The Pirate Coast

Thomas Jefferson, The First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805

By: Richard Zacks

Narrated by: Raymond Todd

After Tripoli declared war on the United States in 1801, Barbary pirates captured 300 U.S. sailors and marines. President Jefferson sent navy squadrons to the Mediterranean, but he also authorized a secret mission to overthrow the government of Tripoli. He chose an unlikely diplomat, William Eaton, to lead the mission, but before Eaton departed, Jefferson grew wary of the affair and withdrew his support.

Astoundingly, Eaton persevered, gathering a ragtag army, including eight U.S. Marines, and leading them on a brutal march across 500 miles of desert. After surviving sandstorms, treachery, and near death from thirst, Eaton achieved a remarkable victory on "the shores of Tripoli", as commemorated in the Marine Corps Hymn. His triumph gained freedom for the American hostages and newfound respect for the young United States, but for Eaton, the aftermath wasn't sweet. When he dared to reveal that the president had abandoned him, Jefferson set out to crush him.

©2005 Richard Zacks (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Zacks has researched thoroughly, writes entertainingly, and shows a knack for sea stories and characterization. This is the book that Captain Eaton has long deserved." (Publishers Weekly)
"Zacks does an expert job of explaining the diplomacy and machinations of the U.S. government....Where Zacks excels is in his research, quipping asides, and loving grasp of the subject" (Kirkus Reviews)

I never knew

This book is an interesting historical account of William Eaton, a man I never knew about but who tackled amazing tasks under unbelievable circumstances. I am surprised that he doesn't hold a more well known place in history. The book does a good job of keeping my interest and giving an historical account of William Eaton's story.

Superb!!!

Great history superbly narrated
Highly recommend this book for history of Barbary pirates and individuals involvrd

Excellent listen!

A gripping tale of heroes and historical facts rarely mentioned in the standard narrative of early America. Well researched and well written. A must listen for every American

EXCELLENT

I am a huge fan of the Patrick O'Brian novels and have been looking for authors that write about that time period fiction or non fiction. This book hit the mark. It is well researched and well written. The authors meticulous research and writing style will lend itself well to educating future generations. He brings the story alive! The narrator is not the best (he is actually hard to listen to) but after you get into the story you do not notice or care.

So good I didn?t mind the weak narration

The only negative part of this title I think listeners need to be aware of is the weak narration. The reader uses little inflection, then suddenly breaks into weird accents many of which are inappropriate to the nationality of the character he is portraying. That having been said I was so taken by the story and the history that I honestly didn't mind.

Good but long winded.

Outstanding historical account. They didn't teach us about this war in school. Every American should know this stuff, especially now! The book is too long winded. Look for an abridged version (if it exists).

Detailed history I enjoyed this book. However...

I don't know if this book's file was Compressed, and it made the narrative sound faster or if the narrator just read it super fast!
Even the breaks at the end of a chapter to the start of a new chapter was so fast, that It made the chapter number sound almost like a conjunction in a sentence. There also seem to be very little by way of pausing or the rise or lowering of tone to indicate a new chapter was coming up, or a new paragraph was starting on a new subject.
The whole reading ran so fast, it could put Usain Bolt to shame. This is unfortunate because the narrator actually has a nice voice, and the author kept the historical information interesting. Sometimes history can be dry reading, but I think this author just proves that a big part of that, does depend upon the writer.

Exciting, Nail-Biting, Only To End Sadly

As history often ends, this does not end in a happily ever after. This starts as a story of prisoners and hostages to a war story between an iron fisted ruler and American-Tripolian liberators only to end anticlimactic with bureaucratic tension between a general (William Eaton) who saw that the true and loved ruler of Tripoli be restored to the throne and politician (Tobias Lear) who'd rather pay to keep peace with a dictator and get American hostages back. Although this may make the reader depressed in the end, I still couldn't stop listening to it as it is an amazing true story of valiant soldiers and moronic politicians.

Poor narrative of a good book

Unfortunately, the audio narrative was a poor production of an otherwise good book. I read the book a number of years ago, and I enjoyed it, but I recommend against the audio version

Learned a lot.

The Pirate Coast
Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines and the Secret Mission of 1805

Richard Zacks

I cannot say the narrative was riveting, but I did learn a lot of new information regarding America vs the Barbary Pirates.

This book also demonstrates very well that American presidents leaving allies hanging out to dry is nothing new. Also that nations from that part of the world kidnapping Americans and holding them for ransom because they know we’ll fold like a cheap lawn chair is a longstanding tradition.

If you have an interest in these events, Mr. Zacks provides a great deal of detail.