In the winter of 1952, New England was battered by the most brutal nor'easter in years. As the weather wreaked havoc on land, the freezing Atlantic became a wind-whipped zone of peril, setting the stage for one of the most heroic rescue stories ever lived.
On February 18, while the storm raged, two oil tankers, the Pendleton and the Fort Mercer, were in the same horrifying predicament. Built with "dirty steel," and not prepared to withstand such ferocious seas, both tankers split in two, leaving the dozens of men on board utterly at the Atlantic's mercy. The Finest Hours is the gripping, true story of the valiant attempt to rescue the souls huddling inside the broken halves of the two ships.
The spellbinding tale is overflowing with breathtaking scenes, as boats capsize, bows and sterns crash into one another, and men hurl themselves into the raging sea in a terrifying battle for survival.
Not all of the eighty-four men caught at sea in the midst of that brutal storm survived, but considering the odds, it's a miracle--and a testament to their bravery--that any at all came home to tell their tales.
About the Author :
Michael J. Tougias is the author and coauthor of more than a dozen books, including two bestselling true-adventure and survival books, Ten Hours Until Dawn: A True Story of Heroism and Tragedy Aboard the Can Do and Fatal Forecast: An Incredible True Tale of Disaster and Survival at Sea. Casey Sherman is considered one of America's preeminent true-crime authors and investigative journalists. His books include The Ice Bucket Challenge; The Finest Hours, coauthored with Michael J. Tougias and made into a major motion picture by Walt Disney Pictures; Animal: The Bloody Rise and Fall of the Mob's Most Feared Assassin; Search for the Strangler; and Bad Blood. He has been a finalist for the Massachusetts Book of the Year honors and the New Hampshire Literary Awards nonfiction prize. He has been a featured guest on NBC's Today and Dateline; CBS's The Early Show, 48 Hours, and the CBS Evening News; ABC World News Tonight, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Discovery, The History Channel, A&E, The Travel Channel, and The View.
Malcolm Hillgartner is an accomplished actor, writer, and musician. Named an AudioFile Best Voice of 2013 and the recipient of several Earphones Awards, he has narrated over 250 audiobooks.
Review :
"A gripping read."
-- "James Bradley, New York Times bestselling author"
"A rousing page-turner, a fascinating history, and an inspiring ode to the courage and professionalism of men who face bitter winds and black mountainous seas...all to do a dangerous job."
-- "William Martin, New York Times bestselling author"
"Gripping...Will make readers appreciate the bravery of the men who put their lives on the line."
-- "Publishers Weekly"
"It's good to know that real heroes exist...Incredible."
-- "Concord Monitor "
"Narrator Malcolm Hillgartner's approach is a combination of you-are-there suspense and historical narrative that catches the listener's undivided attention...This is an edge-of-your seat true-life adventure not be missed."
-- "AudioFile"
"Nearly fifty-seven years later, it's a breathtaking story that still defies the imagination."
-- "Cape Cod Chronicle "
"This book captures the wit, grit, and sacrifice of Coasties and their boats."
-- "Minneapolis Star Tribune"
"Tougias and Sherman have told a mesmerizing story about Coast Guardsmen under the stress of extreme conditions and the self-imposed pressure to perform...The real miracle is that such performances are timeless."
-- "James Loy, former commandant of the United States Coast Guard"
"Tougias and Sherman never sensationalize, never go beyond the facts, and yet capture all the pain, physical and emotional, of the survivors and their families."
-- "Providence Journal"
"Tougias and Sherman reach their peak of tension in the sink-or-swim moments when mariners abandoned ship and chanced their lives on their rescuers' skill and bravery...Excellent."
-- "Booklist"
