As Long as It Takes: Meeting the Challenge

I received this book for Christmas, and I half expected it to be filled with nautical terms and jargon about the sea. Instead, the book turned out to be a marvelous read about survival in life and following your dreams. I feel as if I know Bill Pinkney, as I watched him grow from an impoverished life on the Southside of Chicago, through his days in the Navy (with Bill Cosby), to his antics as a calypso dancer, make-up artist, and eventually a big shot at Revlon, to being the first African-American to solo-circumnavigate the globe via the five capes. Pinkney later went on to become the Master of the replica slave ship Amistad. But Pinkney is not simply a lone adventurer. His amazing journey was done in conjunction with schools in Boston and Chicago, which followed his every move via computers and equipment in the classroom. It is a beautifully written story of joy, compassion, and the inspiration to never quit.