New Stuff Tuesday – January 8, 2019

Adrift: a true story of love, loss, and survival at sea

Adrift: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea
by Tami Oldham Ashcraft with Susea McGearhart, narrated by Laurence Bourvard
G530.A84 A8 2018
New Arrivals Island, Audiobooks, 2nd Floor

In the audiobook version of Red Sky in Mourning, sailor and author Ashcraft recounts the story of her 41-day ordeal, adrift in the Pacific on a badly damaged sailboat.

The luxury craft that she and her fiancé were to deliver to its owners in San Diego is battered when overtaken by a category four hurricane, and during the storm her fiancé is lost at sea. With main mast broken and electronics rendered useless, she is forced to rely on her essential knowledge of navigation and use of a sextant. Her narrative successfully captures how her sense of loss competes with her sailing skills and survival instinct.

Book cover for Red Sky in Mourning

Red Sky in Mourning (2002)

While the 2018 film adaptation is less harrowing than the true story, she states, “I’m just very pleased that it’s being told at a time when there’s such an empowerment of women. […] I think it’s a time to show some of the strengths that women have, that they can overcome all kinds of obstacles in their lives.”

About Ellen Latorraca

Reference & Instruction Librarian Liaison for the College of Education & Professional Studies
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