Gales of November

John U. Bacon

History

First published: 2025
Print length: 464 pagesLiveright Publishing Corporation, 2025

Description

The Gales of November recounts the final voyage of the Edmund Fitzgerald, an ore carrier lost in Lake Superior during a severe storm in November 1975. All twenty-nine crew members died in the sinking, one of the best-known disasters in Great Lakes shipping history. John U. Bacon follows the ship and the people aboard it while placing their fate within the demanding world of commercial shipping on the inland seas. The book also considers the aftermath of the loss and the enduring questions surrounding why the Fitzgerald sank, combining a disaster narrative with a broader account of Great Lakes life and industry.

Reading profile

About this profile

Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).

Writing: How much attention the sentences and language require.
Ideas: How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
Structure: How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
Background knowledge: Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
Emotional intensity: Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.

Writing style

Atmospheric · Descriptive · Direct · Journalistic

Pace

Variable

Tone

Atmospheric · Melancholic · Suspenseful · Tense

Structure

Chronological nonfiction

Focus

Character · Mystery · Plot

Emotional intensity

5 / 5

Reading complexity

1–5 · higher means more demanding

Writing: 2 / 5
Ideas: 2 / 5
Structure: 2 / 5
Background knowledge: 1 / 5

Themes

CommunityGriefLegacyMortalitySurvivalWork

Book details

For the print edition listed above.

Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Language: English
ISBN: 9781324094654

Keep your books and notes in Collected for iPhone.

Apple Books is a service mark of Apple Inc. iPhone is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.