We picked this one up in South Africa - a memoir of family sea-going life with a not-so-good father.
The author, Martinique Stilwell, is very good on the child's perspective of how life turns out when parents are derelict in their duties, and how parents make a long series of choices for their children when they decide that it's too much bother to educate them.
The story is from the tail end of the 1970s, when there were a lot more parents out there happy to let their children grow up (euphemistically) free and (actually) ignorant. But the book does offer an interesting perspective for contemporary parents disinclined to put effort into their kids' education.
Hey Mike,
ReplyDeleteBeen following you and your wonderful family for years, from San Diego, CA where we're practicing our family sailing skills while ghosting around Southern California..
Thanks for a book referral. Will have to check it out - greatly enjoyed your South from Alaska as well.
If you get a chance, another very good book to read - a fantastic story of coming of age, and family dynamics under sail - is "Fourteen":
https://www.amazon.com/Fourteen-Daughters-Adventure-Sailing-Survival/dp/1631529412
The survival part is not about some pirates or storms, rather difficult and harsh family cross-currents - while open ocean, native islanders in South Pacific, and unspoiled nature provide true medicine to the heart and mind of teenagers growing into young adults.
Thanks, Zoran! That one is new to us, we'll give it a read...
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