Ten Degrees of Reckoning: The True Story of a Family's Love and the Will to Survive |  | Author: Hester Rumberg
Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
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Seller: vana11
Rating:  33 reviews
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 272
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.1
Dewey Decimal Number: 910.916479
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Product Description
A profoundly powerful and inspirational memoir.
In 1993, Judith and Michael Sleavin and their two children 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 changed everything. After surviving forty-four hours in the water, with a back broken in several places and paralyzed below the waist, Judith miraculously survived. Doctors would later say she suffered one of the worst cases of post-traumatic stress syndrome ever documented. News of the collision made headlines around the world, but, distraught, Judith never talked to the press. Her body was broken, and so was her soul.
Twelve years later, Judith turned to her best friend, Hester Rumberg, and asked her to write what was too painful for her to write. The result is a gripping, unbelievable yet true story of one familys love, of profound loss, and of a remarkable woman who decided to live when others might have decided otherwise. But always it is a stunning account of survival, a meditation on the strength of friendship and community. It is a universal tale of how any of our lives might be unexpectedly altered, how we might have to change what we hope for, and how we can move forward in times of tragedy.
Judith Sleavin now divides her time between Portland, Oregon, and New Zealand.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 33
Remarkable Story November 24, 2007
Peter Niland (New Zealand)
19 out of 20 found this review helpful
Hester Rumberg tells the remarkable story of the adventurous Sleavin family. This extraordinary book will appeal to a wide range of readers, those looking for suspense and mystery. This book will hold your attention to the last page. An absolute page turner and without question, Hester Rumberg, in my opinion, is a very talented story teller. Because of the subject matter, I wondered if it would be difficult to read, but it was impossible to put down.
Another thing I might add: I grew up in New Zealand where a portion of this story takes place. The author has captured the culture of my birth country exceedingly well, and added an informative element, even for me.
I would highly recommend this mesmerizing book.
COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN ! November 14, 2007
Judith Kimmerer (Seattle, WA USA)
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
This book is so captivating I read it page by page throughout the night. My eyes were burning, but I couldn't stop reading. The author has told a masterful saga of family love, living intentionally, and how to struggle with the uphill battles of our lives. This is more than a book. This is a tribute to 4 people who's story you must know. Thanks to the author for this gift. She must have crafted the book out of her own familiarity with life's turnings and an uncommon insight into the hearts of others.
A Masterful, Compelling Work December 29, 2007
T. F. Welsh (Portland, OR USA)
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
This superb book succeeds on at least three levels. As an expository work, it plumbs the deep, rich traditions of works by Michener, or more recently, "A Perfect Storm". I felt supremely entertained, even as I learned a great deal about offshore sailing. It also tells a gripping story, and it draws us into the life of a family and its individual members. I cared deeply about these people, as the author presented them to me through a variety of "lenses."
You likely would not be reading my words unless you are a lover of books. As such, you no doubt have experienced the bittersweetness of a story's end.....you want to know how it comes out, but at the same time you don't want to turn that last page. This is one of those stories.
Readers seeking "magical justice," where all is resolved fairly and neatly, will be disappointed. This is part of the poignance of Dr. Rumberg's effort.
I have sent copies of this book to friends, and I am recommending it to all the booklovers I know. Finishing "Ten Degrees of Reckoning" was an exquisite ending to a year of fine reading, and I hope you will consider starting out on the right "literary foot" for 2008 by discovering the treasures within these pages.
Hard to put down......... December 10, 2007
H. Allen (Seattle, WA USA)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Dr. Rumberg is a wonderful storyteller and this is truly a story that needs to be told. In her own words, using her own story and that of another's, Dr. Rumberg educates even the most novice of sailors to the potential joys and deep sorrows of circumnavigating the world.
The main story centers around an American family who set off on a five-year excursion. In the middle of the night, off the coast of New Zealand, tragedy strikes deeply, lives are lost, and the lone survivor descends into hell for many days.
Yet this is a story of love and redemption: a small, deeply protective community half way around the world and the strong woman who will not let anyone forget her family's tragedy. And it's the story of mystery and ethics: the exposure of a country unwilling to admit its culpability, a country who tried to manipulate and intimidate the victim of their crime.
This amazing story has been told with grace and perceptiveness. Bravo, Dr. Rumberg!
An engrossing read December 2, 2007
J. L. Smith (Seattle, WA)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Like "The Perfect Storm" or "Into Thin Air", this book not only allows the reader to be an eyewitness to a horrific disaster, but also creates a vivid and personal portrait of a family that followed their dream to live life to the fullest. An incredible story, I could not put this book down.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 33
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