BKMT READING GUIDES

Adventurous,
Interesting,
Inspiring

4 reviews

Fourteen: A Daughter's Memoir of Adventure, Sailing, and Survival

by Leslie Johansen Nack

Published: 2015-10-20
Paperback : 300 pages

1 member reading this now
1 club reading this now
0 members have read this book

Recommended to book clubs by 4 of 4 members

No other editions available.

Jump to

Introduction

After her mother and father divorce at age seven, Leslie quickly learns the hard lessons of being Dad's favorite. The abuse begins at age nine and doesn't end until she begins to fight back at Fourteen.

Her father, a larger-than-life Norwegian, assumed full custody of Leslie and her two sisters and move the family from their 63-acre rustic ranch in Northern California to a 45-foot sailboat in Southern California. The family spent two years living aboard their boat preparing for the trip of their father's dream: a trip around the world. On February 5, 1975, the family set sail for French Polynesia.

Intense and inspiring, Fourteen is a coming-of-age adventure story about a young girl who comes into her own power, fights back against abuse, becomes an accomplished sailor, and falls in love with the ocean and the natural world. The outer voyage is a mirror of her inner journey--her goal is to find the strength to endure in a dangerous world, and difficult family.

Editorial Review

No editorial review at this time.

Excerpt

No Excerpt Currently Available

Discussion Questions

Suggested by Members

Did Leslie ever reunite with her sisters?

Did Leslie and/or her sisters go on another sailing adventure with her father?

How did they all deal with not being in school? Did it put them behind academically?

by pennycapra (see profile) 01/18/17

Weblinks

There are no web links at this time.

Notes From the Author to the Bookclub

No notes at this time.

Book Club Recommendations

Recommended to book clubs by 4 of 4 members.

Member Reviews

Overall rating:

by Melissa G. (see profile) 01/20/17

by Cathy G. (see profile) 01/20/17

Beautifully written, coming of age memoir. The author writes about her adventures sailing, her struggles, and growing up in a dysfunctional family. It is such a beautiful and relatable story. Everyone... (read more)

"Kept Me Reading The Whole Way Through"by Penny C. (see profile) 01/18/17

I liked this book. It flowed very nicely. I'm a very hard to please reader; you have to catch me in the first 5-pages... Fourteen did that. I'm grateful that I was told about this book by our book club.... (read more)

"Fourteen"by Michele B. (see profile) 12/19/16

I am from the city where most of the "on shore” portion of this story takes place and it's amazing how connected I feel to Leslie's story. There are so many references I recognized, that it made for... (read more)

Rate this book

MEMBER LOGIN