Book of the Week - True Spirit

by Rob Tickner

'When I was young I was pretty much afraid of everything.' These are words from one of the most successful non-fiction books of the year, and according to the booksellers, 'True Spirit' by Jessica Watson, is still going strong.

As Rob Tickner from Boat Books Australia says, 'From an initial surge sales of True Spirit are still amongst our top ten. At the Sydney boat show following Jessica’s on stage presentation she signed copies on our stand where we sold over 800 books.

'We also received a further boost in book sales with the launch of her DVD and its showing on TV. There is still much media interest and our thoughts are True Spirit will be a good Xmas stocking filler!'

Jessica goes on to say,' I wish I could say when it was that I went from being that quiet little girl, tagging along behind the others, to the girl who set off to sail around the world believing completely that with enough dedication she could achieve anything she set her mind to.

'Somewhere along the way I learnt that if you truly want to live life you have to get involved, pursue your passions and dream big. I don’t know when that was and I don’t remember jumping into the pool that day, it is just a story my mum tells.

'But somewhere between that moment and sailing out of Sydney Harbour on Ella’s Pink Lady, I came to understand what Helen Keller said far better than I can – ‘Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing’.'


These are Jessica’s words, taken from True Spirit. In it she details the extensive preparation she and her team made for the big voyage, her journey and the battles she fought along the way – against sleep deprivation, gale-force winds mountainous seas and the solitude most of us can only imagine.

When she sailed back into Sydney Harbour on 15 May 2010, after 210 days at sea, she was cheered in by a huge crowd that included Kevin Rudd.

To many, Jessica was our newest hero. She disagreed, saying she wasn’t a hero, 'just an ordinary girl who had a dream and worked hard at it and proved that anything is possible'. This is her story.
Paperback 350 pages $35.00

The book is paperback, 350 pages long, costs $35.00 and isavailable from Boat Books Australia online, or in the following locations:


Boat Books Sydney - Head Office
31 Albany Street
Crows Nest NSW 2065
Phone: (02) 9439 1133
Store Hours: Monday to Friday: 9.00am - 5:30pm
Saturday: 9.00am - 4:00pm

Boat Books Brisbane
109 Albert Street
Brisbane QLD 4000
Phone: (07) 3229 6427
Store Hours: Monday to Friday: 9.00am - 5:00pm
Saturday: 10.00am - 2:00pm

Boat Books Melbourne
214 St Kilda Road
St Kilda VIC 3182
Phone: (03) 9525 3444

Store Hours: Monday to Friday: 9.00am - 5:30pm
Saturday: 9.00am - 1:00pm

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