Revenge of the Whale

by Nathaniel Philbrick

First published 2003

It should have been a routine whaling expedition. But when the Essex is rammed and sunk by a vengeful whale, twenty young crewmen find themselves adrift in the vast Pacific. With meager supplies and no land in sight, they must battle hunger, thirst, and the ever-present threat of the open ocean. As the days turn to weeks, their odds of rescue grow slimmer, and they're forced to make unthinkable choices to stay alive. Revenge of the Whale is the gripping true story of ordinary men pushed to the extremes of human endurance.

Genres: biography, historical-fiction, adventure, 19th-century

Vibes: emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Tropes: based-on-true-events, man-vs-nature

Setting: Pacific Ocean

164 pages · Paperback · Scholastic Inc.

Content warnings: death, violence

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