Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm is the tale of an immense storm and its destructive path across the North Atlantic. In late October 1991, the crews of several fishing boats left port for their last haul. Little did they know that they would soon encounter one of the largest storms ever recorded. This particular storm would create huge storm surges, strong winds and heavy rain. The system was said to be a "perfect storm" because all the elements were right to create the worst imaginable storm ever seen, "...a hundred-year event," some meteorologists claimed. These types of storms occur when: “Warm air is less dense than cold air; it rises from the ocean surface, cools in the upper atmosphere, and then releases its moisture before returning to land. Huge cumulus clouds develop over areas where the air rises, with thunder, lightning and terribly heavy rain. As long as there is a supply of warm water, the storm sustains itself, converting the moisture into driving rain and downslope winds. More storm clouds could line up along the leading edge of a cold front in a “storm line,” a massive convective engine that stretches from horizon to horizon.” (The Perfect Storm Foundation)Descriptions of fishing procedures and equipment are often confusing, they are a vital part of the plot. Which gives the reader a better insight into what these fishermen did. Without these details, readers would not be able to imagine the dangers of the storm as Junger would have liked. The book is interesting, but never melodramatic. There is enough tension in the conflict between man and nature to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Junger never tries to saturate his readers with so much emotion that they roll their eyes in disgust. It makes fear and desperation realistic and believable. Junger strikes a delicate balance between the real and fictional elements of the story. The cover immediately states in bold letters that The Perfect Storm is a true story. Junger's characters are extremely well developed. Whether Junger may have exaggerated a character's experiences becomes irrelevant. It allows readers to sympathize with Christina Cotter and fear for Bobby Shatford's safety. The thoughts and emotions of each character are extraordinarily real. My girlfriend pointed out that the book... middle of paper... five damages occurred in New England, where federal disaster areas were declared for seven counties in Massachusetts, five in Maine, and one in New Hampshire. Off the coast of Staten Island, two men drowned when their boat capsized. Other deaths occurred when a man fishing from a bridge was swept or swept away in New York and a fisherman was swept off rocks in Narragansett, RI by strong waves. Offshore, six lives were lost when the Andrea Gail, a swordfishing boat, sank. The total damage in the Halloween storm, as it became known because of its date, amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars. It took an in-depth look at the lives and psychological behaviors of fishermen. Given the total length of the book, my first reaction to this focus on people was that it was too much. My second reaction was "right". Less stress would have depersonalized the characters. Towards the end all the characters in the book learned something about themselves thanks to this storm. The fact that some characters are no longer here makes the book even more touching.