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The Outlaw Ocean

Crime and Survival in the Last Untamed Frontier
4.36 goodreads logo

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( 6,323 ratings, 821 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Outlaw Ocean by Ian Urbina delves into the largely unregulated world of the high seas, exploring various criminal and human rights issues that occur far from law enforcement's reach. Through vivid storytelling, Urbina brings attention to the environmental, economic, and social impacts of illegal activities on the oceans.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by the lawlessness on the high seas, where crime and environmental destruction often go unchecked. It's a gripping exposΓ© of the hidden world of maritime crime, offering compelling insights into the human and ecological impact.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Outlaw Ocean by Ian Urbina takes readers on an eye-opening journey through the vast and often brutal expanse of our world's oceans. This gripping exploration reveals the untamed frontiers that lie beyond the reach of law and order, where human behaviour pushes extreme boundaries and criminality runs rampant. Urbina, through direct encounters and harrowing narratives, delves into this hidden world to uncover the profound complexities and dangers that define life at sea.

The book introduces readers to a myriad of characters who inhabit these treacherous waters. From modern-day pirates and human traffickers to vigilante conservationists and stowaways, each story reveals a layer of criminal activities and personal struggles that are largely invisible to those on land. The author exposes a vast web of crime and exploitation that originates within the fishing, oil, and shipping industries, affecting many more aspects of global society than one might expect.

An adrenalin-fuelled narrative, The Outlaw Ocean reads with the pace of a thriller, blending elements of investigative journalism with compelling story-telling. Urbina's evocative prose brings to life the lawless expanse of the high seas, examining how international waters have become a sanctuary for the exploitation of both human and natural resources.

The Outlaw Ocean has garnered critical acclaim and has been recognised for its insightful expose of one of the world's most elusive and precarious realms. Longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize 2019, the book has received accolades from prominent figures and publications alike:

"Just incredible" - Naomi Klein

"Gripping and shocking...with the pace of a thriller" - The Times

Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland, praises it as "an astonishing book about a world most of us don't even know exists", while the Guardian describes it as "an outstanding investigation of a global criminal culture on the high seas". The New York Times commends it as "truly important... A complex portrait of an unseen and disturbing world".

The Outlaw Ocean is not just a book about the sea; it is a compelling examination of humanity's darker sides and the environmental and ethical implications of our activities in one of the earth's last frontiers. Urbina's masterful storytelling and rigorous investigative journalism make this a must-read for anyone interested in the hidden truths of our world.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Outlaw Ocean by Ian Urbina has been widely praised as gripping, shocking, and as thrilling as a heist film. Reviewers have described it as an astonishing and visceral account of the lawless high seas, filled with traffickers, slaves, and heroes. It is considered incredible, readable, and riveting, and is recommended as a must-read.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529111392

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 16 July 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 34.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 407g

Pages: 560

About the Author

Ian Urbina spent five years, more than three of them at sea, uncovering the stories in The Outlaw Ocean, which began life as a series of articles for The New York Times that won seven major awards. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The New York Times where his investigations have covered oil and mining disasters, sex trafficking, high-school shooting, criminal justice, worker safety and the environment. Several have been made into films, and he has been nominated for an Emmy. Urbina has degrees in history from Georgetown and the University of Chicago, and lives in Washington, D.C., with his family.

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