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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
Before reading this story with my son, I had never heard of this sea rescue before. I am overwhelmed at the courage and resilience these brave men showed in the face of such adversity; all in the name of saving 30 plus men from a broken tanker in the middle of a hurricane. The story itself was intriguing, but the authors found it necessary to punctuate the interesting action moments with backstory and exposition, which ground the story to a halt and made it difficult to follow. If the four men's history before the great rescue was so important, perhaps that information should have been placed in the beginning of the book, or at an extended appendix in the back. I did enjoy the pictures in the middle of the novel- it made it all that much more real to me, and I had faces to go with the names. I'm also glad that the authors took the time to talk about the afterward- how they lived their lives following the rescue, what happened to the boat, and what accolades they received. The story itself is important and absolutely needs to be told and not forgotten, but I just wish it was done so in a better, smoother manner.
I originally picked this up so I could read it while my 5th grader was also reading it for a school project. Living near the Cape and multiple Coast Guard stations, we already had the utmost respect and admiration for these brave men and women who risk everything in the worst conditions to keep our boaters safe. Almost weekly in the summer (at least!), we read about heroic efforts by the CG. This book is about their heroics in the most dire of circumstances. It was fascinating to read about what life was like back in the early 50’s—and the note at the end of the book about how the rescue could have gone very differently even just a few years later when helicopters became more common was a stark contrast to modern-day life.
Well written, and a wonderful tribute to all involved.
Well written, and a wonderful tribute to all involved.
Interesting and well-researched. The Author's descriptions made the scenes very real and harrowing. However, he has a tendency to get sidetracked on other historical moments (did we really need to know the story behind the founding of Cape Cod in the middle of the drama?) but it was all on the same thing and reinforced a passion for the subject.
This book was great! Luckily I am very familiar with the geography of Cape Cod and the islands, but it would have been beneficial to include a map with dotted routes of the rescuers and indications of the wrecks along with the old photographs. Highly recommend!
4/5 stars
What an incredibly interesting story. I came to this book because I had watched the movie first and I absolutely loved the history and the story. When I found out there was a book, I had to have it. This is a rare instance where I think the movie is better, more because it's a visual representation and not dragging facts (and also Chris Pine is perfect). But, for being a non-fiction book, it managed to still really paint the picture these men were facing and explain the horrifying truth of that night. It was a bit wordy and threw around facts and backstories and numbers a bit, but overall it was incredibly insightful and a great memoriam of the event.
What an incredibly interesting story. I came to this book because I had watched the movie first and I absolutely loved the history and the story. When I found out there was a book, I had to have it. This is a rare instance where I think the movie is better, more because it's a visual representation and not dragging facts (and also Chris Pine is perfect). But, for being a non-fiction book, it managed to still really paint the picture these men were facing and explain the horrifying truth of that night. It was a bit wordy and threw around facts and backstories and numbers a bit, but overall it was incredibly insightful and a great memoriam of the event.
This was an engaging book. Unsurprisingly, it differs in some ways from the dramatized movie version, but the real story is fully incredible.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
I am utterly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book! It was required reading for work and I wasn't thrilled at first (I typically do not enjoy nonfiction). Aside from the history lessons on Cape Cod an a few other the topics...the main story of the Coast Guard rescue of the crews of the SS Fort Mercer and SS Pendleton was awesome. Has a very 'A Perfect Storm' feel to it. Will be interested to hear my student's opinions.
Well written account of a story that doesn't need much extra effort to heighten the suspense. Was so glad to read that the CG36-500 has been restored, and this story of courage and selflessness is being kept alive.