Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival

A spectacular true odyssey through the extremes of the Sahara Desert in the early 19th century Reader and protagonist alike are challenged into new ways of understanding culture clash, slavery and the place of Islam in the social fabric of desert dwelling peoples.In a calm May morning in 1815, Captain James Riley and the crew of the Commerce left port in Connecticut for an ordinary trading voyage They could never have imagined what awaited them Their nightmare began with a dreadful shipwreck off the coast of Africa, a hair raising confrontation with hostile native tribesmen within hours of being washed ashore, and a hellish confinement in a rickety longboat as they tried, without success, to escape the fearsome coast Eventually captured by desert nomads and sold into slavery, Riley and his men were dragged along on an insane journey through the bone dry heart of the Sahara a region unknown to Westerners Along the way the Americans would encounter everything that could possibly test them barbarism, murder, starvation, plagues of locusts, death, sandstorms that lasted for days, dehydration, and hostile tribes that roamed the desert on armies of camels They would discover ancient cities and secret oases They would also discover a surprising bond between a Muslim trader and an American sea captain, men who began as strangers, were forced to become allies in order to survive, and, in the tempering heat of the desert, became friends even as the captain hatched a daring betrayal in order to save his men From the cold waters of the Atlantic to the searing Saharan sands, Skeletons on the Zahara is a spectacular odyssey through the extremes Destined to become a classic among adventure narratives, Dean King s masterpiece is an unforgettable tale of survival, courage, and brotherhood. Download Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival – kino-fada.fr I have read a number of true adventure and survival stories, and this one stands out as one of the most extraordinary feats of survival I ve read The deprivations and hardships of Riley s crew make for fascinating reading, and the odds of their survival never mind making it back to civilization are truly extreme Riley is a highly intelligent, loyal, and sensitive captain, and he gambles a risky deal to save...Skeletons on the Zahara is a true but gut wrenching, dehydrating, queasy story of fate of Captain James Riley and the men of The Commerce The story itself is horrifying and contains a quality of human suffering that is incomprehensible to the first world mind I read this book right after reading Endurance Shackleton s Incredible Voyage and I was constantly comparing the two the whole time Both stories are remarkable and I can t imagine how anything but Divine providence could ever Skeletons on the Zahara is a true but gut wrenching, dehydrating, queasy story of fate of Captain James Riley and the men of The Commerce The story itself is horrifying and contains a quality of human suffering that is incomprehensible to the first world mind I read this book right after reading Endurance Shackleton s Incredible Voyage and I was constantly comparing the two the whole time Both stories are remarkable an...The Quick and the Dead Skeletons on the Zahara was a worthy addition to my harrowing tales shelf 42 books and growing Obviously, I like this kind of book What makes a good harrowing tale isthan depicting suffering, deprivation, and endurance No, a good harrowing tale gives the reader a sense of what qualities allowed the central figure to endure Captain James Riley and eight of his crew, shipwrecked on the desolate Atlantic shore of the Sahara desert, escaped one band of marauding The Quick and the Dead Skeletons on the Zahara was a worthy addition to my harrowing tales shelf 42 books and growing Obviously, I like this kind of book What makes a good harrowing tale isthan depicting suffering, deprivation, and endurance No, a good harr...The book tells the true tale of American sailors on the cargo ship Commerce, who were shipwrecked in 1815 off the coast of Africa They were captured, sold into slavery, beaten and starved Through the efforts of Commerce Captain James Riley, many found their way to freedom.To research the book, Dean King embarked on a National Geographic Society sponsored expedition to retrace the horrific journey of Riley and his crew across the...view spoiler Bettie s Books hide spoileredited 11 23 19 comment added to original review Looking back on my review, I m surprised I gave it 3 stars This book has stayed with me all these years Sometimes you don t know how a book will affect you in the future or if it will have stayed in your heart, and this one certainly has I am bumping this up to 4 stars end of commentI so hate the three star ratingthan any other I feel like giving it this usually means the book was just ok, average This is not what this book was at edited 11 23 19 comment added to original review Looking back on my review, I m surprised I gave it 3 stars This book has stayed with me all these years Sometimes you don t know how a book will affect you in the future or if it will have stayed in your heart, and this one certainly has I am bumping this up to 4 stars end of commentI so hate the three star ratingthan any other I feel like giving it this usually means the book was just ok, average This is not what this book was at all I could not put this book down at all I was sneakin...I enjoyed Unbound A True Story of War, Love, and Survival better than this book In Unbound, it seemed like King had better handle on his subjects, not surprising considering the modern setting Here the only subject King seems to have a handle on is Capt Riley not surprising, he wrote a book.It is, however, a fasinating, if not riveting, story about survival and farinteresting than say Robinson Crusoe Not only did Riley and co have to live though the shipwreck, they had to cross the I enjoyed Unbound A True Story of War, Love, and Survival better than this book In Unbound, it seemed like King had better handle on his subjects, not surprisin...Harrowing true survival story of the crew of the American brig Commerce who were shipwrecked off the western coast of Africa in 1815, held as slaves by nomadic tribes, and subjected to extreme deprivation in crossing the Zahara Sahara desert in a desperate attempt to reach safety It is a tale of courage, tenacity, quick ...Many readers have complained that the book is dry It is It is very repetitious It is also amazing 12 American sailors are shipwrecked on the coast of Africa in 1815 and taken as slaves by desert nomads They are beaten, poorly fed, often nude, worked to skin and bones and traded among different groups for as little as a torn blanket In two months Captain Riley goes from 240lbs to 90 and others are reduced to 40lbs Through Riley s determination, leadership and guile 5 of the group Many readers have complained that the book is dry It is It is very repetitious It is also amazing 12 American sailors are shipwrecked on the coast of Africa in 1815 and taken as slaves by desert nomads They are beaten, poorly fe...Suspect this would be an informative, entertaining re read especially, since I have only the foggiest notion of the events and timing Fading memory doesn t alway make forinteresting re reads.

• English
• 20 December 2019
Dean King
• Paperback
• 351 pages
• 0316159352
• Dean King
• Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival