REVENGE OF THE WHALE: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex
Nathaniel Philbrick, . . Puffin, $7.99 (164pp) ISBN 978-0-14-240068-5
In what PW
called "a tale worthy of Ahab," this book describes the events of November 20, 1820, when a sperm whale took vengeance on the men who would slay it for oil. Adapted from the bestselling title for adults, In the Heart of the Sea
. Ages 10-up. (Mar.)
REVENGE OF THE WHALE: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex
Nathaniel Philbrick
Ahoy! From the first strains of the sea chantey that opens this solid program, listeners will be swept back to an exciting and busy time in maritime history. Mali performs a keen reading that Continue reading »
In this remarkable effort, National Book Award–winner Philbrick (In the Heart of the Sea
) examines the history of Plymouth Colony. In the early 17th Continue reading »
What makes Philbrick's book so fascinating and accessible—the way he turns the Pilgrim legend on its head and shakes out fresh insights from the crusty old mythology we all absorbed in Continue reading »
The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Nathaniel Philbrick
Philbrick here takes on an oft-told tale, replete with its dashing, flawed main character, its historically doomed, noble Native chief, and a battlefield strewn with American corpses. While off Continue reading »
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
Nathaniel Philbrick
In 1821, a whaling ship came upon a small boat off the coast of Chile containing two deranged men surrounded by human bones that they alternately chewed and clutched to their shriveled bodies. The Continue reading »
With woody intonation and a suitably somber cadence, Tony Award-winning actor Herrmann reads this chilling tale of the Essex, a whaling ship that was sunk in the middle of the Pacific by an 80-foot Continue reading »
Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex
Nathaniel Philbrick
For older readers, Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick describes a tale worthy of Ahab: on November 20, 1820, an angry sperm whale took vengeance on Continue reading »
Answering the negative of Philbrick’s titular question is easy: Moby-Dick is intimidatingly large, scientifically rigorous, esoteric, and to some, may seem outdated. While the size of The Whale Continue reading »
Like most popular historians, Philbrick (Mayflower) writes about discrete events, not large developments. And he’s good at it, even if the larger context is rarely considered and critical analysis Continue reading »
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Nathaniel Philbrick
By recounting inconvenient truths, including “how patriotic zeal had lapsed into cynicism and self-interest,” Philbrick (Mayflower) once again casts new light on a period of American history Continue reading »
Ben’s Revolution: Benjamin Russell and the Battle of Bunker Hill
Nathaniel Philbrick
Philbrick draws on an episode recounted in his 2013 adult work, Bunker Hill, focusing on 13-year-old Benjamin Russell during the 1775 battle. In one-to-two page chapters, interspersed with Continue reading »
In the Hurricane’s Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown
Nathaniel Philbrick
Philbrick follows up his previous popular history illuminating lesser-known aspects of the Revolutionary War (Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Continue reading »
In Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, And The Fate Of The American Revolution, National Book Award winner Nathaniel Philbrick explores the tragic relationship Continue reading »
Weber stirringly organizes a northerly annum’s chronology into winter questions, spring feelings, summer wishes, and fall thoughts in this exuberant seasonal accounting, which Continue reading »
A World Without Summer: A Volcano Erupts, a Creature Awakens, and the Sun Goes Out
Nicholas Day
Day (The Mona Lisa Vanishes) and Imamura (Love in the Library) chronicle the story of Mount Tambora’s 1815 volcanic eruption in this intense accounting. Across four parts, Continue reading »
Silenced Voices: Reclaiming Memories from the Guatemalan Genocide
Pablo Leon
In a solo debut, Leon (Miles Morales: Stranger Tides) delivers a potent graphic novel examination of the effects of the Guatemalan civil war on its people. In 2013, Continue reading »
Arnold (I Was Told There Would Be Romance) wields a fantastical premise to examine the effects of systemic racism in this speculative social justice narrative. Fifteen-year-old Continue reading »