What was it like aboard the Mayflower? Often one may think it was fun and adventuresome on the ship; however, the people on board were ordinary people that faced many hardships. In Log of the Mayflower, the author, Philip J. Simon, gives a day by day account of the happenings on the ship. He writes in the form of a journal kept by John, a man aboard the ship. Simon exhausted himself with research and his first completion of the book was in 1935; however, the book had to wait until 1956 to be published. During those twenty-one years, Simon accomplished more research, and when the time came for the publishing of the book, it was practically a different book. This book reveals the reality of life on the sea and the hardships one would face if one were aboard the Mayflower. Although the people aboard the Mayflower were seeking religious freedom in the New World, they were not always righteous and agreeable with others.

The book begins on September 5, 1620, one day before the Mayflower set out for the third time to the New World. The first two attempts were unsuccessful because of a dishones

gives the reader the opportunity to look at the story of the Mayflower from a new perspective and enjoy learning about the past.

This book was very effective in conveying the reality of life on the Mayflower and drawing the attention of the reader to the individual lives of the people. Although those traveling to the New World were Puritans and trusted God for everything, they still had struggles and temptations. Some struggled with gambling and drinking, while others struggled with anger and fighting. After reading Log of the Mayflower, the story of the Mayflower was no longer a story with names, but rather a part of America's past that required physical and emotional endurance, trust in one another, strength, and faith. The

while reading, one feels that they are right in the midst of the action. One even finds that they feel what the people feel and long to reach the New World almost as badly as the people do on the ship.

not seaworthy; therefore, the two ships once again returned to England. Later, it was

The people aboard the Mayflower segregated themselves into three groups. Those from London (Londoners) are more liberal in their religious beliefs, unlike the Leyden people who are more conservative in their beliefs. The seamen do not show respect to anyone and cause strife among everyone. From the beginning there was constant bickering and strife among the groups. The Leyden people had chosen John Carver as their leader, and the Londoners had chosen Stephen Hopkins as their leader; therefore these two men were almost always opposing each other's views and ideas. The leader of the seamen, Tom Shipley, played endless pranks on everyone; however, about halfway into the voyage, he became ill and was the first person to die.

Not only were there problem

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Approximate Word count = 1199
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)