They did it for the simplest of reasons: adventure. Three young friends, on a drunken dare, set out on a dinghy for a nearby island. But when the gas ran out and they drifted into barren waters, their biggest threat wasn't the ocean -- it was each other.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Late one October night in 2010, three teenage boys from the tiny Pacific island of Atafu broke their culture's cardinal rule: they set out for the open sea without a master fisherman. Drunk on vodka and hungry for adventure, they gathered last-minute provisions for their aluminum dinghy: 25 gallons of gas, a green tarpaulin, 20 coconuts, a plastic jug of vodka, two bottles of milk, and a mayonnaise jar of water. Little did they know that they would soon spend 51 days at the mercy of the ocean in one of the unlikeliest survival stories in recent memory. For the boys, their weeks adrift felt like forever; for the reader, Michael Finkel's masterful reconstruction moves at breakneck speed. Finkel recounts the dark and unexpected turns of the boys' nightmare in stirring, rhythmic prose. Here Be Monsters nods to the near-miracle of these kids who cheated death and at last returned to land from what Finkel calls "an unbelievably vast wilderness; the loneliest place on the planet." --Simone Gorrindo
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By Dan
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I really enjoy reading about extraordinary tales of survival. This is my first Kindle single, and I loved it. The idea of the single is great, and fits this story perfect. I guarantee you'll read this in on sitting, and it'll make you think different before your next boating/camping/any sort of trip!
Nearly as interesting as the main story is learning about life in Atafu (a small island of 500 people), a place I never even knew existed. I really recommend this single, definitely worth your $2.
Nearly as interesting as the main story is learning about life in Atafu (a small island of 500 people), a place I never even knew existed. I really recommend this single, definitely worth your $2.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By K. Andersen
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This was a fascinating true story. I read it out loud to my wife in one sitting. It really made me think of ways to survive.
17 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By P. STEIMEL
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is an interesting story, but nowhere near the caliber of the life raft story in Unbroken Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. The kids in the story are generally unsympathetic and seemed to survive in spite of what they did, not because of it. These young teenagers went out on the boat specifically so they could get lost and eventually be rescued.
They brought a bottle of vodka, but only a mayonnaise jar of water. They purposely didn't signal, or do anything to attract the attention of the search and rescue plane because they were not ready to be rescued. There were wires on the engine (that had no gas) they could use to make fish hooks, but the one boy did not want to mess up the engine, lest he might get in trouble. You would think that after a few weeks with no food, and fish swimming under your boat you could part with an $3 ignition wire. Instead, one of the boys made plans for murder and cannibalism.
At the end of the story, you never get the sense any great enlightenment by the boys. It is all rather unsatisfying. Still an interesting read. I reluctantly recommend the book. I will probably read it again.
They brought a bottle of vodka, but only a mayonnaise jar of water. They purposely didn't signal, or do anything to attract the attention of the search and rescue plane because they were not ready to be rescued. There were wires on the engine (that had no gas) they could use to make fish hooks, but the one boy did not want to mess up the engine, lest he might get in trouble. You would think that after a few weeks with no food, and fish swimming under your boat you could part with an $3 ignition wire. Instead, one of the boys made plans for murder and cannibalism.
At the end of the story, you never get the sense any great enlightenment by the boys. It is all rather unsatisfying. Still an interesting read. I reluctantly recommend the book. I will probably read it again.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
survival at any cost.
i liked this. would have preferred if we had more detail of the lads inner thoughts. worth a read, enjoyed.
Published 21 days ago by mrs. rose m meade
3.0 out of 5 stars
not bad
not a bad read i liked it..but who am i,all points get across, well written, worth the read.i learned a few things spelling wasnt one of them.
Published 1 month ago by david short
3.0 out of 5 stars
Teenager Adventure
Pretty interesting plot but was a little slow. However it was suspensfull and did make you want to cheer the young men on.
Published 2 months ago by Shanonne Kirby
2.0 out of 5 stars
Monsters
The premise is interesting but it fails to deliver. The ending is somewhat anti-climactic; sort of like letting the air out of a balloon that has already been somewhat deflated.
Published 2 months ago by john ko
2.0 out of 5 stars
disheartening story that doesn't uplift
Three kids lost at sea for 51 days has no redeeming value. You're not able to warm to the characters. Their whole miserable accidental trip is demoralizing. Read more
Published 4 months ago by joseph michaels
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Title Tells it all
It is amazing these kids survived, but like typical teenagers they haven't much to say about the experience and do not seem to have learnt a lot about themselves and each other. Read more
Published 4 months ago by The Dealer
3.0 out of 5 stars
as short stories go, OK
Characters are not really developed well. So many interesting details could be spelled out here. the book does at times read a bit like it wasn't proof-read. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Diddy
3.0 out of 5 stars
not bad
it was ok, just not sure how believable, especially the part about drinking sea water and they did not get very sickN
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Published 5 months ago by petunia
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lesson Learned???
Never think suicide never give up im not a god person to many have died for him already one resurection/
Published 7 months ago by Dennis Hanley
4.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining
An entertaining read about some boys that endured a very harsh (and foolish) trial lost at sea. Also a great reference for what not to do if you ever encounter a similar trial.
Published 7 months ago by jpick
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