Black Flags, Blue Waters

The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates

By: Eric Jay Dolin

Narrated by: Paul Brion

Set against the backdrop of the Age of Exploration, Black Flags, Blue Waters reveals the dramatic and surprising history of American piracy's "Golden Age" - spanning the late 1600s through the early 1700s - when lawless pirates plied the coastal waters of North America and beyond. Best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin illustrates how American colonists at first supported these outrageous pirates in an early display of solidarity against the Crown, and then violently opposed them.

Through engrossing episodes of roguish glamour and extreme brutality, Dolin depicts the star pirates of this period, among them towering Blackbeard, ill-fated Captain Kidd, and sadistic Edward Low, who delighted in torturing his prey. Also brilliantly detailed are the pirates' manifold enemies, including colonial governor John Winthrop and evangelist Cotton Mather.

Upending popular misconceptions and cartoonish stereotypes, Dolin provides this wholly original account of the seafaring outlaws whose raids reflect the precarious nature of American colonial life.

©2018 Eric Jay Dolin (P)2018 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

And snooze…in a good way.

Narrator does a great job. I was out of credits but wanted to listen to something history true-ish and oddly interesting but also ok with falling asleep to. Nailed it. Perfect listen.

I actually ended up listening to the few chapters just doing laundry or whatever. I wanted to know how it ended. Very interesting. 5 stars. No regrets.

Imagine being in a high school lecture

Great material but monotone delivery. Awesome history and facts I learned alot.

I did expect a pop quiz at the end.

Thank you

Interesting history but will put you to sleep

Mono tone- would have finished this much faster if I could pay attention. Unfortunate since the content about how the US colonies prospered due to the pirates is fascinating.

fascinating insight into actual pirate events

this was super interesting and factual. very insightful about the different pirates and what they did or didn't, do.

Narrator could have been better

The narrator reads this as if it were a set of instructions. Leaves your imagination at the mercy of a boring voice. The speech cadence is monotonous.