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Ten Degrees of Reckoning
This is the true story of a family who fulfilled their lifelong dream, only to have it evolve into everyone's worst nightmare. It takes courage, commitment, passion, and patience to embrace life fully. The Sleavin family, two adults and their two children, possessed those qualities, and realized their dream to sail around the world in their 47-foot boat, the Melinda Lee. They experienced indescribable beauty, rewarding challenges, deep and meaningful encounters, and a wholly shared understanding of the world and of one another during their meticulously planned and crafted out-of-the ordinary family adventure. The author, a veteran sailor herself, uses her personal experience to take the reader on an ocean voyage, and shares the Sleavins' travels while she provides a backdrop of intriguing facts and information. Three years into the circumnavigation, not far from the shores of New Zealand, a ship, thousands of tons of steel, loaded with thousands of tons of timber, altered its course by a mere ten degrees, and everything changed. Every, single, thing. Based upon exclusive interviews with the survivor and other significant individuals, the author takes both an investigational and philosophical approach in order to depict the mystery of the tragedy and its aftermath. This is not a book about sailing, although life at sea is re-created with insight and familiarity. This is a universal tale about love and loss, humanity and inhumanity. This is a story that compels the reader to question and examine one's own behavior when circumstances alter the way we live. This is a story about facing our fears and striving to embrace life, every day.
304 pages, Paperback
First published November 11, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
March 24, 2013
This is one of those stories of tragedy at sea that that is hard to read. As a coastal sailor familiar with this unforgiving part of the coast it is somewhat of a miracle that Judith Sleavin washed up just where she did.
The horror of the moment of separation with her husband and little girl I found difficult to read.
As I read this book some time ago, the details have escaped me but something of personal interest is that I know one of the Police officers that was assigned to join in the search for survivors. He was in fact the one who spotted Mrs. Sleavin from the air in an area known as Deep Water Cove- an isolated and rugged piece of coastline. This guy is a no-nonsense officer not given to wild imagination and yet when I questioned him, having read a mention of his name in the book, he gave me some interesting thoughts that never came out in the story.
When he first saw the boat tender or life-raft on the coastline, he was quite certain there were two others with her, he felt he saw three- not one person. When I questioned him a little further on this- because there was only one survivor- he said he did not put it in the official report, but his personal conclusion was an angelic host was with Judith Sleavin on that otherwise lonely shore.
The horror of the moment of separation with her husband and little girl I found difficult to read.
As I read this book some time ago, the details have escaped me but something of personal interest is that I know one of the Police officers that was assigned to join in the search for survivors. He was in fact the one who spotted Mrs. Sleavin from the air in an area known as Deep Water Cove- an isolated and rugged piece of coastline. This guy is a no-nonsense officer not given to wild imagination and yet when I questioned him, having read a mention of his name in the book, he gave me some interesting thoughts that never came out in the story.
When he first saw the boat tender or life-raft on the coastline, he was quite certain there were two others with her, he felt he saw three- not one person. When I questioned him a little further on this- because there was only one survivor- he said he did not put it in the official report, but his personal conclusion was an angelic host was with Judith Sleavin on that otherwise lonely shore.
January 10, 2010
A sad, yet remarkable, true story. One of the reasons for writing this were to make people aware of Maritime issues. The book does this without being boring to a non-sailor/cruiser. The writing is simple and clear, and without sensationalism.
February 6, 2019
How do you even comment on a book like this, much less “review” it. I’ve read hundreds of tragedy stories but this just rattled me to the core. I hope Judith Sleavin continues to heal and find a measure of joy in her life, which I’m sure she has and will. The author, Hester Rumberg, is a compassionate and great author. I was well educated about the sea throughout the book, it’s dangers, laws, complexities, enough to make my head swim. I hope others will learn what horrific consequences their lack of experience can have at sea, that countries will hold their companies to higher standards.. I guess most of all I wish the South Korean company - Pan Ocean Shipping Company - could be boycotted and put out of business. What a disgraceful irresponsible unethical company they are.
