/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.21574381]

I recently read "Godforsaken Sea", which is about the story of the vendee globe 1996/97. It is truly amazing to see what humans are capable of, the extreme pressure they are able to withstand all alone.

[Anonymous No.21574386]

Accidentally posted before I finished typing, here's the continuation

I am looking for more books like this, doesn't matter if it is about mental or physical acts of strength and perfection. I just want to be inspired to reach ideals by reading about (ideally real) stories of making yourself work as good as possible.

[Anonymous No.21575193]

>>21574381
bump.

[Anonymous No.21575201]

>>21574381
the cliche book is The Old Man And the Sea,

But the story is really about hubris. He should have cut the line the first time it surfaced and he saw how big it was. He knew he could never get it into his boat.

[Anonymous No.21575206]

Life at the Extremes: The Science of Survival

[Anonymous No.21576434]

Presidents biographies typically give me that feeling

[Anonymous No.21576647]

[Anonymous No.21576704]

>>21574381
Try A Voyage for Madmen, it is about the first of those races back in 1968 when it was called the Golden Globe, the boats were not purpose designed no one had anything close to training for such a thing. Great book and probably my favorite of the ilk. Many of the competitors from that race wrote some good books about it as well. This is the book that convinced me to save up for boat life.

[Anonymous No.21576734]

[Anonymous No.21577445]

South - Ernest Shackleton. Antarctic expedition goes about as bad as it can, ship sinks, most of supplies lost, spend something like 18 months trapped in Antarctica.

[Anonymous No.21578393]

>>21577445
Good book, how did you come across it?

[Anonymous No.21578554]

>>21578393
Little free library.

[Anonymous No.21578579]

Dagny was a real person and you cannot convince me otherwise.

[Anonymous No.21578613]

>>21578579
I've been meaning to read this. Is there something of value in there or is it more just experiencing a different set of ideas?

[Anonymous No.21578717]

>>21578613
I am only through the first part right now but something that most people don't talk about is just how persistent the formula of there being some unthinkably difficult task that Dagny has set her mind on. While she's just continuing straight to her destination despite whatever is thrown at her she, someone is complaining about something, throwing up their hands, and giving up, or as the title says shrugging.
The whole thing about Dagny Taggart laying down rail is that I'm pretty sure it's supposed to broadly be allegorical to rejecting futility and a story of all the kinds of people that have given up as they whiz by in the windows.
It's frankly not really all that capitalistic, something like Infinite Jest has a greater dive into the logic of capitalism, in Atlas Shrugged it's just "Everyone has given up but not you" and socialist or communist logic is presented as the manifestation of various groups of people giving up rather than just single individuals.

If you want a book about what humans are capable of despite extreme pressure there is just not anything else that could ever compare.

[Anonymous No.21578753]

Started reading this on Wednesday
Enjoying it so far.

[Anonymous No.21578784]

>>21578717
Well, you sold me. That the theme I want to read right now. Thanks for the great write-up.

[Anonymous No.21578836]

>>21578753
This was mentioned many times in OP's book, since it inspired a lot of those sailors

[Anonymous No.21579477]

Obvious answer

[Anonymous No.21580647]

Bump

[Anonymous No.21580708]

>>21575201
It's not about hubris, he recognized how difficult and near impossible it might be but he struggled anyways

[Anonymous No.21580717]

>>21576434
this, teddy's is a cool read

[Anonymous No.21582157]

>>21580717
Which one?