The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea
Meteorologists called the storm that hit North America's eastern seaboard in  October 1991 a "perfect storm" because of the rare combination of factors  that created it. For everyone else, it was perfect hell. InThe Perfect Storm, author  Sebastian Junger conjures for the reader the meteorological conditions that created the  "storm of the century" and the impact the storm had on many of the people  caught in it. Chief among these are the six crew members of the swordfish boat theAndrea Gail, all of whom were lost 500 miles from home beneath roiling seas  and high waves. Working from published material, radio dialogues, eyewitness accounts,  and the experiences of people who have survived similar events, Junger attempts to re-create the last moments of theAndrea Gailas well as the perilous high-seas  rescues of other victims of the storm.Like a Greek drama,The Perfect Stormbuilds slowly and inexorably to its tragic  climax. The book weaves the history of the fishing industry and the science of predicting  storms into the quotidian lives of those aboard theAndrea Gailand of others who  would soon find themselves in the fury of the storm. Junger does a remarkable job of  explaining a convergence of meteorological and human events in terms that make them  both comprehensible and unforgettable.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.