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The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Critic Reviews
Great
Based on 4 reviews on
For three decades following World War II, the Great Lakes overtook Europe as the epicenter of global economic strength. The region was the beating heart of the world economy, possessing all the power and prestige Silicon Valley does today. And no ship represented the apex of the American Century better than the 729-foot-long Edmund Fitzgerald--the biggest, best, and most profitable ship on the Lakes.
But on November 10, 1975, as the "storm of the century" threw 100 mile-per-hour winds and 50-foot waves on Lake Superior, the Mighty Fitz found itself at the worst possible place, at the worst possible time. When she sank, she took all 29 men onboard down with her, leaving the tragedy shrouded in mystery for a half century.
In The Gales of November, award-winning journalist John U. Bacon presents the definitive account of the disaster, drawing on more than 100 interviews with the families, friends, and former crewmates of those lost. Bacon explores the vital role Great Lakes shipping played in America's economic boom, the uncommon lives the sailors led, the sinking's most likely causes, and the heartbreaking aftermath for those left behind--"the wives, the sons, and the daughters," as Gordon Lightfoot sang in his unforgettable ballad.
Focused on those directly affected by the tragedy, The Gales of November is both an emotional tribute to the lives lost and a propulsive, page-turning narrative history of America's most-mourned maritime disaster.
But on November 10, 1975, as the "storm of the century" threw 100 mile-per-hour winds and 50-foot waves on Lake Superior, the Mighty Fitz found itself at the worst possible place, at the worst possible time. When she sank, she took all 29 men onboard down with her, leaving the tragedy shrouded in mystery for a half century.
In The Gales of November, award-winning journalist John U. Bacon presents the definitive account of the disaster, drawing on more than 100 interviews with the families, friends, and former crewmates of those lost. Bacon explores the vital role Great Lakes shipping played in America's economic boom, the uncommon lives the sailors led, the sinking's most likely causes, and the heartbreaking aftermath for those left behind--"the wives, the sons, and the daughters," as Gordon Lightfoot sang in his unforgettable ballad.
Focused on those directly affected by the tragedy, The Gales of November is both an emotional tribute to the lives lost and a propulsive, page-turning narrative history of America's most-mourned maritime disaster.
Book Details
- Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
- Publish Date: Oct 7th, 2025
- Pages: 464
- Language: English
- Edition: undefined - undefined
- Dimensions: 9.30in - 6.50in - 1.60in - 1.75lb
- EAN: 9781324094647
- Categories: • United States - 20th Century• Maritime History & Piracy• Ships & Shipbuilding - History
About the Author
Bacon, John U.: - John U. Bacon has authored fourteen books on sports, business, health, and history, the last seven of which are critically acclaimed national bestsellers, including five New York Times bestsellers. He lives in Ann Arbor and northern Michigan with his wife and son.
Critics’ reviews
Praise for this book
John U Bacon's The Gales of November brilliantly documents the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. His scholarly research is deeply impressive, and his knowledge of Great Lakes history is masterful. Highly recommended!--Douglas Brinkley, bestselling author of American Moonshot and Cronkite
This is narrative non-fiction at its very best, and readers who like David Grann, Candice Millard, or Erik Larsen will devour this terrific book. My vote for the non-fiction read of the season!--Bill Carl, Adult Book Buyer at An Unlikely Story Bookstore and Cafe
Bacon builds a vivid, suspenseful lead-up to the tragedy through a forensic accounting of environmental and mechanical factors. He avoids sensationalism, letting the cold realities of nature, steel, and human resilience carry the weight.... It's not just a history lesson. It's an immersive experience, one that leaves you breathless, as if you were aboard the ship yourself.--Doug Marrin "Sun Times News"
An exciting and heartbreaking narrative that relies heavily on interviews with relatives and friends of the 29 lost Edmund Fitzgerald crew members.... A lifelong Michigander, Bacon beautifully describes the gritty world of the Iron Range ore-mining districts and the Great Lakes ship-ping industry. His writing is most absorbing when he recreates the lives of the 29 victims, from the admired captain to the newest rookie. But the tour de force is his gripping hour-by-hour narrative of the wreck, enriched by inter-views with men who had served previously on the Fitzgerald - or were on other ships in the same horrendous storm.... A definitive accounting that may be the last book that can draw on direct contemporary observations of this colossal tragedy.--Bookpage, starred review
An absorbing Perfect Storm-esque literary narrative.--Christopher Borelli "Chicago Tribune"
Both an emotional tribute to those lost and a gripping narrative of America's most-mourned shipwreck.--Chris Szepessy "WindCheck"
You'll be hooked in the first chapter when Bacon describes the factors that make Great Lakes shipping far more treacherous than ocean shipping. Though the book looks long, Bacon preps you perfectly for the Edmund Fitzgerald's final voyage, when you vicariously experience Lake Superior's fearsome power. I can't imagine a more perfect book about the Edmund Fitzgerald. Cue the song...--Kay Wosewick, Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, WI
Here is a work of spectral beauty destined to be a classic. Readers of Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm, Erik Larsen's Dead Wake, and Nathaniel Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea will love this deeply reported tale from our vast inland ocean. With Bacon's graceful and poignant retelling, the saga of the Edmund Fitzgerald now takes its rightful place among the world's greatest legends of shipwrecks and tempestuous seas.--Hampton Sides, New York Times best-selling author of The Wide Wide Sea and In the Kingdom of Ice
This book is an epic achievement. Gripping in its reporting, poignant and heartbreaking in its storytelling, with an encyclopedic grasp of history, and a heart-pounding end to a tale already known around the world but revealed here as never before, The Gales of November is a book to be loved by fans of David McCullough, Erik Larson, and Candace Millard. I grew up on Lake Michigan and I learned more than I thought possible. Pick up this book. You won't forget it, and you won't put it down.--Doug Stanton, #1 New York Times best-selling author of In Harm's Way and Horse Soldiers
John Bacon has done it again! This is another riveting narrative that puts facts on a still mesmerizing legend. But this is more than getting the details right. Bacon has distilled the essence of the story and rendered a huge monument to those lost and a great gift to the rest of us.--Ken Burns, filmmaker
The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald has long fascinated and frustrated storytellers. Now, at last, the story is deftly and deeply explored by John U. Bacon in this terrific, gripping account.--Jonathan Eig, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for King: A Life
[A] superb education in geography, seamanship, and history....Bacon writes in arresting prose....Since no crewman survived, details of the disaster are spotty, but Bacon makes the most of them, delivering biographies of crewmen, their duties, descriptions of the storm, increasingly fraught messages from the Fitzgerald before they ceased, interviews with victims' families, and a discussion of the lessons learned. The author makes the Fitzgerald the centerpiece of a broad account of Great Lakes shipping, the careers and daily lives of the crews--and the industries, cities, and bars that feed them--and tales of other sinkings. A gripping account of a maritime disaster.--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
New York Post - "30 Exciting New Works to Read This Fall"
The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald' has been told and retold by authors and bards. But never has it been told better than by Mr. Bacon in this colorful and compelling book.... In 'The Gales of November, ' he blends the talents of a narrative historian with the skills of a journalist, in an account that covers the economics of the Great Lakes, the evolution of mining technology and the mechanics of canal locks. It also touches on poignant personal details about the crewmen of the Edmund Fitzgerald and their families. He even takes readers behind the music, describing how and why Lightfoot came to record his song.... A strength of 'The Gales of November' is the way Mr. Bacon weaves in the stories of the crewmen who perished when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down. Dead men tell no tales, but their loved ones do. Mr. Bacon tracked them down and listened.--John J. Miller "Wall Street Journal"