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A review by catbooking
Cabin Fever: The Harrowing Journey of a Cruise Ship at the Dawn of a Pandemic by Michael Smith, Jonathan Franklin
2.0
Meh.
I don't know if it is compassion fatigue or just general exhaustion with people who don't think COVID is a big deal but I found it hard to empathize with the passengers. The workers' stories managed to touch on my emotions a bit, but only a bit. I also felt that the author was trying to minimize the responsibility that the cruise-line carried. Yes, lots of things were outside of their control, but lots of things weren't and brushing them off with 'well it was hard' felt scummy.
The other issue I had was more with the stuff in the book not with the book itself. I don't know if it is because I am naive, or something cardinal is broken in my worldview, but I was continuously shocked to hear that no passengers offered to help. I get that they couldn't have been washing sheets and unclogging toilets but something like stripping and making their own beds would go a long way to lighten the work load on the crew. Or they could have kept and washed their silverware and/or some of the dishes, to assist in how much needed to be cleaned and provided at each meal. I was just shocked how there was no team effort, it was still clients and worker bees.
I don't know if it is compassion fatigue or just general exhaustion with people who don't think COVID is a big deal but I found it hard to empathize with the passengers. The workers' stories managed to touch on my emotions a bit, but only a bit. I also felt that the author was trying to minimize the responsibility that the cruise-line carried. Yes, lots of things were outside of their control, but lots of things weren't and brushing them off with 'well it was hard' felt scummy.
The other issue I had was more with the stuff in the book not with the book itself. I don't know if it is because I am naive, or something cardinal is broken in my worldview, but I was continuously shocked to hear that no passengers offered to help. I get that they couldn't have been washing sheets and unclogging toilets but something like stripping and making their own beds would go a long way to lighten the work load on the crew. Or they could have kept and washed their silverware and/or some of the dishes, to assist in how much needed to be cleaned and provided at each meal. I was just shocked how there was no team effort, it was still clients and worker bees.