In the Heart of the Sea by Nat Philbrick, Nathaniel Philbrick (2001, Paperback, Reissue)

I was utterly enthralled from beginning to end! Philbrick seamlessly edits all the various accounts of this tragedy together into a single tale that reads like a novel. He begins by setting the scene with an authentic view of Nantucket and a whale ship being prepared for its 2 or 3 year voyage. After many months at sea and catching numerous whales, the unbelievable happens. In the middle of the South Pacific, about as far from land as one can get, an 85-foot-long bull sperm whale intentionally rams the ship--TWICE--stoving its hull in and sinking it, something never before heard of in all the annals of whaling.

The 20 castaways set out on a 3,500-mile journey in 3 small whaleboats after rigging sails for them from their overturned ship's sails and building up the little boats' sides a bit to give them a better chance against the sea. During their three-month odyssey, we witness these highly able seamen successfully repair one of the little boats on the high seas after a gale springs some planks in the bottom, and slowly devolve into wretched, virtually helpless, living skeletons, with nothing left but hope. A total of 8 out of the 20 ultimately survive, in an amazing feat of navigation and endurance. The hardships they endured are epic and heart-rending. The Essex story inspired Melville to write Moby Dick.

I highly recommend also reading "The Loss of the Ship Essex, Sunk By A Whale" (Penguin Books) AFTER this one. It gives us First Mate Owen Chase's full first-person account, as well as the long-lost account by the ship's cabin boy, Thomas Nickerson. It also includes an account written by another mate, Thomas Chappel, plus letters and log entries from captains and others to whom the survivors, including Capt. Pollard of the Essex, told their story, and other items relating to the tragedy. Nickerson's account, in particular, offers a lot of corollary data of interest to the reader that only the eyes of a first-time seaman like this 14-year-old boy might have noticed. He includes vivid descriptions of places the ship visited while going around South America, descriptions of their shore time and of what they bought or traded in port, and information and tales about the inhabitants, the animal life, etc. It is well worth reading! But it will be most appreciated if you read "In The Heart Of The Sea" first.

I had to read this for a class and while it is a bit graphic overall it was a pretty good book. It is an easy read and easy to get into and helps understand the the whaling culture of early America.