Sole Survivor

Poon Lim, a Chinese steward aboard a British merchant ship during WWII, survives for 133 days on a raft after his ship is sunk by a German torpedo. SOLE SURVIVOR was first released as fiction and later reissued as nonfiction. The epilogue explains why. The tale of Poon Lim's ordeal, including his thoughts and dreams, are told in Johanna Ward's soft, pleasant voice, as though she were reading a child's bedtime story. Her taciturn descriptions of the taste of fish eyes and the intestinal contents of sea birds are not for the squeamish and would be a good awakening for youngsters who won't eat their vegetables. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

January 1, 1985
This is a fictionalized account of an actual event: 22-year-old Poon Lim's 133 days alone at sea following the WW II sinking in the South Atlantic of the British freighter on which this Chinese steward worked. Based on interviews with Poon, the reconstruction shows us a meek, dependent person who is suddenly thrown on his own resources to remain alive. Although he finds a lightly-stocked emergency raft in the debris of the sunken ship, he immediately encounters the first of many challenges: English-language labels on food cans, flares and other items. Through tortuous trial and error, Poon survives after the supplies run out. He learns to fish with a nail, to collect rainwater and to keep alert despite storms, blazing sun and nighttime cold. Five months later, when he washes ashore in Brazil, he is a matured man. Poon's experience makes for a dignified, uplifting adventure tale. Dolphin Book Club alternate. November