John Aldridge

New in Paperback: The harrowing adventure-at-sea memoir ("Terrific."-Daniel James Brown) recounting the 2013 search-and-rescue mission for lost Montauk fisherman John Aldridge." A Speck in the Sea is a terrific read-harrowing and inspiring at the same time. In the end it's a moving testament both to our individual will to survive and to our collective will to come to the aid of others in distress. I couldn't put it down." -Daniel James Brown, author of The Boys in the BoatIn the dead of night on July 24, 2013, John Aldridge was thrown off the back of the Anna Mary while his fishing partner, Anthony Sosinski, slept below. As desperate hours ticked by, Sosinski, the families, the local fishing community, and the U. S. Coast Guard in three states mobilized in an unprecedented search effort that culminated in a rare and exhilarating success. A tale of survival, perseverance, and community, A Speck in the Sea tells of one man's struggle to survive as friends and strangers work to bring him home. Aldridge's wrenching first-person account intertwines with the narrative of the massive, constantly evolving rescue operation designed to save him.

The 2012/13 season marked 100 years of professional football in Newport, a century during which Newport County AFC has played a major role in raising the profile of the city, and taken generations of supporters on an emotional roller coaster, ranging from glorious successes to the depths of despair. County’s first 100 years has seen great highs: winning championships, a Wembley Cup Final and even stunning the football world by reaching the quarter finals of the European Cup Winners’ Cup. Such successes are all the more treasured as the club regularly faced financial difficulties, bad luck and misfortune. Ultimately, this led to the lowest point any supporter could endure – the bankruptcy of the original club in 1989. But this is also an inspiring story of defiant resistance, with supporters immediately reforming the club against all odds and battling for the right to regain their place in the Football League. County entered its centenary season at a new ground: Rodney Parade, the traditional home of Newport Rugby. With County having been formed as a local alternative to rugby, perhaps this will, after all, be where County come to enjoy their greatest success.