Award-winning and bestselling author and maritime historian Eric Jay Dolin joins Big Blend Radio’s "Way Back When" history podcast to discuss his compelling new book, "The Wreck of the Mentor: A True Story of Death, Despair, and Deliverance in the Age of Sail"—featured by The New York Times as one of "The Nonfiction Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026."
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Drawing from extensive archival research, sailors' journals, and Indigenous accounts, Dolin recounts the remarkable true story of the American whaleship Mentor, which wrecked on a reef near the Palau Islands in 1832. What followed was an extraordinary four-year saga of survival, splintered leadership, cross-cultural encounters, and unexpected compassion on the far reaches of the Pacific.
In this engaging conversation, Dolin dives into the harsh realities of the 19th-century American whaling industry, the nature of isolation during the Age of Sail, and how individual human connections bridged vast cultural divides. Plus, he reflects on the process of uncovering lost historical manuscripts and shares a timely perspective on navigating AI in modern publishing.
Learn more about Eric Jay Dolin and his books at http://www.ericjaydolin.com/
Featured Book Review
Written with the tone of a great historic novel, this non-fiction book will grab your interest as it takes you out to sea, back in times of exploration and greed.
It is the story of the native peoples of Palau—who lived in the Micronesia sub-region of Oceania, in the western Pacific Ocean, about 500 miles east of the Philippines—meeting up with British and American sailors during the late 1700s and early 1800s. The region is made up of about 340 coral and volcanic islands, where rough seas posed a constant threat to whale ships hunting for oil and baleen. During this era, the whaling industry was major business, supplying whale oil for perfumes and baleen for corset stays.
The whale ship Mentor is thrown against coral reefs in a storm and begins to sink, forcing sailors to abandon ship in smaller onboard boats with whatever supplies they could grab to survive. Some left immediately while others felt safer staying on board. It is a gripping and fascinating account of what happened to the 22-man crew—clamoring to escape in the dead of night with little knowledge of where they were or what lay ahead.
The Wreck of the Mentor is well-researched, exciting, and a real eye-opener. It makes you realize just what sailors went through to earn a meager living and support their families. The photos and illustrations throughout draw you straight into the story, bringing this historic event vividly alive and giving the reader plenty to think about. — Nancy J. Reid, Big Blend Media House