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megreads95's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
mjex19's review against another edition
4.0
These pirates suck- where’s long John silver when you need him
_grmlin's review against another edition
i didn’t pick it up for days lmao i kinda forgot about it ngl it just didn’t hook me
bookaneer's review against another edition
2.0
My dad's a former able seaman and quartermaster and he loves sharing his sea stories with me. We probably watched Captain Philips (the movie) together twice, complete with running commentary (from his side, obviously). It is one of his favorite movies. The casting director and the screenwriter did a really fine job since this books was just uninspired, to the say the least.
First of all, the encounter at the ship was too short and more pages spent on the captain's background and how the situation at his home. I mean, he could have used the stories from his other 19 crew members to give the readers a more comprehensive picture of the happenings - there were quite a lot even in a short time. Also, he did not even mention what happened to the Leader, who mysteriously disappeared. He was apparently flown to the United States to stand trial and was sentenced 33 year in prison.
And I am not liking this guy at all. Some of his remarks sounded sexist to me, smug, and for sure the behavior was different with Tom Hank's far more sympathetic portrayal (not just because he's, well, Tom Hanks).
The book also needs better editing as some passages are too alike - there are two paragraphs with the almost exact content only one page away from each other.
I appreciate some of the background on merchant mariners and piracy in the Somalian waters, but I suppose there are other better books out there to read about those subjects. I highly recommend [b:The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier|43345615|The Outlaw Ocean Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier|Ian Urbina|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554878215l/43345615._SY75_.jpg|67310429].
First of all, the encounter at the ship was too short and more pages spent on the captain's background and how the situation at his home. I mean, he could have used the stories from his other 19 crew members to give the readers a more comprehensive picture of the happenings - there were quite a lot even in a short time. Also, he did not even mention what happened to the Leader, who mysteriously disappeared. He was apparently flown to the United States to stand trial and was sentenced 33 year in prison.
And I am not liking this guy at all. Some of his remarks sounded sexist to me, smug, and for sure the behavior was different with Tom Hank's far more sympathetic portrayal (not just because he's, well, Tom Hanks).
The book also needs better editing as some passages are too alike - there are two paragraphs with the almost exact content only one page away from each other.
I appreciate some of the background on merchant mariners and piracy in the Somalian waters, but I suppose there are other better books out there to read about those subjects. I highly recommend [b:The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier|43345615|The Outlaw Ocean Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier|Ian Urbina|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554878215l/43345615._SY75_.jpg|67310429].
panda8882's review against another edition
4.0
Read this is as part of my insane-o Oscar challenge to not only see all the nominated movies but to read the books that the nominees for adapted screenplay were based on. That said, this was a really good read. I'm always a little nervous when an everyday joe is writing about his 15 minutes of fame but this guy really delivered. I loved the movie and the book had that same element of excitement (I read it in basically two sittings). But I also loved that he got more into the history of the Merchant Marines and his own personal background too. The only slightly annoying thing was a couple of times where it felt like he was saying "I'm the best and also so very humble." But I wonder if that was some editing at work too. Would definitely recommend.
nkmeyers's review against another edition
3.0
Phillips' memoir primarily covers the time when he was being held hostage in his container ship's lifeboat by Somali pirates.
But an unexpected pleasure is that Phillips also relates stories of his past and family life that help explain how he found himself in such a situation, how & maybe why he behaved as he did when pirates boarded his ship, and what was happening back home during his ordeal.
toward the end, he explains the significance of a Kenyan priest's saying from a homily the family heard & repeated often back in the usa: "God is great" & it's refrain: "always" !
this simple call and refrain lifts both phillips & his wife, and reading about that amidst the otherwise rather grueling and brutal circumstances of his captivity was like finding the pearl in the oyster bed for me !
But an unexpected pleasure is that Phillips also relates stories of his past and family life that help explain how he found himself in such a situation, how & maybe why he behaved as he did when pirates boarded his ship, and what was happening back home during his ordeal.
toward the end, he explains the significance of a Kenyan priest's saying from a homily the family heard & repeated often back in the usa: "God is great" & it's refrain: "always" !
this simple call and refrain lifts both phillips & his wife, and reading about that amidst the otherwise rather grueling and brutal circumstances of his captivity was like finding the pearl in the oyster bed for me !
clarel's review against another edition
3.0
My review is here: http://www.learntodivetoday.co.za/blog/2014/10/26/bookshelf-a-captains-duty/
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