MY NAME IS AMERICA: THE JOURNAL OF BRIAN DOYLE
A Greenhorn on an Alaskan Whaling Ship, The Florence, 1874

ISBN: 0439078148
Ages 9 and up
Fiction

Excerpt from Brian Doyle’s journal:
May 4, 1784

We are anchored but the ship still rolls and bobs in a way that sets my stomach in motion. Or maybe that is just the stink in here – of rotting fish, rancid whale oil, sweating, unwashed shipmates, tar and grease, piss, paint and tobacco smoke. But I don’t care. I am away from my father and when we leave San Francisco town tomorrow a.m., he won’t be able to get me.

…It is dead quiet in here. Except for York and his mates cussing their wretched luck at cards, the occasional squeal of a pig on deck, and the sound of someone pacing just above us. I am in my new home with my new family. And tomorrow, I Brian Doyle begin my new life as a whale hunter.

The Journal of Brian Doyle is the exciting adventure of a fourteen year-old runaway who signs aboard a whaling ship to escape the abusive father who blames him for all that has gone wrong in his own life. From the moment the ship leaves port, Brian finds himself trapped in a world far more challenging and dangerous than he could ever possibly have imagined. Over the long days, weeks, and months to follow, he must cope with the bullying shouts of mates, cramped quarters, and the lonely sadness of missing his brother – and even his father. In spite of all this, friendships begin to form and Brian feels a growing sense of freedom and accomplishment.

When Brian’s ship, The Florence, fails to kill enough whales in the warm waters of the Pacific, it sails north to the Arctic where brutal weather and calamity await. Faced with the biggest challenge of his young life, Brian is forced to rely on all the skills and strengths he has to survive. On the high seas, Brian finds more adventure and danger than one boy could have hoped for.

Historical notes and archival photos and drawings contained in the Afterward round out this riveting picture of life aboard a whaler, the teens who signed on, and one teen greenhorn sailor’s journey of self-discovery.

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