Book excerpt: Naturalism at Its Finest“If I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?” - Stephen Crane, The Open Boat The Open Boat is a true story about Crane’s traumatic experience of surviving a shipwreck. He along with other three men were stranded at sea for 30 hours before trying to reach dry land. Experience alongside the four characters what it really means to be on the brink, when not even God is able to save you. This Xist Classics edition has been professionally formatted for e-readers with a linked table of contents. This eBook also contains a bonus book club leadership guide and discussion questions. We hope you’ll share this book with your friends, neighbors and colleagues and can’t wait to hear what you have to say about it. Xist Publishing is a digital-first publisher. Xist Publishing creates books for the touchscreen generation and is dedicated to helping everyone develop a lifetime love of reading, no matter what form it takes.