Nick Schuyler's Not Without Hope

For my independent reading book I chose Not Without Hope by Nick Schuyler. So far I have read forty seven pages. The genre of this book is adventure and mystery. This book was published in 2010. In the beginning of the book we meet Marquis Cooper who loves to fish and be on the water. He wants to take his three friends with him out on the water. Marquis was twenty-six and had been drafted by the Tampa Bay Raiders. Corey Smith is an unique athlete, drafted by the Buccaneers in 2004 and worked harder than any player on the field and in the gym. Nick Schuyler (who is telling the story) was twenty four. Will Beakley also is aboard the crew twenty five years old, 6’2, 239 lbs. Will has a degree in finance and accounting, but lost his job in the
A scary two days later one returns. Nick is the only survivors so he helped in writing the book. He is a dynamic character in his courage, strength, and positive attitude when things are tough. After about five hours of being in the water, no one wants to go under the boat to try to get supplies, food or water, anything that could help them. Nick does reach and get Will’s cell phone and try calling everyone including 9-1-1. He keep trying every ten to fifteen minutes. “ But I kept getting the same message… NO SERVICE…..SEND WHEN SERVICE AVAILABLE? I kept hitting YES, hoping against hope”(50). Nick could easily say, this is never going to work and give up, but that is not in character. He keeps trying and having a positive hope that something will work and someone will spot them. I think Nick’s courage and positive attitude is why he the one that survived. One example of this positive attitude and hope that he told Corey was, “ Hold on, they’re going to be here soon.” And to Marquis: “Please God, stay with us” (88). He is encouraging his other three friends to keep fighting that someone is going to find them, that God will save
They are frequently tossed off and have to get back on. With no cell phone service and barely any food. There seemed like there was no hope. As they battle hard in the freezing cold water they began to lose faith. Planes and helicopters are flying by but can’t see them. They’re frustrated mentally and physically exhausted. Corey smith is the first man to die due to starvation after seventeen hours in the water. The rest of the crew is in shock. He was a NFL player and in great shape. Five hours later they lose Marquis Cooper, the captain of the boat. He couldn’t survive and gave up .” It was the hardest thing ever in my life to watch my freind drift away literally, right before my eyes”(145). Nick couldn’t do anything to save the two. Now it was only Will and Nick left struggling on the boat. They had made it for thirty six hours, wide awake and threw the nights , so far and keep telling each other they could do it and someone is going to find them. At the forty two hour mark Will is taking in a lot of salt water and eventually can’t keep getting back on the boat and drowns. Now Nick devastated and exhausted has only one thing to do, wait. After seven more hours the coast guard rescue boats gets him and then call a helicopter for him to lifted off and rushed to the closest hospital. He’s in shock that he made it. His family and friends were waiting