An award-winning investigation into the strange and secretive world of international shipping'Arresting,sharply observed,deeply researched and compelling... Plenty of books promise to reveal the secrets of little-known worlds but few actually deliver. This is one that does'Melanie McGrath,Sunday TelegraphThere are 100,000 freighters on the seas. Between them they carry nearly everything we eat,wear and work with. In this unique and fascinating investigation,Rose George joins the crew of a container ship travelling the long journey from Felixstowe to Singapore and charts the murky waters of international shipping. This is an eye-opening tale of powerful naval fleets,pirate gangs,and illegal floating factories,which reveals the vast hidden industry upon which our world turns and our future depends.'This is a remarkable work of embedded reportage - hair-raising,witty,compassionate - that deserves to be read'Sukhdev Sandhu,GuardianA BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week and winner of a Society of Authors Travelling Scholarship and a Mountbatten Maritime Award
MEDIA REVIEWS
Publisher: Granta BooksISBN: 9781846272998Number of pages: 320Weight: 226 gDimensions: 198 x 129 x 19 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
Arresting,sharply observed,deeply researched and compelling... Plenty of books promise to reveal the secrets of little-known worlds but few actually deliver. This is one that doesFrom the always intriguing catalogue of Portobello Books,(this book) goes behind the scenes of those mammoth vessels that ply the oceans bringing us all our lovely stuffAs fascinating as it is troublingly insightful... This is a remarkable work of embedded reportage - hair-raising,witty,compassionate - that deserves to be readA marvel of information,insight and intelligence laced with humour,humanity and high spiritsWith her precise and beautiful clarity of prose,(George) has now fired a brilliant star-shell over the wine-dark sea and the ships that pass in its night,illuminating the details of the invisible ocean industry that is,and always will be,essential to all of usFascinating and insightfulA stunningly detailed and absorbing piece of investigative journalism,combined with a gripping and very human account of a long sea journey,with all its loneliness,fears,and moments of magicBeautifully captures the surprising nuances of this little-known world... (George's) strong,spare,gleaming prose steams along,powered by curiosity,compassion,outrage.As a writer,a reporter,and a human being,George is-stand by for nautical term-First RateThe two greatest stories are supposed to be "A man goes on a journey" and "A stranger comes to town". In this enthralling,literally wide-ranging book,George tells both: she goes on a voyage that few other journalists have accomplished,and she unveils the unknown seafarers who bring us all the world's goods. Sympathetic,deeply reported and unexpectedly poignantTo the classic incredible journeys-Moby Dick,Two Years Before the Mast-George adds another,her voyage round the world aboard a container ship,revealing what happens before the big bang of merchandise explodes from the high seas into civilization(An) engaging voyage through the shady world of international shippingRivetingFew readers will be left in any doubt as to the importance of this opaque industry on which we all dependIt is a travelogue of sorts,written in clear,straightforward English,about the people,pirates and machinery that make up the modern maritime industryA very good bookA very important book. (George) has vision and curiosity (and she) really does ask the right questions. You should read this bookAbsorbing (and) engrossingCleverly constructed,carefully researched,moving,vivid... Thoughtful and provocative,written with style and passionFascinatingA fascinating exploration of the world of container shippingA remarkable work of embedded reportage - hair-raising,witty,compassionate - that deserves to be readShe uncovers many serious (and murky) issuesExcellent... panoramicInteresting,relevant,and (full of) surprising factsEye-openingVery readable and compellingFascinating (and) troublingly insightful. This is a remarkable work of embedded reportage - hair-raising,witty,compassionate -that deserves to be read by anyone interested in the cartographies of the contemporary worldAbsorbingIn a work of great insight and sympathy,George conveys the monotony and loneliness of the modern commercial sailor's life while also describing the omnipresent dangersA very well researched and written appreciation of the modern maritime industry and most of its people
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