Reviews
A fascinating account of the international ocean shipping industry and the arena it operates in, the largely ungoverned open seas., Consistently absorbing...Timely as well as deft...George's spirited book cracks open a vast, treacherous and largely ignored world., Mind-blowing...With its wide scope, voice of intellectual curiosity, and inter-ocean adventure, the book is reminiscent of Donovan Hohn's popular Moby Duck ., For a modern seafaring adventure, there couldn't be a better guide than Rose George. Her intelligence, curiosity, and compassion shine through on every page to reveal a fascinating world that no one knows about, though it is fundamental to our economy and way of life., Engrossing and revelatory...George not only explores a little-known world of commerce but also introduces readers to the many people who make shipping possible. That she does so with great empathy and self-effacing humor, much like Mary Roach, makes her subjects especially appealing.... George's book is packed with telling anecdotes and detailed accounts, some funny, some shocking. If there's a downside to her seafaring, it's that it comes to an end too soon., To the classic incredible journeys-- Moby Dick , Two Years Before the Mast --Rose George adds another, her voyage round the world aboard a container ship, revealing what happens before the big bang of merchandise explodes from the high seas into civilization via cargo containers holding thousands of sneakers, millions of plastic bags, and trillions of other products., Worth comparing to John McPhee's Looking for a Ship ...Offers a fascinating look at an anonymous industry affecting our daily lives, and gives a personal face to those working in that industry., Rose George, with her precise and beautiful clarity of prose, has now fired a brilliant star-shell over the wine-dark sea and the ships that pass in its night, illuminating the details of the invisible ocean industry that is, and always will be, essential to all of us., The two greatest stories are supposed to be 'A man goes on a journey' and 'A stranger comes to town.' In this enthralling, literally wide-ranging book, Rose George tells both: she goes on a voyage that few other journalists have accomplished, and she unveils the unknown seafarers who bring us all the world's goods. Her sympathetic, deeply reported, and unexpectedly poignant account reveals the private, prickly, brave tribe on which much of our daily lives, and most of the world's interlinked economies, depend., The best books make you think about our world in a new way, and Ninety Percent of Everything is definitely one of those books. In this smart, lucid, and often beautiful investigation of the little-known world of freight shipping, Rose George finds new ways to illuminate our impact on the planet and explore that restless sense of motion that so often defines who are., "Engrossing and revelatory... George not only explores a little-known world of commerce but also introduces readers to the many people who make shipping possible. That she does so with great empathy and self-effacing humor, much like Mary Roach, makes her subjects especially appealing.... George's book is packed with telling anecdotes and detailed accounts, some funny, some shocking. If there's a downside to her seafaring, it's that it comes to an end too soon." -San Francisco Chronicle "Mind-blowing... With its wide scope, voice of intellectual curiosity, and inter-ocean adventure, the book is reminiscent of Donovan Hohn's popular Moby Duck ." -The Atlantic, Rose George beautifully captures the surprising nuances of this little-known world: beauty and privation, pathos and greed, tragedy and hilarity. Her strong, spare, gleaming prose steams along, powered by curiosity, compassion, outrage. As a writer, a reporter, and a human being, George is--stand by for nautical term--First Rate.
