Using eyewitness accounts, official documents, and rarely seen photos, Sailing Into the Abyss takes a fascinating look at the human drama behind the deadliest sea disaster of the Vietnam War. 8-page photo insert.

Sailing Into the AbyssLARGE PRINT EDITION This is a life-changing true story of drug-running across the Pacific. A young girl with a passion for sailing gets approached to transport an illegal cargo from Colombia to the US. She battles with storms, snakes, and interminable days at sea, in Great White Shark infested waters before finally being intercepted by a Mexican gunboat. Her subsequent incarceration in Mexico's most infamous prison, La Mesa, is almost more surprising: the treatment she receives and the people she meets become a transformative experience, as she recounts in this totally compelling personal journey. This is truly an extraordinary adventure story of a remarkable young woman operating in a man's world

One of the most prominent geographical features of North America, the Great Lakes played a pivotal role in the economic and industrial development of Canada and the United States. While allowing the establishment of a highly efficient transportation system, these freshwater seas have also proven particularly unforgiving when stirred up by the forces of nature. Capable of producing some of the most treacherous conditions faced by mariners anywhere on the globe, the Great Lakes have claimed thousands of vessels since the earliest days of navigation on their waters. Sailing Into Disaster details the stories of ten vessels that met their demise without leaving a single survivor. Ranging from early wooden schooners to steel steamships, the tales included in this volume represent not only the perils faced by these vessels but also their crews prior to the advent of modern navigation equipment. While a few of their number have been uncovered through concerted search efforts, the majority of these lost ships remain elusively hidden in the watery depths of these landlocked oceans. Among others, this book includes the loss of an early Great Lakes schooner on Lake Superior, the mysterious disappearance of a steel steamer that sparked tales of it becoming a wandering ghost ship, the unexplained sinking of two naval trawlers, a small tugboat that sailed into oblivion on Lake Erie, and a self-unloading bulk carrier that remains missing in the depths of Lake Michigan to this very day. A lifelong resident of Michigan, Constance M. Jerlecki has written four books concerning the history of the state she calls home. This is her first book on Great Lakes shipwrecks.

Ancient grievances, long-held grudges, and dangerous magic combine in this sweeping fantasy perfect for fans of Tamora Pierce and Rachel Hartman. As the granddaughter of a famed navigator, seventeen-year-old Reyna has always lived life on her own terms, despite those who say a girl could never be an explorer for the royal house of St. John del Mar. She is determined to prove them wrong, and as she returns home after a year-long expedition, she knows her dream is within reach. No longer an apprentice, instead: Reyna, Master Explorer. But when menacing raiders attack her ship, those dreams are pushed aside. Reyna’s escape is both desperate and dangerous, and when next she sees her ship, a mystery rises from the deep. The sailors—her captain, her countrymen—have vanished. To find them, Reyna must use every resource at her disposal . . . including placing her trust in a handsome prince from a rival kingdom. Together they uncover a disturbing truth. The attack was no isolated incident. Troubling signs point to a shadowy kingdom in the north, and for once, the rulers of the Sea of Magdalen agree: something must be done. But can Reyna be brave enough to find a way?

HIS TREASURE AND HIS OBSESSION...Despite her longing for the sea, Macy has clung to the safety of land for half her life, devoting herself to her daily routine - until she agrees to go sailing with a childhood friend. Her fears come to fruition when a sudden storm capsizes their boat, rekindling her old terror. She awakens to a rescuer who is anything but human - and he refuses to let her go. Treated like a curiosity and a possession, she's desperate to go home. Yet Macy is undeniably drawn to this strange creature. Can she give up her old life, her family and friends, to embrace this adventure?and Jax?HER SAVIOR AND HER CAPTOR...Jax the Wanderer is a hunter, an explorer, and an oddity among his kind. While other kraken are content near their dens, Jax is driven by a deep need to journey far and wide, discovering the unknown corners of the sea. Macy challenges everything he's known; she is the most alluring creature he's ever seen on his travels. He must possess her, though he knows it can only end in disaster. How much is he willing to forsake for the female he desires?

Today we are beset by a range of unprecedented developments that together, in this century, threaten the very existence of civilization. The current states of just ten forces -- capitalism, technology, the internet, politics, media, education, human nature, the environment, population, and transportation -- are driving society in predominantly negative ways. These forces are powerful and interconnected and their combined operation and dynamics will carry us into any number of disasters well before 2100. We have the knowledge and solutions to address our difficulties, but for many reasons we won't be able to meaningfully employ either.There is immediate urgency to this story too. We face many threats, but one of them -- the internet and its algorithms -- is rapidly changing nearly everything about our world, including our very capacity to recognize how profound and dangerous the change is.In clear, direct language intended for every citizen, regardless of his or her politics or age, "Headed Into the Abyss" describes and analyzes how each force is shaping society, and tells the big-picture story of what those effects add up to. Wherever on the globe you live, it really is, and will be, the story of our time.