April 4, 2019
This true story of adventure, tragedy and loss is both heart-breaking and inspiring. In 1993, the Sleavin family set out to live their dream of sailing around the world. As the reader begins to share that journey, there are so many wonderful episodes along the way that make one love this family. Then tragedy strikes, and life changes forever. The writing will well-done and vivid. Along with the sadness, the author details the legalities, lawsuits, and cover-ups that come in the aftermath.
August 7, 2011
Brief Description: In 1993, Judith and Michael Sleavin and their two children, Ben and Annie, set out to live their dream: to sail around the world. But one night, a freighter off the coast of New Zealand altered its course by a mere ten degrees and caused catastrophic damage to the Sleavin’s sailboat. With her son Ben immediately lost, Judith, Michael and Annie struggled to survive through the night. Only Judith made it—surviving 44 hours in the water, with a back broken in several places and paralyzed below the waist. With little to live for, Judith nevertheless recovered, though she suffered one of the worst cases of post-traumatic stress syndrome ever documented. Driven by her need to see justice and help ensure that the accident that killed her family wouldn’t happen again, Judith struggled to create a life for herself despite often feeling that she had nothing to live for.
My Thoughts: This is a difficult review to write as I had to separate out the story of what happened to the Sleavins and the book itself. What happened to the Sleavin family is heart-breaking, chilling and oddly compelling. I can’t even imagine the pain and fear that Judith Sleavin must have experienced in those 44 hours until she was saved. Losing your family right before your eyes in such traumatic circumstances would make it difficult to go on. The book certainly doesn’t sugarcoat Judith’s recovery, and it seems that she is still broken in many ways. The fact that Judith chose not to share her story until years afterward made me admire her for not capitalizing on the tragedy of her family. Her motivations for sharing her story seem honest and true. In fact, she chose her close friend Dr. Hester Rumberg to tell her story, a decision that I’m sure allowed her to open up about her tragedy with less stress.
Although Rumberg does her best to tell the Sleavin’s story as objectively as possible, therein lies the problem with the book: the narration is just too clinical and objective to be affecting. The story never fully came alive for me, and I think this was due to the nature of the writing. Although the writing is competent and workmanlike, it just doesn’t have the emotional impact that you would expect from a story like this. The fact that I didn’t shed a tear surprised me. This is a real tragedy, and yet I felt oddly unaffected while reading. I would have loved to see someone like Jon Krakauer or Sebastian Junger tell this story instead. Both of those writers are masters at telling nonfiction stories that make the story fully come alive while still maintaining a journalistic distance. Sadly, this book just didn’t have the emotional “oomph” it should have had …though I certainly don’t mean to take away anything from Judith Sleavin’s story itself.
My Thoughts: This is a difficult review to write as I had to separate out the story of what happened to the Sleavins and the book itself. What happened to the Sleavin family is heart-breaking, chilling and oddly compelling. I can’t even imagine the pain and fear that Judith Sleavin must have experienced in those 44 hours until she was saved. Losing your family right before your eyes in such traumatic circumstances would make it difficult to go on. The book certainly doesn’t sugarcoat Judith’s recovery, and it seems that she is still broken in many ways. The fact that Judith chose not to share her story until years afterward made me admire her for not capitalizing on the tragedy of her family. Her motivations for sharing her story seem honest and true. In fact, she chose her close friend Dr. Hester Rumberg to tell her story, a decision that I’m sure allowed her to open up about her tragedy with less stress.
Although Rumberg does her best to tell the Sleavin’s story as objectively as possible, therein lies the problem with the book: the narration is just too clinical and objective to be affecting. The story never fully came alive for me, and I think this was due to the nature of the writing. Although the writing is competent and workmanlike, it just doesn’t have the emotional impact that you would expect from a story like this. The fact that I didn’t shed a tear surprised me. This is a real tragedy, and yet I felt oddly unaffected while reading. I would have loved to see someone like Jon Krakauer or Sebastian Junger tell this story instead. Both of those writers are masters at telling nonfiction stories that make the story fully come alive while still maintaining a journalistic distance. Sadly, this book just didn’t have the emotional “oomph” it should have had …though I certainly don’t mean to take away anything from Judith Sleavin’s story itself.
