Sebastian Junger does a nice job of writing about a storm that took place off the coast of New England, and the effects it had on the community. And although one might thing a story about a storm might be kind of dull, the storm is really the main character of the book. Every detail on what goes into turning your average run-of-the-mill storm into a 'perfect' storm is well researched and well written. And perhaps most importantly, it is written in such a manner so that the average read isn't lost in a lot of scientific talk.

No matter what your background is, if weather is something that interests you, and on some levels weather and its causes and effects interests everyone, this book is worthwhile reading.

The loss of the men in which you began to love as brothers, sons or friends; The tragedy of the fisherman; The bravery of the rescue services and the relentlessness of the most powerful force on Earth are all drawn together in a devistating and incredible tale.

Forget the film - it's more than just disappointing in comparrison. The Perfect Storm is a modern classic and i'd recommend it without hesitation.

When things go as planned, the life of a fisherman can be adventurous and rewarding. But when the search for sea- dwelling creatures is interrupted by a violent storm, a fun situation can turn critical and even fatal. Such is the case of the men and women who became stranded at sea in the "storm of the century", back in October of 1991. Also referred to as the "perfect storm", this violent act of nature left many people dead without a trace. Author Sebastian Junger wrote this book about the people who were aboard these boats, with quotes from some of the survivors and speculation about what could have happened to those who never returned.

The "Perfect Storm" occurred in the North Atlantic Ocean, just east of the New England states, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. This area is not normally known for producing violent storms, due to its northern latitude. This sudden turn in the weather took everyone by surprise, including those who were out at sea. They had no forewarning about the intensity of this storm, which seemed to brew up out of nowhere. Most of the captains and crew members have dealt with storms before so they knew what procedures to follow. But nothing could properly prepare them for the massive force with which they were suddenly faced.

Junger spends most of this book talking about the people who manned these boats, the events leading up to when they set sail, and the storm itself. Junger is best when he is describing the actual human events during the storms and the heroic efforts of the Coast Guard and Air National Guard to rescue these sailors. Throughout the book, he gets sidetracked from his story and starts talking about statistics and facts about hurricanes, drowning, rainfall, and other data. Some of these facts are interesting and they add to the enjoyment of the book. Other things are annoying and not very useful and they get in the way of the telling of the story.

Junger makes frequent mention of the "Andrea Gail"- one of the boats that was out in the water when the storm picked up speed and was lost without a trace of anything- people or vessel. It was obviously ripped apart in the storm. Junger mentions it from time to time, and he reports the few facts that are known. While the storm is taking place and afterward, when rescue attempts are being made, there is no more contact with the Andrea Gail. Junger provides some speculative guesses about what was likely taking place on the boat, in an effort to keep the reader informed about this particular fishing vessel. But there is no way to know what was really taking place after the radio communication ended suddenly on October 28, 1991.

Junger writes pretty well throughout this book, and he effectively captures the terror that must have been felt by those who were caught in this violent act of nature. The book could have been better, however, if he had included more interviews and quotes from survivors not only on the boats, but also those who were affected when the storm ran ashore and damaged their coastal properties. It also could have been improved with a better ending. Junger ends the writing suddenly, with a few paragraphs about another vessel whose crew was lost in a storm. There is no conclusion or anything to wrap up the book and summarize the key events. It just ends abruptly.

Finding ones' self caught in a bad storm in the middle of the open sea is frequently- occurring nightmare for some people, but it has become reality for a few. This book shows that the life of a fisherman is not all drinking, fun, and games. There are tremendous risks involved when one decides to spend several weeks at sea, and author Sebastian Junger presents a pretty good book about the perils of this lifestyle. It's a book worth reading, although it could have been better with a few improvements.