Before you read this review you need to know that I am biased. In other words if it had been about someone who I had never heard of I doubt I would have given it five star. After all would I really be that interested in reading about a crab fisherman? However many moons ago I had got tired of my husband trying to persuade me to watch Deadliest Catch. To keep him quiet I decided to give it a go. Who would've thought that long after my husband has lost interest in it I would've been the crab fishing addict. So much so that if anyone had asked me to join their boat I would've said yes! (Er maybe not Keith's boat). Anyway after a slow start ( crab fishing really isn't as exiting a read as watching it) I started to really enjoy the book. Learning about Phil's father and meeting the famous Mary (mother to Phil's boys). All this time I had wondered why she had left such a lovely guy. After reading this book I am amazed she stayed as long as she did! Then to read about the shocking way the boys had been treated by their step mother and the (not so) temporary loss of their own mother! Really it's not surprising Jake turned to drugs. Though actually it would've been less surprising if Josh had. Phil wasn't the best husband or father that's for sure. He certainly lived his life to the full, but the best description of him is on page 184. "Some people have got it," said Tony, and some people don't. Phil had it". I received the Harris boys “Captain Phil Harris” through a Goodreads Advanced Readers contest, and after I looked at the dust cover art thought it really might not be my cup of tea. I am not particularly a fan of reality TV and this story is based on the “Deadliest Catch” reality TV series about a hard driving and hard living individual who captained a crab fishing boat in the Bering Sea. He died worn out at age 53 and this tale was written by his sons to tell the backstory of the star - their father. To me it was also their way of saying goodbye. All-in-all it was ok. Celebrating sex, drugs, and living fast isn’t my idea of someone to look up to. Of course, here in the America we salute the individual, and Captain Harris certainly was that. He lived his life the way he wanted and became a success, especially if money is your gauge of success. His own father didn’t seem to be much of a dad to him, and Phil pretty much repeated that parenting style with his kids. Captain Phil lived larger than life and all to excess, and everyone seemed to forgive his excess. He simply lived and loved without regrets. Captain Phil Harris was a bit like the rock star Jim Morrison - a talented person who lived in the fast lane and flamed out way too early … someone who could have done so much more. Fans of the Deadliest Catch will like this barely-book length (221 pages) tale – it is sort of like the last episode of Deadliest Catch with Phil as the star. Outside of followers of the TV series, the book may not appeal to many others because they won’t have the context.The storyline jumps back and forth at times and seems more like a series of anecdotes about Captain Phil, but what comes through is the struggle of the two sons left behind and their unconditional love for their dad. The narrative came across as Jake and Josh's wish that their dad had maybe dialed his high-speed life down a notch so he could have been with them more. If this book is your cup of tea, you may also like “Deadliest Catch: Desperate Hours” which came out in 2008. It was a series of interviews that delved into many of the other personalities involved in crab fishing.
What do You think about Captain Phil Harris (2013)?
3.5. Too much filler unrelated to the Captain. More anecdotes than biography. Loved the photographs.
—Kyase
Written from the heart; learned so much more about Captain Phil's personal life and death
—jammy98
I loved learning so much about my favorite Captain. I miss you, Phil.
—jake