March 31, 2009
The basic story is riveting, but I did not enjoy the writing at all.
The gist: Woman loses her family in a shipwreck, but she beats amazing odds to survive.
It was written by a radiologist and boy can you tell. At times, I thought it was endearing to hear the story through a friend's voice, but ultimately we got less close to the subject because of it. She dwelled on meaningless details and blew past (or omitted) meaningful ones.
Normally I'd shrug my shoulders, but I got increasingly annoyed because what happened was so amazing and I felt like I was missing out on such a great story because she wasn't telling it well. This could have been an amazing nonfiction narrative. I actually stopped reading and rewrote one scene that had a lot of decent details but used poorly, just because it hurt to read.
My breaking point: When the author started blathering about where she was on 9/11. I would have saved my breaking point if I knew a short bit later she'd write about writing the book. Every time the author injected herself into the story, it was absolutely terrible. It never showed her passion or emotion toward the situation, which is the only thing I might have cared about from her.
All in all, I'm still glad I read it because what happened to the main character was so crazy. However, I wish someone else had written this book.
The gist: Woman loses her family in a shipwreck, but she beats amazing odds to survive.
It was written by a radiologist and boy can you tell. At times, I thought it was endearing to hear the story through a friend's voice, but ultimately we got less close to the subject because of it. She dwelled on meaningless details and blew past (or omitted) meaningful ones.
Normally I'd shrug my shoulders, but I got increasingly annoyed because what happened was so amazing and I felt like I was missing out on such a great story because she wasn't telling it well. This could have been an amazing nonfiction narrative. I actually stopped reading and rewrote one scene that had a lot of decent details but used poorly, just because it hurt to read.
My breaking point: When the author started blathering about where she was on 9/11. I would have saved my breaking point if I knew a short bit later she'd write about writing the book. Every time the author injected herself into the story, it was absolutely terrible. It never showed her passion or emotion toward the situation, which is the only thing I might have cared about from her.
All in all, I'm still glad I read it because what happened to the main character was so crazy. However, I wish someone else had written this book.
July 1, 2010
Ten Degrees of Reckoning is the true story of one family that realized their dream of taking their sailboat on a trip around the world until, one dark and stormy night, a series of bad decisions by one freighter lead to tragic consequences.
This book is an absolute tearjerker. The story itself will leave you speechless; the lack of justice that followed the tragedy will make you angry. But I still found myself heartened by the family's journey, all the things they got to see and experiences they got to have before the tragedy - I was jealous!
The story was written by a friend of the family. It is not an objective book, but it is fairly well-written and very quick to read, if you're not too busy crying.
This book is an absolute tearjerker. The story itself will leave you speechless; the lack of justice that followed the tragedy will make you angry. But I still found myself heartened by the family's journey, all the things they got to see and experiences they got to have before the tragedy - I was jealous!
The story was written by a friend of the family. It is not an objective book, but it is fairly well-written and very quick to read, if you're not too busy crying.
June 14, 2023
A heartbreaking story of a family that knew what it meant to be fully alive.
Blown away by Judy’s perseverance as she survived the crash, the death of her son, watching her husband and daughter slip from her hands in the icy waters of the coast of New Zealand and overcome a severe head and back injury. Still in disbelief by the lack of care and negligence the Pan Grace ship and it’s shipping showed as all nautical laws and regulations were dismissed after colliding and sinking with the Melinda Lee.
Would definitely recommend but, it’s not for the faint of heart.
Blown away by Judy’s perseverance as she survived the crash, the death of her son, watching her husband and daughter slip from her hands in the icy waters of the coast of New Zealand and overcome a severe head and back injury. Still in disbelief by the lack of care and negligence the Pan Grace ship and it’s shipping showed as all nautical laws and regulations were dismissed after colliding and sinking with the Melinda Lee.
