My First Five Years at Sea focuses on a coming of age story about a young man from Kansas. Set in the 1930’s his life is full of hope, a rare commodity given that the world is plunged into the Great Depression. He receives a scholarship to MIT and is ready to embark on his great adventure….only thing is no one knows exactly how big an adventure it will be. Before he can matriculate, he is shanghaied by a female pirate and is forced into indentured servitude aboard a rum runner. His life is first stolen, then over the course of exploits cast upon the ocean, is found again. During his travels, he is accompanied by a man who becomes his friend, guardian, and we learn at the end of the story is in fact a man of a surprisingly different nature. Throughout the book there are many historical references, some intentionally distorted in order to connect the dots of the storyline in a plausible and entertaining style. Allure of the sea has been an inspiration in the writing of this book, and readers can expect to find numerous references to its many faces and to those who have made it their home.