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120 reviews for:
The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue
Michael J. Tougias
3.58 AVERAGE
120 reviews for:
The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue
Michael J. Tougias
3.58 AVERAGE
The book on which the movie, The Finest Hours, is based.
Off the coast of Cape Cod, during winter of 1952, a Nor'easter like few others rose up and battered the Eastern Seaboard. Two tankers, the Pendelton and the Fort Mercer were caught in this storm and both broke in two. This is the story of the Coast Guard's attempt to rescue all four halves.
While the movie focuses on just one rescue, CG36500, and Bernie Webber, the book expands on his role and those of the other stalwart Coasties who braved the 75' seas in an attempt to save the men stranded on these broken behemoths.
If you've only seen the movie you only know part of the story. If you've only read the book you've missed an exciting movie that will have you glued to whatever screen you're watching it on. Just don't expect it to stay totally true to the story.
Off the coast of Cape Cod, during winter of 1952, a Nor'easter like few others rose up and battered the Eastern Seaboard. Two tankers, the Pendelton and the Fort Mercer were caught in this storm and both broke in two. This is the story of the Coast Guard's attempt to rescue all four halves.
While the movie focuses on just one rescue, CG36500, and Bernie Webber, the book expands on his role and those of the other stalwart Coasties who braved the 75' seas in an attempt to save the men stranded on these broken behemoths.
If you've only seen the movie you only know part of the story. If you've only read the book you've missed an exciting movie that will have you glued to whatever screen you're watching it on. Just don't expect it to stay totally true to the story.
This one took my a while to get through. I actually put it down for a few days and had to start over, paying close attention to the names in the handy chart in the front. Once I finally got into it, I did enjoy it!
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
4⭐️ rating as a young readers adaptation/ middle grade book. WOW what a remarkable story of calamity and heroism. If you’re an adult reader like me, you’ll notice the writing feels a little choppy and the story is told in pretty simple language- that’s because it’s adapted for kids, so I won’t mark down for that! That being said, I did look up a map of Cape Cod to reference while reading it- lots of locations mentioned and it helped to be able to picture where things were happening. Also had to google some coast guard/mariner lingo that I was unfamiliar with, so I can imagine a younger reader might have similar gaps in knowledge. But regardless, it’s an incredible true story, is a pretty short read, includes some great photographs, and starts out with intense action within the first few pages, so I highly recommend for readers ages 10+ who enjoy survival/rescue stories!
Three stars
Liked:
The authors included histories of some of the men involved. It always helps to know a person better when you get a little background. I also enjoyed the little side stories that helped tie things together and give you pictures of how this disaster spread and affected other people. Loved the story of the seaman who met with "tiny"s family at a store and later had the chance to talk with Weber about it.
The included disasters and rescues prior to and after the Pendleton and Mercer. I enjoyed the stories of prior rescues or missed rescues as well as information about other similar ships splitting in two.
The detail and difficulty of trying to explain a sea rescue to someone who doesn't know the first thing about a boat was pulled off okay. I got how it went down but I'm still pretty sure the vision in my head wasn't exactly correct. I got the gist of it and that's saying a lot with my un-shipworthy knowledge.
Disliked:
Sometimes things were repeated and that bothered me a bit. By the end of the book you are well aware of the danger of the Chatham Bar, but the authors go on about it again.
There were a LOT of men involved in this rescue and so it got very confusing for me sometimes to keep it straight who was who.
Overall I liked it. It is nice to be more aware of the dangers of ships on the East Coast and the brave Coast Guardsmen who stand by to help save them.
Liked:
The authors included histories of some of the men involved. It always helps to know a person better when you get a little background. I also enjoyed the little side stories that helped tie things together and give you pictures of how this disaster spread and affected other people. Loved the story of the seaman who met with "tiny"s family at a store and later had the chance to talk with Weber about it.
The included disasters and rescues prior to and after the Pendleton and Mercer. I enjoyed the stories of prior rescues or missed rescues as well as information about other similar ships splitting in two.
The detail and difficulty of trying to explain a sea rescue to someone who doesn't know the first thing about a boat was pulled off okay. I got how it went down but I'm still pretty sure the vision in my head wasn't exactly correct. I got the gist of it and that's saying a lot with my un-shipworthy knowledge.
Disliked:
Sometimes things were repeated and that bothered me a bit. By the end of the book you are well aware of the danger of the Chatham Bar, but the authors go on about it again.
There were a LOT of men involved in this rescue and so it got very confusing for me sometimes to keep it straight who was who.
Overall I liked it. It is nice to be more aware of the dangers of ships on the East Coast and the brave Coast Guardsmen who stand by to help save them.
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
Note: The book I read is an adaptation for young readers titled The Finest Hours:The True Story of a Heroic Sea Rescue. It was published by the same author in 2014. Goodreads doesn't recognize this adaptation, only the "adult" book. I am including a link that tells a bit more about the version I read:
http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/the-finest-hours-the-true-story-of-a-heroic-sea-rescue.