Would definitely recommend but, it’s not for the faint of heart.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2024
Whipped through this was so good
November 3, 2023
Very emotionally pulling book. It got me crying within the first 100 pages. Such a compelling story about getting though a horrific event and holding your head high after it. This story made me love humans. Where they can be so compassionate at times while others can’t see anyone but themselves. A wild ride that made me happy and sad. This book also being about sailing further puts me into a hating boats mindset. No one should be on the ocean. That is for fish. We are made for land. Over all a very compelling book that I highly recommend to anyone. Makes me live in the present and remember to take in the small things.
April 24, 2009
I'll never forget this book, this woman and her story.
This is s true story of seagoing terror unknown to most contemporary people.
The reader knows up front that 3 people die and one lives. She lives for one reason: to tell the story of the murder of her family at sea and to provide the details to help find the murderers.
Her survival from a gigantic freighter smashing into her family's ocean yacht was amazing and against horrifying odds.
But that was only the beginning of her survival. The worst was yet to come: she had to live moment by moment without the loving presence of her husband, 4 yr old and 7 yr old and was tormented forever by their deaths in front of her. How does one do that?
Superlatives don't begin to indicate the raw power of Judith's story.
"Courageous" is a weak word to describe her grittiness.
More terrible than her story though is that most of the huge ships on our planet's oceans are not registered in countries that care what crimes they commit on the oceans and never follow up on the murders, refusals to render aid to a damaged boat and survivors, etc. That's really scary!
This is s true story of seagoing terror unknown to most contemporary people.
The reader knows up front that 3 people die and one lives. She lives for one reason: to tell the story of the murder of her family at sea and to provide the details to help find the murderers.
Her survival from a gigantic freighter smashing into her family's ocean yacht was amazing and against horrifying odds.
But that was only the beginning of her survival. The worst was yet to come: she had to live moment by moment without the loving presence of her husband, 4 yr old and 7 yr old and was tormented forever by their deaths in front of her. How does one do that?
Superlatives don't begin to indicate the raw power of Judith's story.
"Courageous" is a weak word to describe her grittiness.
More terrible than her story though is that most of the huge ships on our planet's oceans are not registered in countries that care what crimes they commit on the oceans and never follow up on the murders, refusals to render aid to a damaged boat and survivors, etc. That's really scary!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2009
Oh my holy lord. This book is the factual account of a grisly sailboat crash that claims the lives an entire family minus the mother who witnessed the slow, watery deaths of her loved ones. The first half of the story paints the picture of a disturbingly happy and well-adjusted foursome, mother, father, and towheaded, precocious son and daughter who make a go at living the dream, sailing around tropical islands and collecting shells which they give to each other as birthday gifts. The second half details the legal fall-out from the mother's attempt to bring justice for her family by hunting down the South Korean tanker which killed them all because it didn't put its night lights on and stuff. No work of art here. Just a horrifying minute-by-minute retailing of one of the worst things that could actually happen to a human being. Again, I read this because I snatched a free galley. Now you don't have to read it yourself I guess. You're welcome?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2011
After sailing the world for three years with their two young children, Mike & Judy Sleavin's sailboat was rammed in the middle of the night and only Judy survived. I don't think that's a spoiler because all this information is on the book jacket! Twelve years later, Judy asked her close friend Hester Rumberg to write the story. Hester is actually a radiologist in Seattle but she is also a very gifted writer. I particularly liked the way she handled the details of the loss of Mike & Ben & Annie with subtlety and still conveyed the horror of the scene. For anyone who wonders "How could a person even go on living after that?", Hester writes with great honesty about Judy's struggles to achieve a new normal. I thought perhaps this story would be too sad and dark but I felt the author took on that challenge and succeeded at turning it into a triumph of Judy's spirit and courage.
