The author made me feel as though I was part of the drama and hardships that unfolded on the lifeboat. At times while reading this book I wondered what I would do in that situation. I'm sure the people on the lifeboat never thought that they would be capable of the things they needed to do to survive or in some cases give up. I was drawn into the story to the point where at times I felt as though I could be the 40th member.