Praise for Books by Michael J. Tougias
Extreme Survival: Lessons from Those Who Have Triumphed Against All Odds
Each page is filled with the amazing arc of a human spirit exceeding all bounds, yet returning us, as readers, to what it means to be wholly human, humane, selfless, yet aware of one's self-call it identity, our authentic selves, a grasp of what's meaningful in one's life. Tougias' reporting and storytelling has appeal for armchair adventurers, historians of the extreme, for parents and families, teachers, civic leaders, those in business, and all of us in leadership positions large or small, who ask, 'How do I make the most of this moment?' -Doug Stanton, #1 New York Times bestselling author of In Harm's Way and Horse Soldiers
If you're clinging to a lifeboat, surrounded by sharks (figuratively or literally), what should you think about? Who should you ignore? What are the patterns of mind and heart that have helped Antarctic explorers, soldiers, lobster fishermen, and prisoners of war stay sane-and alive? Michael Tougias converts the wisdom of survivors into advice we can all use to light up the darkness. -Amanda Ripley, bestselling author of The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes-and Why
The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue (co-authored with Casey Sherman)
A blockbuster account of tragedy at sea...gives a 'you-are-there' feel. -The Providence Journal
A gripping read! -James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers
Overboard! A True Bluewater Odyssey of Disaster and Survival
A heart-pounding account of the storm that tore apart a forty-five-foot sailboat. Author Michael Tougias is the master of the weather-related disaster book. -The Boston Globe
Overboard is a beautiful story deserving of a good cry. -Gatehouse News Service
Tougias has a knack for weaving thoroughly absorbing stories-adventure fans need this one! -Booklist
Fatal Forecast: An Incredible True Tale of Disaster and Survival at Sea
A passionately recounted peril-at-sea adventure...described with excruciating intensity. A blustery seafarer's delight, rendered with gusto. -Kirkus Reviews
Tougias spins a marvelous and terrifying yarn....this is a breathtaking book. -Los Angeles Times
Tougias's terrifying tale will stun you...leaving you breathless, exhilarated, and finally amazed. -The Providence Journal
Ernie Hazard's experiences, as related by Tougias, deserve a place as a classic of sea survival history.-The Boston Globe
Tougias spins a dramatic saga.... (He) has written eighteen books and this is among his most gripping. -National Geographic Adventure Magazine
Ten Hours Until Dawn
The best story of peril at sea since Sebastian Junger's Perfect Storm. Superb! -Booklist
What a story! Tougias' research and writing make the reader feel as if they are onboard the Can Do during the Blizzard of '78. -Governor Michael Dukakis
An incredible tale of heroism and sacrifice. -Nathaniel Philbrick, National Book Award Winner
Selected as an American Library Association as an Editor's Choice and Top Book of the Year
Ten Hours audio book won Audiofiles Earphones Award
A Storm Too Soon
By depicting the event from the perspective of both the rescued and the rescuers and focusing only on key moments and details, Tougias creates a suspenseful, tautly rendered story that leaves readers breathless but well-satisfied. Heart-pounding action for the avid armchair adventurer. -Kirkus Reviews
The riveting, meticulously researched A Storm Too Soon tells the true-life tale of an incredible rescue -New York Post
Tougias deftly switches from heart-pounding details of the rescue to the personal stories of the boat's crew and those of the rescue team. The result is a well-researched and suspenseful read. -Publishers Weekly
Already a maven of maritime books with Overboard! and Fatal Forecast, Tougias cinches that title here. Working in the present tense Tougias lets the story tell itself, and what a story! Any one reading (A Storm Too Soon) will laud Tougias' success. -Providence Journal
Rescue of the Bounty
Tougias and Campbell superbly re-create the disastrous voyage, providing just the right amount of detail to bring every character involved in this dramatic tale to life, from Bounty captain Robin Walbridge and his shipmates to the brave coast guard rescue swimmers. A thrilling and perfectly paced book, Rescue of the Bounty is filled with good intentions but bad decisions, tall-ship history and current usage, and the roar and taste of the storm-whipped ocean. -Booklist
Riveting....breathtaking....Tougias and Campbell build tension slowly and methodically...a sound strategy that pays off when they reach the storm itself. Then, the book becomes a white-knuckled, tragic adventure experienced by recognizable and sympathetic figures. -Richmond Times-Dispatch
A book that succeeds both as a high-seas adventure and as a psychological portrait of Bounty's ill-fated captain, Robin Walbridge....a gripping account. -The Day
A taut recounting of a needless maritime tragedy. -Kirkus Reviews
Tougias and Campbell's well researched and very personal effort details the doubts and questions as the ship gets underway, takes you aboard as the exhausted crew struggled to keep it afloat, then into the raging sea as the soggy survivors feverishly clambered into the bouncing rafts, and onto the tossing aircraft as the Coast Guard hoisted the sailors from the maelstrom below. -Florida Times-Union
Above & Beyond
The authors eloquently convey the difficulties and tensions involved in these U-2 flights, dramatically magnified during the crisis, when miscalculations could instigate a disastrous response by either side. This superbly written, tense, and sometimes sad account views the Cuban Missile Crisis from an unusual and telling perspective. -Booklist (Starred review!)