March 9, 2013
A true and heart breaking story about the Sleavin family (Michael, Judith and their two children) who set out in 1993 to sail around the world. One night off the coast of New Zealand a freighter altered its course by ten degrees resulting in a collision with the sailboat. After nearly two days in the water Judith miraculously survived the ordeal with a broken back and paralyzed from the waist down. It took her twelve years to finally ask her best friend Hester Rumberg to write her story. Very tragic and compelling!
February 18, 2013
made more compelling because the story is about our new neighbor who opened a wonderful cafe called Songbird. Gripping tale of loss of a husband and two children in a sailing accident. She persevered to make sure that the world knew what happened and who was responsible for destroying a family's dream.
June 15, 2013
A riveting story of courage and survival. While I agree that the writing could have been better, the story carried me over it with little or no trouble. I'm thankful the story was told and that I had a chance to read it.
July 16, 2021
The book was written by a family friend who pretty much devoted her life to helping the mother recover, but she was not a good writer, and it was often hard (for me) to follow.
3 parts (though not really divided this way in the book)
Part 1-The family’s life before their “cruiser” life (ocean going people who make long term voyages). Their life before becoming a family and the subsequent preparations they make for their life at sea.
Very interesting. Early on in their life together they started making plans to purchase the boat they need (a 47 foot sailboat purchased on the east coast and shipped to the west coast where they lived), and make detailed plans for what they’ll need.
Part 2-The actual voyage up until the tragedy. The family was full of life and had many happy times together and with friends also sailing, as well as family meeting and traveling with them. They made disciplined efforts to home school their children while on the ship.
Part 3-The tragedy, told in detail (the husband/father and both children died…the boy went down with the ship, never seen. The father and young girl died of hypothermia when the ship who destroyed their boat intentionally ignored their pleas for rescue). The mother who was dressed warmly due to being on watch at the time of the crash, survived, though she was badly injured.
Too much to detail here, as far as the actual crash off the coast of New Zealand. They were 28 miles from their intended port when it happened. The mother and father took 3 hour watches and were very diligent about taking as many precautions as they could. They had purchased devices to make their ship more visible to radar. He had purchased a special device to be used in the event of an emergency, tragically left behind in the chaos of abandoning ship (although it is questionable if it could have been found, as their boat was totally destroyed and quickly sank. They had a fully provisioned lifeboat, but again, could not be found/used. They did have a small dingy that saved the mother’s life, but it frequently overturned due to the ship’s wake (the ship that rammed them), as well as the fairly rough seas at the time of the accident. At any rate, the mother had to watch her husband and daughter die, after the ship ignored their plight.
The ship was eventually located and damages were sought, but though it was conclusively proven to be the culprit, due to paint matching and crew testimony, South Korea, the flag country, refused to prosecute. I think the civil trial that followed secured some financial reward, but if it did, how much or if was unclear.
The mother, Judy Sleavin, had severe physical problems, (broken back and brain damage due to head injury), but the more serious effects were the severe PTSD and frustration from no satisfaction given from the shipping company, though many people worked tirelessly to put the case together.
The book was written by a family friend who pretty much devoted her life to helping the mother recover, but she was not a good writer, and it was often hard (for me) to follow.
3 parts (though not really divided this way in the book)
Part 1-The family’s life before their “cruiser” life (ocean going people who make long term voyages). Their life before becoming a family and the subsequent preparations they make for their life at sea.
Very interesting. Early on in their life together they started making plans to purchase the boat they need (a 47 foot sailboat purchased on the east coast and shipped to the west coast where they lived), and make detailed plans for what they’ll need.
Part 2-The actual voyage up until the tragedy. The family was full of life and had many happy times together and with friends also sailing, as well as family meeting and traveling with them. They made disciplined efforts to home school their children while on the ship.
Part 3-The tragedy, told in detail (the husband/father and both children died…the boy went down with the ship, never seen. The father and young girl died of hypothermia when the ship who destroyed their boat intentionally ignored their pleas for rescue). The mother who was dressed warmly due to being on watch at the time of the crash, survived, though she was badly injured.
