ENTERPRISE â Fishtrapâs Big Read 2021, which is online-only again this year, is a true tale of resilience and survival â "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex" by Nathaniel Philbrick. The month-long event kicked off this week.
The National Book Award-winning tale is the story of the whaleship Essex which, in 1820, was the target of a sperm whale attack. The 85-foot long whale â perhaps the largest of that species anyone had witnessed â rammed the ship and stove it in. The attack and the sinking of the Essex were the basis of Herman Melvilleâs ending for his 1851 novel, "Moby-Dick."