Gloucester Massachusetts, the evolution of swordfish fishing, and where hurricanes come from.  The reader will not want to put the book down in-between the ship, Andrea Gail and interesting facts about life at sea.  The six fishermen go out for months searching for swordfish on the Andrea Gail, determined to make massive amounts of quick money.  Many of the men leave loved ones behind without communication for weeks while risking their lives.  The novel also explains the camaraderie of the fishing ships.  Even though the fishing vessels are racing the clock into port, they still rely off each other if one fishing ship needs assistance.  The Perfect Storm, will make the reader feel like they are apart of the Andrea Gail family through thick and thin water. 

The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger is an enticing tale about Gloucester fishermen during the cod-fishing season. Junger strings together the actual radio conversations of the lost crew with friends and families’ recounts of the events preceding the crew’s death in a lyrical presentation of one of the worst storms the area has ever seen.  The crew’s commitment and devotion to their boat, the Andrea Gail, as well as to each other is one that we as Coast Guard men and women can only hope to mirror throughout our careers. Junger incorporated the history of cod fishing in a way that would make anyone in the trade honor the past before them in the profession they love.  This is similar to how in the Coast Guard we honor the Long Blue Line and all of those who came before us. This story introduces the audience to the characters in a very intimate manner such that you feel what the characters feel during the expedition.  It explores the skills of cod fishing and the teamwork that the Andrea Gail used with her sister ship, the Hannah Boden in order to catch the most cod in the shortest period of time.  One aspect that I felt was unique to the Coast Guard was the role of women.  Personally, I feel the Coast Guard is the most accepting and respecting of females in leadership positions.  In that respect, the captain of the Hannah Boden was a female, Linda Greenlaw, and is said to be one of the best cod fishing captains in the fleet.  This book with rock and sway you all the way to the end!

I need to come clean...I have only read the first 75 pages of this book, but I still have a lot to say about it. The story starts off in Gloucester, Massachussetts in the fall of 1991. Gloucester is a fishing town, and Junger makes it a point to describe the lives of the fishermen and their families. In this case, we follow the crew of the swordfishing vessel Andrea Gale. During their 30 day voyages at sea, the crew's average workday is 20 hours. Most of the crew, other than the skipper Billy Tyne, fish only as a means to make money. When they get back to Gloucester, they spend most of their money trying to unwind from their arduous time at sea. I saw the movie when it came out and it made a huge impression on me, so I immediately did some research on what actually happened. The Andrea Gale and her crew, most of whom were desperate for a big catch,strayed away from their usual fishing spot at the Grand Banks and tested their luck at the Flemmish Cap, which was known for big game but was virtually off the charts. Despite weather warnings, the crew carried out their voyage. Unfornately, they would have to pass through what meteorologists referred to as "The Perfect Storm" in order to get home and cash in their catch. Especially for seafarers, this book provides a number of powerful lessons. Most importantly it helps us understand the power of the seawhile at the same time gain an admiration and an appreciation for what it has to offer.

    The Perfect Storm is a novel based on the true story of the six fishermen aboard the Andrea Gail that were lost to sea in 1991 to one of the worst storms in recorded history.  This is a very interesting story that all seamen and women should know, because it demonstrates the total power and unpredictability of the sea along with the love and devotion seamen have to it.   I would not, however, recommend this book to read.  The way the story is written is very captivating at times, but I feel as though many sections could have been taken out without losing the truth to the story.  There are many long sections tangent to the story that talk about the history of fishing, which took my interest away from reading the novel.  I was forcing myself to get through these sections and I found the bits of the story in between were not enough to keep me reading.  It was more a book on sword fishing than it was on the six fishermen themselves.  If you enjoy reading about fishing this book is for you, if not, pick up another book instead.