Sole Survivor

This is a fictionalized account of an actual event: 22-year-old Poon Lim's 133 days alone at sea following the WW II sinking in the South Atlantic of the British freighter on which this Chinese steward worked. Based on interviews with Poon, the reconstruction shows us a meek, dependent person who is suddenly thrown on his own resources to remain alive. Although he finds a lightly-stocked emergency raft in the debris of the sunken ship, he immediately encounters the first of many challenges: English-language labels on food cans, flares and other items. Through tortuous trial and error, Poon survives after the supplies run out. He learns to fish with a nail, to collect rainwater and to keep alert despite storms, blazing sun and nighttime cold. Five months later, when he washes ashore in Brazil, he is a matured man. Poon's experience makes for a dignified, uplifting adventure tale. Dolphin Book Club alternate. November