The Outlaw Sea: A World of Freedom, Chaos, and Crime

Matthew A. Bille said Important and chilling book on the state of the oceans. A fascinating and important book. We all know about Somali pirates, but did you know that old-fashioned pirates with big ships still operate on the high seas? I certainly didn't. Nor did I realize the once-proud profession of "sailor" has become dominated by poorly paid hands who rarely if ever get the traditional perk of shore leave and often can't even speak a common language.The author shows us just how wild and little-observed the seas. Largely anecdotal and uninformative Langewiesche's descriptions of ships sinking at sea are compelling, despite drifting more than occasionally toward the melodramatic. People fighting for survival are either Hobbesian brutes or noble savages.Other than that, the book is simplistic and a bit dated. The agenda, if there is one, also comes across as convoluted. Topics undertaken are, among others, anarchy at sea, pollution and labor in shipbreaking, the potential for terrorism. Threat From the Sea--75% of the Planet Robert David STEELE Vivas This is not the book I was expecting. Normally it would only have gotten three stars, for recycling three articles, only one of which was really of interest to me (on piracy), but the author is gifted, and his articulation of detail lifts the book to four stars and caused me to appreciate his final story on the poisonous deadly exportation of ship "break-up" by hand. It is a double-spaced book, stretched a bit, and not a research book per

William Langewiesche vividly reports on the unforgiving & brutal forces, both natural and manmade to which those who take to the sea are exposed.. Vast, untamed expances of water, impossible to police rigorously. Three quarters of the world is made up of ocean. Exploring the political force fo the world's oceans, from piracy to terrorism

Beginning with an exploration of the open nature of the waterways—a world where standards are ill-defined, rules inconsistent and laws difficult to enforce—the book alternates from historical background to compellingly written narratives of the ugly things that can happen on the water, from piracy to shipwreck. From Publishers Weekly The sea's unpredictability and savage indifference to the things it touches are the defining themes of Langewiesche's well-researched book, which sadly does not fare well in audio. All rights reserved. Even here, Langewiesche's voice lacks emotion; indeed, it sounds as if the material doesn't interest him. Langewiesche (American Ground: Unbuilding the World Trade Center) has written an eloquent and powerful book, but you wouldn't know it from hearing him read it. But Langewiesche's presentation is monotonous, and his delivery is more befitting a dry scholarly journal than such a vivid and emotional story. . The climax of the book co