Welcome to Litsy!

Late post as I realized I didn't review this when I read it 🤣

What a tense and detailed listen of the variety of incidents and crimes that happen in the open seas! This was worth my wait at the library again for it!

This nonfiction book provided so many different stories, from human trafficking to animal cruelty, each one showcasing the authors dedication to detail, investigative journalism, and chase of adventure.

How our whole book club felt about finishing this book… we all had the hardest time getting though this pick. I personally didn‘t like 1. the repetition of statements, the book could have been half as long without them 2. The editing was terrible I don‘t know how this author was a NYT journalist and 3. The author seemed to change his opinion constantly throughout the book. With that being said I did appreciate the topics that were brought up!

I read this about this time last year. The result of 4 years of investigative reporting by Urbina, writing for the NYT & other publications. The open seas are outside the jurisdiction of any country and have little effective law enforcement, so what goes on there is depressingly what you might expect. If you'd like to see my full review you can find it at https://www.stevesbookstuff.com/2020/11/review-outlaw-ocean-journeys-across.html

"Ninety degrees Fahrenheit below freezing"? If you want to calculate from the freezing point, why on earth wouldn't you use Celsius? And if you insist on using Fahrenheit for the sake of your American readers, at least calculate from zero so we can compare it to other cold temperatures we've experienced.

(I'm otherwise liking this book a lot so far; this is just a weird choice.)

Often disturbing, a gripping collection of a NYT‘s reporter‘s stories about the underbelly of the people and the vessels on the high seas. Clandestine oil dumps from cruise ships, indentured servitude, illegal fishing, human trafficking, and the Wild West of the vast oceans.

(Continued)...currently do," Greenberg suggests.

(Continued)...Sheen.

Stories of neglect usually whisper rather than scream, and where an audience looks for a clear villain, they find ghostly indifference instead.

Mexico

One of every five fish on dinner plates is caught illegally and the global black market for seafood is worth more than $20 billion. By 2050, some studies predict, there will be more plastic waste in the sea than fish, measured in weight.

I would highly recommend this if this sort of thing appeals to you. It is quite incredible how much crime takes place in international waters. Each chapter deals with a different scenario and it is written with the tension of a good chase scene. 🦈

A fascinating but disheartening collection of reportage on crime and corruption which is currently occurring in and around the world oceans. From piracy, illegal fishing and conservation activists, mercenaries, illegal pollution and slavery this book paints a picture of a space of hazy laws, slack enforcement and massive corruption. This book takes away the fantasy and wonder we associate with the sea and replaces it with a harsh reality.