In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex is a National Book Award winning work of maritime history by Nathaniel Philbrick. It tells the story of the Whaleship Essex from the point of view of Thomas Nickerson who was a 14 year old cabin boy on the Essex. The book is based on a notebook written by Nickerson when in his seventies which was lost until 1980.