Nathaniel Philbrick’s In the Heart of the Sea is a riveting study of the fortitude of the human spirit. A tale of endurance, perseverance, and resourcefulness, the story reads like a fictional adventure, but it is the recounting of the tragic true story that gave Herman Melville the inspiration for Moby Dick.

In vivid detail, Philbrick takes the reader to the Nantucket of 1820, delving into the history of the whaling industry and daily life on the island. The tale follows the ill-fated voyage of the whaleship Essex, detailing the survival of the crew members after their ship is attacked by a giant whale and they face thousands of miles of open ocean in small whaleboats.

Philbrick’s talent lies in making history come alive on the pages, and he does so with wrenching intensity. A compelling, well-researched story, In the Heart of the Sea will grip the reader from the first page to the last.

Highly recommended.