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The Gales of November

The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald

by John U. Bacon

Narrator Johnny Heller

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Length 10 hours 53 minutes

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“The Gales of November is a very comprehensive look at the legendary Edmund Fitzgerald and the men who lost their lives on that fateful November day. With interviews and extensive research, author John Bacon brings these sailors and their surviving family members to life. ”
— Mary • Skylark Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“This is a wonderfully written telling of the Fitz- well-paced and rich in details and context. Well written, well read. You’ll want to gift this one for Christmas! ”
— Nate • Snowbound Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Bacon beautifully presents the history of the famed ship through multiple lenses. From the broad history of what role the Edmond Fitzgerald played in shipping and what the Great Lakes meant for Michigan, to deep, personal examinations of the 29 men on the ship and what happened to those who loved them. Comprehensive and engaging. ”
— Aidan • Schuler Books

Bookseller recommendation

“I grew up in Michigan hearing about the Edmund Fitzgerald but this book flushed out so much history and culture I had never heard. It provides an entertaining account of what ship life was like, what the families did while their men were at sea, and how communities rallied around the shipping business. I wept through the last half as I learned about each individual and then their families. What an important slice of history.”
— Syd • Ink Cap Books

Bookseller recommendation

“The sinking of the freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald was a traumatic moment in US maritime history. Many will have heard the Gordon Lightfoot song, but the history of Great Lakes shipping, profiles of sailors on the boat, and effects of the sinking may be less familiar. In The Gales of November, John Bacon respectfully explores those subjects as well as maritime history and the history of America itself. It is a touching tribute to a history-making disaster. ”
— Sofia • Bookshop Santa Cruz

Bookseller recommendation

“Many of us are familiar with Gordon Lightfoot's haunting, elegiac ballad, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which immortalizes the real-life tragedy of the 1975 sinking of the freighter in Lake Superior, resulting in the loss of all 29 crew members. Bacon's comprehensive book is history at its finest: from the early days of freshwater freighting to the construction of the mighty Edmund Fitzgerald, to the meteorological events that led to the catastrophic storm that sank her, to the lives of each of the 29 shipmen, their families, and the Great Lakes shipping community. And for the number of us who first heard of the Edmund Fitzgerald's story through Gordon Lightfoot, we learn how he came about to write the iconic song that immortalizes this tragic chapter in Great Lakes maritime history. Completely immersive. Highly recommend -- Johnny Heller was the perfect voice for this audiobook!”
— Donna • The Well-Read Moose

Bookseller recommendation

“I will never recover from this book. The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is a huge deal in Wisconsin, which is where I’m from. I loved learning the intricacies of the history of the Great Lakes, the shipping industry, sailor culture, and labor laws. ”
— Molly • Blacksburg Books

Bookseller recommendation

“John U. Bacon’s deep respect and obsessive curiosity hooked me from the first minute of The Gales of November. Braiding history, politics, theories of what happened with the stories of the brave men who went down with the ship to create an absolute page turner. ”
— Jenny • The Caboose

#14 in Bestselling History Audiobooks

Summary

On the fiftieth anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald’s sinking, the bestselling author of The Great Halifax Explosion tells the definitive story of the “Mighty Fitz.”

For three decades following World War II, the Great Lakes overtook Europe as the epicenter of global economic strength. The region was the beating heart of the world economy, possessing all the power and prestige Silicon Valley does today. And no ship represented the apex of the American Century better than the 729-foot-long Edmund Fitzgerald—the biggest, best, and most profitable ship on the Lakes.

But on November 10, 1975, as the “storm of the century” threw 100 mile-per-hour winds and 50-foot waves on Lake Superior, the Mighty Fitz found itself at the worst possible place, at the worst possible time. When she sank, she took all 29 men onboard down with her, leaving the tragedy shrouded in mystery for a half century.

In The Gales of November, award-winning journalist John U. Bacon presents the definitive account of the disaster, drawing on more than 100 interviews with the families, friends, and former crewmates of those lost. Bacon explores the vital role Great Lakes shipping played in America’s economic boom, the uncommon lives the sailors led, the sinking’s most likely causes, and the heartbreaking aftermath for those left behind—“the wives, the sons, and the daughters,” as Gordon Lightfoot sang in his unforgettable ballad.

Focused on those directly affected by the tragedy, The Gales of November is both an emotional tribute to the lives lost and a propulsive, page-turning narrative history of America’s most-mourned maritime disaster.

“John Bacon has done it again! This is another riveting narrative that puts facts on a still-mesmerizing legend. But this is more than getting the details right. Bacon has distilled the essence of the story and rendered a huge monument to those lost and a great gift to the rest of us.”—Ken Burns, filmmaker

History Nonfiction