In the Heart of the Sea

In 1820, the whaleship Essex set sail from Nantucket for routine whaling work. Several oversights made before setting sail meant when an eighty-ton bull sperm whale repeatedly rammed and sunk the ship in the far reaches of the South Pacific, the twenty-man crew were left in a desperate situation. Boarding three small boats and fearing cannibals on the islands to the west, the crew began a 3,000 mile journey to the coast of South America in hopes of rescue. They spent ninety days at sea, enduring horrendous conditions, and eventually succumbed to hunger, thirst, disease, and what they initially feared, cannibalism. <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Heart-Sea-Nathaniel-Philbrick/9780141001821" target="new"><i>In the Heart of the Sea</i></a> is written so powerfully with such extraordinary detail; the combination of factual evidence woven into a seemingly fictional narrative, makes this book such a page-turner. No facts are spared and while similar tragedies and relevant historical events are discussed in detail, this information is provided in such a way the reading experience is only enhanced and not dulled by overbearing enthusiasm. Philbrick's writing is exceptional and a book that could so easily be overladen with pointless trivia becomes one of the most amazing true life stories ever told.