{"product_id":"captains-dinner-a-shipwreck-an-act-of-cannibalism-and-a-murder-trial-that-changed-legal-history-9798893310597","title":"Captain's Dinner: A Shipwreck, an Act of Cannibalism, and a Murder Trial That Changed Legal History","description":"\u003cb\u003eFour men in a lifeboat. Two weeks without food. One impossible choice that would reshape the boundaries between survival and murder. \"A perfect enunciation of the classic philosophical conundrum: can you sacrifice one innocent life to save many?\" (Yann Martel, author of \u003ci\u003eLife of Pi\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOn May 19, 1884, the yacht Mignonette set sail from England on what should have been an uneventful voyage. When their vessel sank in the Atlantic, Captain Thomas Dudley and his crew found themselves adrift in a tiny lifeboat. As days turned to weeks, they faced an unthinkable choice: starve to death or resort to cannibalism. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTheir decision to sacrifice the youngest--17-year-old cabin boy Richard Parker--ignited a firestorm of controversy upon their rescue. Instead of being hailed as heroes and survivors, Dudley and his crew found themselves at the center of \u003cb\u003eRegina v. Dudley and Stephens\u003c\/b\u003e, a landmark murder trial that would establish the legal precedent that necessity cannot justify murder--a principle that continues to shape Anglo-American law today. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eCaptain's Dinner\u003c\/i\u003e, acclaimed journalist, Pulitzer Prize juror, and \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author Adam Cohen masterfully depicts both the harrowing weeks at sea and the sensational trial that followed. \u003cb\u003e\"Is killing one innocent person justified if it saves the lives of three others? Cohen's answer--in this riveting account--reads like a thriller\"\u003c\/b\u003e (former U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken). Through this Victorian tragedy, Cohen reveals an enduring conflict between primal instincts and moral principles. This book will\u003cb\u003e \"make you think long and hard about what you might do to survive\" \u003c\/b\u003e(Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania). \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePerfect for readers of David Grann's \u003ci\u003eThe Wager\u003c\/i\u003e and Nathaniel Philbrick's \u003ci\u003eIn the Heart of the Sea\u003c\/i\u003e, this pulse-pounding true story has become a real-life example of one of life's greatest moral dilemmas. \u003cb\u003e\"Thoroughly researched and impeccably argued\" \u003c\/b\u003e(Martel). Rich with narrative detail and real-life courtroom twists, \u003cb\u003e\"brilliant and profound,\"\u003c\/b\u003e (bestselling author Amy Chua), \u003ci\u003eCaptain's Dinner\u003c\/i\u003e strikes at the heart of a question that haunts us all: When does survival justify murder?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Adam Cohen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Authors Equity\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/18\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 384\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798893310597","brand":"Ripon Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44282582564909,"sku":"9798893310597","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0681\/0501\/1245\/files\/img_b67d1998-9f6f-4622-9ab1-ddc036ffe5c4.jpg?v=1761577034","url":"https:\/\/riponbookstore.com\/products\/captains-dinner-a-shipwreck-an-act-of-cannibalism-and-a-murder-trial-that-changed-legal-history-9798893310597","provider":"Ripon Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}