Into the Blizzard by Michael J. Tougias - ESSENTIAL

Into the Blizzard by Michael J. Tougias, 244 pages. NON-FICTION. Henry Holt (Macmillan), 2019. $20.

Language: PG (6 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content PG; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Subtitled “Heroism at Sea During the Great Blizzard of 1978,” this story chronicles the courage and selfless sacrifice of those shipmen of both the U.S. Coast Guard and the men on board the Can Do.  These seamen responded to a distress signal from a tanker, The Global Hope, just as a storm was coming in.  The ensuing storm was something the East Coast had rarely seen, with three story waves and snow that iced rescue ships, weighing them down in dangerous water and causing navigation systems to fail. 

An unforgettable story, the heroism of those involved will linger with you long after the story ends and the description of the storm at sea is chilling.  The dialogue is taken from actual tapes from ship to shore transmissions.  Gripping and suspenseful, this is an inspiring and tragic story well worth reading. 

Michelle in the Middle