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The Raft: The Courageous Struggle of Three Naval Airmen against the Sea Audiobook
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(3.14) - 270 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
“The sinking of the plane was like a magician’s trick. It was there and then it was gone, and there was nothing left in our big, wet, darkening world but the three of us and a piece of rubber that was not yet a raft.”
In 1942, three men on an antisubmarine patrol flight became lost and pitched into the Pacific. The plane sank beneath them, carrying most of the survival gear down with it. For thirty-four scorching days and shivering nights, they faced the ocean terrors on a four-by-eight-foot rubber raft. They had no water, food, compass, or paddles—only their will to survive. But by feats of super endurance, they made their way to the South Sea isle of Puka Puka, having meandered 1,200 miles.
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"I just now re-read this amazing true story, taking place during WW2 -- 3 men on a raft in the South Pacific -- adrift with nothing but their indomitable spirit and ingenuity -- for 34 days! Days burnt by the tropical sun, no food or water, and ending with no clothes -- they made it! "
— Judy (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“This story of three men adrift in the Pacific, with few resources except courage and indomitable human spirit, is not only inspiring reading but a tribute to the human species and its will to survive.”
— Captain John M. Waters, USCG (Ret.), author of Rescue at Sea -
“[The story of] how these men maintained their sanity, their spirits, and the spark of life is a classic.”
— Chicago News -
“Engaging…[Grover Gardner] lets events speak for themselves, without adding gratuitous melodrama. His qualities as a seasoned reader make for effortless listening.”
— AudioFile -
“Listeners of any age will find this unbelievable gripping account of human resourcefulness and survival difficult to turn off…This tribute to human endurance is spellbinding.”
— Kliatt
The Raft Listener Reviews
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Matthew M. , 2/27/2023
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" I put down "read" but we really listened to this in (unabridged!) audiobook version. Really amazing story! "
— Star, 12/19/2013 -
" Actually listened to this as a recorded book. Good reader: L.J. Ganser. Great story. One of those about the "indomitable human spirit". Pretty much anyone would appreciate it. "
— Cathy, 11/27/2013 -
" To be honest, the writing is subpar. But, the story is unbelievable. I love a good survival story and this is one of the best I've read. "
— Ryan, 7/24/2013 -
" I read the 1960's edition of three men adrift on a raft in the Pacific for 34 days during WWII. Very interesting. "
— Linda, 6/2/2013 -
" A very interesting book of survival and hardship. Not set in battle but their suggestions led to many changes in lifeboat regulations. "
— Keith, 4/27/2013 -
" Bibliolife republication of 1942 paperback original. "
— Thom, 4/3/2013 -
" I read the 1960's edition of three men adrift on a raft in the Pacific for 34 days during WWII. Very interesting. "
— Linda, 3/9/2013 -
" To be honest, the writing is subpar. But, the story is unbelievable. I love a good survival story and this is one of the best I've read. "
— Ryan, 2/6/2013 -
" I put down "read" but we really listened to this in (unabridged!) audiobook version. Really amazing story! "
— Star, 12/13/2012 -
" Actually listened to this as a recorded book. Good reader: L.J. Ganser. Great story. One of those about the "indomitable human spirit". Pretty much anyone would appreciate it. "
— Cathy, 12/4/2012 -
" I just now re-read this amazing true story, taking place during WW2 -- 3 men on a raft in the South Pacific -- adrift with nothing but their indomitable spirit and ingenuity -- for 34 days! Days burnt by the tropical sun, no food or water, and ending with no clothes -- they made it! "
— Judy, 10/3/2012 -
" Bibliolife republication of 1942 paperback original. "
— Thom, 6/16/2012 -
" The Raft is an amazing true story of survival. Read it! "
— Jimmy, 5/25/2012 -
" I just now re-read this amazing true story, taking place during WW2 -- 3 men on a raft in the South Pacific -- adrift with nothing but their indomitable spirit and ingenuity -- for 34 days! Days burnt by the tropical sun, no food or water, and ending with no clothes -- they made it! "
— Judy, 4/5/2012 -
" The Raft is an amazing true story of survival. Read it! "
— Jimmy, 1/23/2012 -
" Lacking, in that it is not a first-person tale. Still a good example of the genre. This one has been republished many times over the years with great pulp paperback covers. "
— Cynmo, 11/9/2011 -
" Lacking, in that it is not a first-person tale. Still a good example of the genre. This one has been republished many times over the years with great pulp paperback covers. "
— Cynmo, 11/1/2011 -
" A very interesting book of survival and hardship. Not set in battle but their suggestions led to many changes in lifeboat regulations. "
— Keith, 9/26/2011 -
" Bibliolife republication of 1942 paperback original. "
— Thom, 9/11/2011 -
" To be honest, the writing is subpar. But, the story is unbelievable. I love a good survival story and this is one of the best I've read. "
— Ryan, 4/19/2011 -
" To be honest, the writing is subpar. But, the story is unbelievable. I love a good survival story and this is one of the best I've read. "
— Ryan, 4/19/2011 -
" The Raft is an amazing true story of survival. Read it! "
— Jimmy, 8/29/2010 -
" A very interesting book of survival and hardship. Not set in battle but their suggestions led to many changes in lifeboat regulations. "
— Keith, 6/12/2010 -
" A very interesting book of survival and hardship. Not set in battle but their suggestions led to many changes in lifeboat regulations. "
— Keith, 6/12/2010 -
" Actually listened to this as a recorded book. Good reader: L.J. Ganser. Great story. One of those about the "indomitable human spirit". Pretty much anyone would appreciate it. "
— Cathy, 2/26/2009 -
" Actually listened to this as a recorded book. Good reader: L.J. Ganser. Great story. One of those about the "indomitable human spirit". Pretty much anyone would appreciate it. "
— Cathy, 2/26/2009
About Robert Trumbull
Robert Trumbull was born in Chicago in 1912 and graduated from the University of Washington at Seattle. He worked as a reporter for the Honolulu Advertiser from 1933 to 1943 but began writing for the New York Times in 1941, serving during World War II as the Times’ war correspondent in the Pacific theater until 1945. The US Navy awarded him the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon for his wartime reports. After the war he continued writing for the Times, serving as a foreign correspondent, chief correspondent, and bureau chief in such places as Japan, the Philippines, South and Southeast Asia, Tokyo, China, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific islands, and Canada. As well as contributing articles on Asian and Pacific affairs to Encyclopedia Americana, Reader’s Digest, Saturday Review, and New York Times Magazine, he was the author of ten nonfiction books. For his The Scrutable East: A Correspondent’s Report on Southeast Asia, he won the Overseas Press Club’s Cornelius Ryan Award in 1964, an award given yearly for best nonfiction book on international affairs.
About Grover Gardner
Grover Gardner (a.k.a. Tom Parker) is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards, was chosen Narrator of the Year for 2005 by Publishers Weekly, and has earned more than thirty Earphones Awards.