Time to get lost in teen sailor Abby Sunderland’s new book, ‘Unsinkable’

It seems like only yesterday that 16-year-old Abby Sunderland was plucked from the Indian Ocean by rescuers after her sailboat was disabled, costing the nations that rescued her hundreds of thousands of dollars and igniting a debate over parental responsibility. But we’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of that saga, believe it or not. Shipwreck victims: they grow up so fast.

Sunderland, from Thousand Oaks, was trying to become the youngest person to sail nonstop around the world, but broke down halfway though her journey. One of the posts we did from that story holds third place all-time for number of comments on this here blog, at 672. That was back before our comments section switched to the Dewey Decimal System.

Anyway, Abby’s written a book about her adventure, and it came out on Tuesday! Hurrah! To be accurate, though, Abby didn’t really write it — like her aborted around-the-world solo journey, she needed some help. Lynn Vincent, who was Sarah Palin’s ghostwriter for her biography, Going Rogue, is the actual author. I haven’t read either, but I’m sure both have plenty of references to fish. Here’s an excerpt from Sunderland’s book from a review in Venture:

The book tells of the many TV producers and Hollywood types who were trying to get the family to sell their story to them, including one person who was gambling on Abby dying and wanted to own the story. It also talks a lot about Abby’s faith in God and how people around the world were praying for her rescue.

I have no doubt the book will be interesting from that standpoint. But left out I’m sure is the derision aimed at her parents for allowing a 16-year-old to attempt such a dangerous adventure. Aside from the personal risk involved, there’s the fact that Abby’s rescue cost in excess of $300,000; a sum that her parents apparently have no intention of mitigating, no matter how well the book sells.

It’s one thing when the fire department rescues someone from a burning building — that’s the cost of living in a society that looks out for each other. But it’s quite another when California parents send their 16-year-old to buy a quart of milk … in Madagascar. By boat.

But who knows, maybe it’s so good that it’ll be the second book Kemba Walker ever read.

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Teen sailor Abby Sunderland has book coming out, uses Sarah Palin’s ghostwriter [Off the Bench]
Unsinkable: A Young Woman’s Courageous Battle on the High Seas [Amazon]