Too much to detail here, as far as the actual crash off the coast of New Zealand. They were 28 miles from their intended port when it happened. The mother and father took 3 hour watches and were very diligent about taking as many precautions as they could. They had purchased devices to make their ship more visible to radar. He had purchased a special device to be used in the event of an emergency, tragically left behind in the chaos of abandoning ship (although it is questionable if it could have been found, as their boat was totally destroyed and quickly sank. They had a fully provisioned lifeboat, but again, could not be found/used. They did have a small dingy that saved the mother’s life, but it frequently overturned due to the ship’s wake (the ship that rammed them), as well as the fairly rough seas at the time of the accident. At any rate, the mother had to watch her husband and daughter die, after the ship ignored their plight.
The ship was eventually located and damages were sought, but though it was conclusively proven to be the culprit, due to paint matching and crew testimony, South Korea, the flag country, refused to prosecute. I think the civil trial that followed secured some financial reward, but if it did, how much or if was unclear.
The mother, Judy Sleavin, had severe physical problems, (broken back and brain damage due to head injury), but the more serious effects were the severe PTSD and frustration from no satisfaction given from the shipping company, though many people worked tirelessly to put the case together.
The book was written by a family friend who pretty much devoted her life to helping the mother recover, but she was not a good writer, and it was often hard (for me) to follow.
March 30, 2022
Feels a bit harsh to rate this a 2 star, but it really wasn't very good.
This is the story of a family who were sailing around the world, and when they near New Zealand, they end up shipwrecked very close to shore, but in a storm at night, they're not able to do much of anything.
The author is not an author by trade or training, and it shows. The story was formatted in a way that really detracted from the story. Right was the action is happening, the story whips back to the family back in Panama or Mexico or US, and it goes on and on for a long time about their interactions with people, other sailors, whoever. If the book had lead with this stuff it would have let us get to know the family, without being a distraction. As it was, I hated reading this parts and found them quite boring.
There were only a few chapters about the actual accident and rescue, then the rest are about what happens after the accident. There is a ton of grief and PTSD and honestly, that was also terribly boring to read. I am sympathetic to the family, but I thought I was going to read about the wreck, when nearly all of the book was about before the wreck, then after the wreck.
I think that in part, this just wasn't the kind of book I thought it was going to be, and wasn't the kind of book I like, but I also think it wasn't written particularly well. Part because the author isn't really an author, but also, she is the friend of one of the people involved in the wreck, and was writing it basically at her request. I think for that reason, this is more of a fluff piece, written with love by a friend, but as a reader, it wasn't good.
Anyways, I guess I would recommend this for people who wanna read about someone struggle with PTSD and would not recommend it for people who wanna read about the shipwreck portion of the story.
This is the story of a family who were sailing around the world, and when they near New Zealand, they end up shipwrecked very close to shore, but in a storm at night, they're not able to do much of anything.
The author is not an author by trade or training, and it shows. The story was formatted in a way that really detracted from the story. Right was the action is happening, the story whips back to the family back in Panama or Mexico or US, and it goes on and on for a long time about their interactions with people, other sailors, whoever. If the book had lead with this stuff it would have let us get to know the family, without being a distraction. As it was, I hated reading this parts and found them quite boring.
There were only a few chapters about the actual accident and rescue, then the rest are about what happens after the accident. There is a ton of grief and PTSD and honestly, that was also terribly boring to read. I am sympathetic to the family, but I thought I was going to read about the wreck, when nearly all of the book was about before the wreck, then after the wreck.
I think that in part, this just wasn't the kind of book I thought it was going to be, and wasn't the kind of book I like, but I also think it wasn't written particularly well. Part because the author isn't really an author, but also, she is the friend of one of the people involved in the wreck, and was writing it basically at her request. I think for that reason, this is more of a fluff piece, written with love by a friend, but as a reader, it wasn't good.
Anyways, I guess I would recommend this for people who wanna read about someone struggle with PTSD and would not recommend it for people who wanna read about the shipwreck portion of the story.
