Unsinkable

Unsinkable A Young Womans Courageous Battle on the High Seas by Abby Sunderland

The stirring narrative of Unsinkable tells 16-year-old Abby Sunderland’s remarkable true story of attempting to become the youngest person ever to sail solo around the world.

More people have flown into outer space than have sailed solo around the globe. It is a challenge so immense that many have died trying, and all have been pushed beyond every physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual limit. In Unsinkable, readers follow Abby Sunderland into those depths. This biography delivers a gripping and evocative firsthand account that starts prior to her departure, travels through her daring (and sometimes near-death) encounters on the open sea, to her dramatic rescue in the remotest corner of the Indian Ocean, and the media explosion that happened upon her safe return to dry land.

Along the way, readers discover what it means to boldly face any challenge, to strive after something great, and to plumb the depths of faith, fear, and desperation only to emerge changed, renewed, and emboldened. In this day and age, when the most productive thing a teenager may do is play videogames, Abby’s ambition and tenacity is a real-life parable of what can happen when we choose to exceed our own limits and strive after what all the naysayers say is impossible.

MY REVIEW:

I had heard about Abby’s trip to be the youngest person to sail around the world solo and unassisted, while she was one it. I had found her blog towards the end of her trip. I wish I had known about it from the beginning of her sailing adventure. Now she has told her story in Unsinkable A Young Womans Courageous Battle on the High Seas.

I found Unsinkable to be a fascinating book. Abby’s story is told in 3 different voices. Abbys, the narrators, and the rescuers. It is not had to follow, though, when the book changes voices. Each voice is represented by a different icon. They put the icon at the beginning of the paragraph when the voice changes. I found it interesting to have the different voices. You don’t just get Abby telling her story, you get the narrator giving you background information, and the rescuers telling about their efforts.

Don’t worry if you don’t know any sailing terms, a brief guide to basic nautical terms is included in the back of the book. I found that very helpful. I have never been sailing, but I have heard several sailing terms before, so with the help of the guide, I had no trouble following along what was happening in the book.

There is a photo section in the middle of the book, where you can see photos of Abby from when she was little, all the way up to when she came home from her sailing adventure.

I think Unsinkable is a must read for teenagers. At a time in their lives when the world is telling them they can’t do anything except hang out with friends and mall hop, Abby shows them a different way. That if they work hard, they can make their dreams come true, even when they are teenagers.