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Title details for Graveyard of the Pacific by Randall Sullivan - Wait list

Graveyard of the Pacific

Shipwreck and Survival on America's Deadliest Waterway

by Randall Sullivan
Lynch Travis
Audiobook
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Off the coast of Oregon, the Columbia River flows into the Pacific Ocean and forms the Columbia River Bar: a watery collision so turbulent and deadly that it's nicknamed the Graveyard of the Pacific. Two thousand ships have been wrecked on the bar since the first European ship dared to try to cross it. Since then, the commercial importance of the Columbia River has only grown, but despite the construction of jetties on either side, the bar remains treacherous. When Randall Sullivan and a friend set out to cross the bar in a two-man kayak, they're met with skepticism and concern. But on a clear day in July 2021, when the tides and weather seem right, they embark. As they plunge through the currents that have taken so many lives, Randall commemorates the brave sailors that made the crossing before him—including his own abusive father, a sailor himself who also once dared to cross the bar—and reflects on toxic masculinity, fatherhood, and what drives men to extremes. Rich with exhaustive research and propulsive narrative, Graveyard of the Pacific follows historical shipwrecks through the moment-by-moment details that often determined whether sailors would live or die, exposing the ways in which boats, sailors, and navigation have changed over the decades. As he makes his way across the bar, floating above the wrecks and across the same currents that have taken so many lives, Randall Sullivan faces the past, both in his own life and on the Columbia River Bar.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 6, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781666635232
      • File size: 265318 KB
      • Duration: 09:12:44

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      October 1, 2023

      The Columbia River Bar, where the Columbia River flows into the Pacific Ocean, has been dubbed the "Graveyard of the Pacific," as thousands of ships and many lives have been lost to its treacherous waters. Journalist and Pulitzer Prize nominee Sullivan (The Curse of Oak Island) recounts the tales of many of these wrecks, illuminating the stories of the people involved. Sullivan is something of a daredevil himself. When he and his friend Ray were both in their late 60s, they attempted to cross the Columbia River Bar in kayaks; their story forms the framework of this book. Sullivan intersperses riveting historical accounts with memories from his and Ray's pasts, detailing the abuse and dysfunctional relationships that shaped both of their lives. Sullivan's examination of how toxic masculinity affected generations of family members is entirely affecting. Lynch Travis narrates in a heartfelt and somber way, but his inconsistent pronunciations of well-known place names might take listeners out of the story. While Travis's pacing is also occasionally awkward, he successfully conveys Sullivan's sincerity. VERDICT A fascinating examination of nautical history and poisonous masculinity that would have benefited from a more practiced narrator.--B. Allison Gray

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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