December 1, 2019
Barb lent me this book and said it was riveting. Riveting it is, but also terrifying, enraging, heartbreaking ... and touching, informative, and hopeful. That's a lot out of one tale.
You know that three of four family members died at sea after a boat wreck from the very beginning, so I'm not spoiling anything. I noticed I read more slowly in the beginning, when it was delightful to learn about how a family with two young children comes to sail around the world. Then the wreck happens, which is harrowing. I read more quickly there because it was all just too awful. Then there is still nearly half the book left, in which we learn about the rescue and recovery of Judy Sleavin. We also learn a lot about maritime law and the particular lawsuit against a Korean freighter that slammed into the Melinda Lee and then did not stop to provide aid.
In some ways, the last section was the worst, because readers are reminded what incredible power we humans have given large corporations and how they exist to create profit in all situations. The fact that neither Pan Ocean nor any of its employees were not brought to justice, despite overwhelming scientific evidence of their wrongdoing, was infuriating. Even more maddening were the tactics used to wear down the victim, as well as the stance of U.S. lawmakers regarding legislation that could have improved accountability. BLECH!
I was happy to learn more about the "cruising" community, though. And New Zealand sounds like a wonderful place to live. More human-focused than other places.
You know that three of four family members died at sea after a boat wreck from the very beginning, so I'm not spoiling anything. I noticed I read more slowly in the beginning, when it was delightful to learn about how a family with two young children comes to sail around the world. Then the wreck happens, which is harrowing. I read more quickly there because it was all just too awful. Then there is still nearly half the book left, in which we learn about the rescue and recovery of Judy Sleavin. We also learn a lot about maritime law and the particular lawsuit against a Korean freighter that slammed into the Melinda Lee and then did not stop to provide aid.
In some ways, the last section was the worst, because readers are reminded what incredible power we humans have given large corporations and how they exist to create profit in all situations. The fact that neither Pan Ocean nor any of its employees were not brought to justice, despite overwhelming scientific evidence of their wrongdoing, was infuriating. Even more maddening were the tactics used to wear down the victim, as well as the stance of U.S. lawmakers regarding legislation that could have improved accountability. BLECH!
I was happy to learn more about the "cruising" community, though. And New Zealand sounds like a wonderful place to live. More human-focused than other places.
July 20, 2017
I first heard about this book when the subject of it, Judy Sleaven, participated in a "Glass Heals" video for Bullseye Glass. Judy and I are acquaintances through the Oregon Glass Guild, and I never would have guessed that she had been through anything like this.
I don't have words for how moving this story is. I cried, hard, as I read the first half or so of the book. (Maybe a little more so because I had this small connection to Judy, or maybe I would have cried just as hard anyway. Hard to tell.)
The book is riveting despite being heart breaking. You won't want to put it down. It's a good thing it's relatively short (about 250 pages, I think. But I read it on my Kindle so I'm not sure) so while it makes for a long night, it won't stretch out over multiple nights unless, like me, you put it down to catch your breath and stop crying. But I couldn't put it down for long, and I read the book in about three sessions with it.
I don't think I would have had the strength to survive what Judy went through when a large shipping vessel collided with her sailboat miles from the New Zealand coast, killing her family one by one. (This isn't a spoiler -- it's essentially on the back cover summary.)
I highly recommend this book, even for people who, like me, don't usually read memoirs or non-fiction.
I don't have words for how moving this story is. I cried, hard, as I read the first half or so of the book. (Maybe a little more so because I had this small connection to Judy, or maybe I would have cried just as hard anyway. Hard to tell.)
The book is riveting despite being heart breaking. You won't want to put it down. It's a good thing it's relatively short (about 250 pages, I think. But I read it on my Kindle so I'm not sure) so while it makes for a long night, it won't stretch out over multiple nights unless, like me, you put it down to catch your breath and stop crying. But I couldn't put it down for long, and I read the book in about three sessions with it.
