In the Heart of the Sea
Nathaniel Philbrick • 2000
Devastation Rating
sea survival cannibalism history
Our Take
The Essex was stove in by a sperm whale in 1820 and the crew spent ninety days in open boats before rescue. Philbrick reconstructs what happened during those ninety days. What kept some men alive is the horror of the book's final third. Melville knew; we have been careful about what we remember.
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