1) Twin Text: The Daring Coast Guard Rescue of the Pendleton Crew by Theresa Mitchell Barbo and W. Russell Webster, 2013.
2) Rationale: The Finest Hours is the story of how on Feb. 18, 1952, a nor'easter off the coast of Cape Cod tore two oil tankers, The Pendleton and The Fort Mercer, in half. The Coast Guard was able to save 70 of the 84 men who were trapped on the sinking tankers. The Daring Coast Guard Rescue of the Pendleton Crew is a fictionalized version of the rescue featuring a young boy, Jack Nickerson, and his dog who "stow away"on the rescue boat bound for the sinking Pendleton. They get a "front seat" to the action as the crew works to save the sailors. I chose this book as the twin to The Finest Hours because I think first of all, the nonfiction book itself will create interest in the topic and event. Students who get into the nonfiction book can extend their understanding of the events and the people involved through reading this version of the story. I also think that this particular book will appeal to middle-grade boys, who tend to want to read fast-paced, exciting, action books, and this one will fit that bill.
3) The Finest Hours is a combination of description and chronological order. It tells what happened to each ship and how each crew was rescued in the order it happened, but it is also very descriptive and provides the reader with rich details as well as facts.
4) I think a good strategy application to use with both books is chronological sequence. Having students create a time-line of events would help them to stay focused on what is happening in both stories and keep them from getting "lost" in the descriptions of what is happening.
http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/the-finest-hours-the-true-story-of-a-heroic-sea-rescue.
1) Twin Text: The Daring Coast Guard Rescue of the Pendleton Crew by Theresa Mitchell Barbo and W. Russell Webster, 2013.
2) Rationale: The Finest Hours is the story of how on Feb. 18, 1952, a nor'easter off the coast of Cape Cod tore two oil tankers, The Pendleton and The Fort Mercer, in half. The Coast Guard was able to save 70 of the 84 men who were trapped on the sinking tankers. The Daring Coast Guard Rescue of the Pendleton Crew is a fictionalized version of the rescue featuring a young boy, Jack Nickerson, and his dog who "stow away"on the rescue boat bound for the sinking Pendleton. They get a "front seat" to the action as the crew works to save the sailors. I chose this book as the twin to The Finest Hours because I think first of all, the nonfiction book itself will create interest in the topic and event. Students who get into the nonfiction book can extend their understanding of the events and the people involved through reading this version of the story. I also think that this particular book will appeal to middle-grade boys, who tend to want to read fast-paced, exciting, action books, and this one will fit that bill.
3) The Finest Hours is a combination of description and chronological order. It tells what happened to each ship and how each crew was rescued in the order it happened, but it is also very descriptive and provides the reader with rich details as well as facts.
4) I think a good strategy application to use with both books is chronological sequence. Having students create a time-line of events would help them to stay focused on what is happening in both stories and keep them from getting "lost" in the descriptions of what is happening.
After watching the movie, I decided to get the whole story. If you were even mildly interested in the movie, read the book. The full detail of what happened during the rescue of the Pendleton and Mercer is even more amazing.
I live in a landlocked state, so I sometimes forget about the Coast Guard and how they put their lives on the line every day. But that doesn't make me any less thankful to all that serve.
"You have to go out, but you don't have to come back." The motto of true super heroes who don't see themselves as heroes, just folks doing their jobs.
I live in a landlocked state, so I sometimes forget about the Coast Guard and how they put their lives on the line every day. But that doesn't make me any less thankful to all that serve.
"You have to go out, but you don't have to come back." The motto of true super heroes who don't see themselves as heroes, just folks doing their jobs.
A couple of years ago, on vacation in Michigan, we had the chance to see one of these Coast Guard rescue boats and learn about this story (it didn’t happen there, just had some historical connections). Finally took the time to read the book and get the full story. Just a plain good, real-life, edge of your seat story about heroism. Especially if you are intrigued by the sea, boats, storms or the Coast Guard...
Recently when talking with my sister on the phone she mentioned seeing the movie THE FINEST HOURS. I'd never heard of it and watched the trailer while we were talking. My sister also mentioned that she had read the book as well to learn more about the true story. I was ready to start another audiobook and decided to give this book a try. I'm glad my sister recommended it. It was really interesting. The movie is about one ship that is rescued. In actuality there were two ships that night. Both were T2 takers and they both broke in half during a terrible storm on the east coast. Really there were 4 rescues going on.
This books follows the men who were involved in the rescues and what happened but also gives a whole lot of background information to form a whole picture. It was fascinating! I also liked that the author included what happened to the men after the rescue and how their lives were affected by it. I'm excited to see the movie now!
This books follows the men who were involved in the rescues and what happened but also gives a whole lot of background information to form a whole picture. It was fascinating! I also liked that the author included what happened to the men after the rescue and how their lives were affected by it. I'm excited to see the movie now!