I don't think I would have had the strength to survive what Judy went through when a large shipping vessel collided with her sailboat miles from the New Zealand coast, killing her family one by one. (This isn't a spoiler -- it's essentially on the back cover summary.)
I highly recommend this book, even for people who, like me, don't usually read memoirs or non-fiction.
May 14, 2021
A truly affecting book.
As the family started out on their adventure it was aspirational and inspirational. They had a dream and went for it and did it well.
The description of the tragedy itself was heart wrenching and difficult to read, but gave the foundation for the sheer strength and willpower that Judith digs into not just to survive the initial wreck, but to live day to day in the aftermath, and then to fight for justice for her family.
An astounding woman. The author has done a wonderful job of sharing her story.
I read this book a few years ago and it has stayed with me ever since.
As the family started out on their adventure it was aspirational and inspirational. They had a dream and went for it and did it well.
The description of the tragedy itself was heart wrenching and difficult to read, but gave the foundation for the sheer strength and willpower that Judith digs into not just to survive the initial wreck, but to live day to day in the aftermath, and then to fight for justice for her family.
An astounding woman. The author has done a wonderful job of sharing her story.
I read this book a few years ago and it has stayed with me ever since.
April 20, 2025
As a blue water sailor, this book now seems like required reading. While 1995 was in a different age before AIS and GPS, the basic disparity between a small fragile sailing vessel and an enormous steel cargo monster still sets the stage for tragedy needing only a bit of human neglect to grow into full blown epics of suffering.
Here is a precious bit of video of Judy talking about the healing power of creativity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBxZD...
It warms the heart and provides hope, which is rightly the adrenaline of the soul, to think that some exceptional humans have the ability to adapt to such dire loss.
Here is a precious bit of video of Judy talking about the healing power of creativity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBxZD...
It warms the heart and provides hope, which is rightly the adrenaline of the soul, to think that some exceptional humans have the ability to adapt to such dire loss.
April 2, 2020
As others have said, this is not, by any means, an enjoyable read. It's a brutal, heart-wrenching, true story - so much so that I was unable to settle down and go to sleep after reading the most harrowing chapters.
That said, it is a thorough, well-written and researched tale about one incredible family (and specifically, one woman) who lived life more fully than most of us can ever imagine.
Judy is now part of my family, and I am grateful that this book has allowed me access to so much of her that I have not dared to ask her to speak about.
That said, it is a thorough, well-written and researched tale about one incredible family (and specifically, one woman) who lived life more fully than most of us can ever imagine.
Judy is now part of my family, and I am grateful that this book has allowed me access to so much of her that I have not dared to ask her to speak about.
August 27, 2017
I bought the hardback book on a whim when I was at my local Goodwill store. I twas the blurb on the inside of the dust jacket that caught my attention. Nevertheless, the story did not deliver as promised. Tragic, yes, well told, no. It was something to read while I was traveling. I wouldn't recommend it even if you like sailing on the open ocean stories.
September 14, 2022
Fascinating true story. Hester tells the story such that the reader can feel both the joy shared by the Sleavin family when they are together and the deep sadness and despair of Judy once she is no longer with Mike, Ben, and Annie. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read true stories of love and tragedy.
February 1, 2022
I really enjoyed this true story of a family sailing around the world and get hit by a Korean tanker. Unfortunately the husband and 2 children die, but was very interesting reading about their life on the sailboat and the aftermath of trying to track down who hit their boat.
January 10, 2024
It feels odd to rate a book based on a tragic true story. The story of what happens to them is quite heartbreaking. A lot of the boat information I didn’t find interesting, however you may if you’re into sailing.
June 3, 2025
I think it's my 3rd reread of this book and I don't remember the tragedy hitting me like 😔 It's interesting reading about sailing families and marine life, but as soon as the accident happens in the book it's just one big sad. )`:
June 11, 2017
Really intense, emotionally draining book about loss. However, really interesting to learn more about maritime law and the power of the human spirit.
December 18, 2018
Difficult to put down, yet sometimes difficult to read. An unbelievable story about an extraordinary family.
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