The authors have assembled a page-turning narrative ....Thinking of what a lesser commander in chief might have done, readers will shudder. An edifying history that, given America's current global diplomatic stance, it is also timely and hopefully instructive to those faced with similarly dire circumstances. -Kirkus Reviews
The tick-toch narrative reanimates the drama. Above & Beyond documents the courage and skill of the U-2 pilots, one of whom was shot down over Cuba. -Wall Street Journal
A novelistic approach that involves dramatically recreated scenes and interweaving story lines....The focus on two lesser-known figures gives the book an added dimension beyond other Cuban Missile Crisis histories..... [Above & Beyond] hums when describing the strategic maneuvering in Washington. The authors will leave readers with a greater appreciation of the work required to combat the 'miscalculations, incorrect interpretations, and breakdowns in command and control that could lead to war.' -Publishers Weekly
A you-are-there retelling of the Cold War's scariest hours. -Military Times
Sherman and Tougias (coauthors, The Finest Hours) present an absorbing account of heroic U-2 pilots Rudolph Anderson (1927-63) and Charles Maultsby (1926-98) and their harrowing missions. The most fascinating chapters describe Anderson and Maultsby's lives, training, and assignments, especially Maultsby's catastrophic flight over the Arctic Circle that drifted into Soviet Union air space. VERDICT: Fascinating for general and informed audiences. -Library Journal
So Close to Home
Through their meticulously research, Tougias and O'Leary take you where few historians dare, into the dark sea where an American family is floundering to stay alive, and onto the steel-planked deck of the German U-boat that put them there. This is priceless history, a fresh story in a modern era, and two-hundred fast-paced pages of 'you-are-there.' -Adam Makos, New York Times bestselling author of A Higher Call
They don't come any better than Michael J. Tougias. His latest-So Close to Home-is a truly gripping, deeply affecting saga of undersea warfare and an extraordinary American family caught in the crosshairs of history. -Alex Kershaw, New York Times bestselling author of The Longest Winter and The Few
A Must-Read, told from multiple points of view about how WWII got a lot closer than most people think. -NY Post
Tougias' books dot the NY Times bestseller list and now he has a dramatic new narrative. -Worcester Telegram
Tougias knows how to tell a story, especially real life stories of survival. -Gail McCarthy, Gloucester Daily Times
Tougias and O'Leary impressively render the early period of U.S involvement in WWII The Downs Family...survival defied the odds. -Publishers Weekly
Compelling action and vivid character portrayals... -Metro West Daily News
A unique perspective on the almost forgotten threat of Nazi Uboats in American waters. -Military.com
A gripping read... -Herald Dispatch
This amazing story of Uboats will air on BBC World Service and heard around the world as it deserves. -Daniel Gross, BBC
A gripping tale of family fortitude in the face of disaster. And the German side of the story is told in a manner sympathetic to commanders and crews who suffered in service of their country's flawed cause. -AuthorLink
A solid perspective of hardships endured by ordinary people. -Library Journal
An amazing and inspiring story of a family who survived against all odds. -National Examiner
