Unsinkable

Biographies that tell stories from years ago are inspiring, but sometimes it's so refreshing to read a true story about someone who's still alive today.  Unsinkable by Abby Sunderland and Lynn Vincent relates the story of 16-year-old Abby's attempt to sail solo, nonstop, and unassisted around the world in 2010.  I won't give away the ending (although you may have followed her story on the news last year) but I will tell you that it's quite the adventure and worth a read.


The book starts out by giving some background on Abby's family and then continues with all the preparations that were made for her trip.  Some biographies can get kind of bogged down in these background sections but this was not the case with Unsinkable.  I found that even with the technical boating terminology (for someone like me who has no clue about boats) the story was still engaging and I didn't have a problem staying involved.  


The chapter on media attention/criticism was especially interesting.  I will admit to questioning the decision her parents made to allow her to attempt to sail around the world by herself, but before I read that chapter I had no idea how intense and hard it must have been for the family under all the media scrutiny.  Everyone has an opinion, but I think the one I came to once I had read the whole book was that although it was a dangerous thing for Abby to do, it was no more dangerous for her than it would be for any other experienced sailor of any age. 


The rest of the book moves quickly and I could hardly put it down as I waited to see how her journey ended.  I enjoyed the section of pictures in the middle as well as the map and diagram at the back.  Overall, I thought it was well written and inspiring.  What spoke to me the most was her determination and confidence - she knew that even though she was just 16 she could do something big, something that mattered, and I hope she'll continue to encourage other kids around the world to do the same.


I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.