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A review by elskabee
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
A very humanistic recounting of historical events. The people involved and their thoughts and experiences are at the heart of the book, which makes sense as journal entries from those involved are a major source of information.
The author also does a good job of outlining the historical context but doesn't get overly bogged down in details. I find these kinds of books to often be extremely dry, but this was highly engaging and almost cinematic at times (I'm not surprised seeing as this is the author of Lost City of Z which got turned into a movie).
I really appreciated the inclusion of discussions of colonialism and racism towards the end of the book. While brief, it gave extra context and acknowledges historical reality rather than ignoring or erasing it.
Dion Graham did an excellent job with the narration too!
The author also does a good job of outlining the historical context but doesn't get overly bogged down in details. I find these kinds of books to often be extremely dry, but this was highly engaging and almost cinematic at times (I'm not surprised seeing as this is the author of Lost City of Z which got turned into a movie).
I really appreciated the inclusion of discussions of colonialism and racism towards the end of the book. While brief, it gave extra context and acknowledges historical reality rather than ignoring or erasing it.
Dion Graham did an excellent job with the narration too!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Abandonment and Animal death
Minor: Cannibalism