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Title: Cynical, Mediocre account of the Captain's life
Review: A decent recapping of the events of the Captain's life, with little real insight, except that the author seems to want to write an expose. At times the criticisms are justified, but more times than not the jabs come off as petty, unsubstantiated, naive or tortuously rationalized from the available material. The glass is always half-empty, even if it takes half-truths to get there. One consistent theme is that Cousteau deliberately deceived the public, an interesting assertion since Munson's source for this is Cousteau's own published writings. The book spends as much time on family squabbles as ocean exploration, as if Kitty Kelly hit the water, pen in hand. There is a fair amount of information here, good if you are a Cousteau fan hungry for a few new tidbits about your hero. Beyond that limited audience the book has little appeal. The writing is competent but uninspired.
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