Ten Degrees of Reckoning - by Hester Rumberg (Paperback)

About the Book

In 1993, Judith and Michael Sleavin and their two children set out to sail around the world. But one night, a freighter off the coast of New Zealand alters its course and changes everything. This unbelievable yet true story tells of one family's love and loss.

Book Synopsis

An international bestseller. A remarkable true story of one woman's courage.

In 1993, Judith and Michael Sleavin and their two children set out to sail around the world. Three years into their incredible journey, a nearby freighter altered its course by a mere ten degrees-and everything changed...

After forty-four hours in the icy water clinging to an overturned dinghy, her back broken and paralyzed below the waist, Judith miraculously survived, winding up in a small community on the New Zealand coast. Gripping, unbelievable yet true, Judith's story of courage, survival, and retribution is alternately heartrending and uplifting. It's also a story of unbreakable bonds, of shattering loss, and of one woman reborn through the strength of friendship and the profound love of strangers who became family.

Review Quotes

a"Ten Degrees of Reckoning" is a rare book. It both celebrates the love and spirit of adventure of the Sleavin family and tells in harrowing and gut-wrenching detail about the tragedy that claims the lives of three out of four of its members. To people who say: I canat read such a sad story, I say only, you must. You must learn about and celebrate Annie and Ben and Mike so that they may be remembered. You must marvel at Judyas bravery, her resilience, her will. You must repeat their story to others so that what befell them doesn't happen again. Read "Ten Degrees of Reckoning," You must.a
aAnn Hood, author of "The Knitting Circle" and "Comfort: A Journey Through Grief"

About the Author

Hester Rumberg was an oral/maxillofacial radiologist and an experienced offshore sailor. Along with Judith Sleavin, she established the Sleavin Family Foundation to promote maritime safety. Her book Ten Degrees of Reckoning stands as a tribute to the Sleavin family.