Title: And I Wanted to Be A Boat Bum
Author: Jim Hawk
Publisher: Author’s Tranquility Press
ISBN: 978-1964810027
Genre: Action & Adventure
Pages: 252
Reviewer: Lily Amanda

Read Book Review

And I Wanted to Be A Boat Bum by author Jim Hawk is an exciting and sometimes funny story which follows Gore Lyle, a man who has lost his family, left his job as a policeman, and found himself suddenly rich, trying to discover what to do with his life while danger, friendship, faith, and adventure keep pulling him into places he never planned to go. Right from the start, the story feels like sitting down with someone who has lived through more than most people could imagine and is telling you the truth about it with no fancy words – just the way it happened.

Gore’s financial life takes a sudden turnaround after a drunk, mob-connected crime boss named Joe Spatoon runs a stop sign and crashes into his family car, killing his wife, three kids, one dog, and two cats. Gore sues Spatoon in a civil case and wins a huge financial judgment which is almost ten times his police salary just in dividends and interest. The payout makes him wealthy enough to retire, but it also puts him on the mob’s radar, since Spatoon warns him he’ll “never live to enjoy it.”

I started reading thinking it would be mostly about boats and a man enjoying his fortune, and yes there are boats, one of them a huge eighty-foot concrete yacht called the Ark, but there are also gunfights, mob threats, surprise karate fights on the beach, secret agents, and quiet talks with God about what to do next. There is also a mix of danger, humor, and moments of deep thought that kept me turning the pages without wanting to stop because I kept wanting to know what Gore would do next. He is not a soft hero but a tough one from years in the army and the police. Unfortunately, he is wounded not just in his body but in his heart from losing his wife and children, and that pain shows in little ways even when he jokes. This is an element that makes him feel very real because even in the middle of a dangerous scene you can sense the quiet ache he carries with him.

The book moves in short bursts of adventure that feel like episodes, each one starting calm and then building into something tense or surprising. I loved how it is all written in a way that is easy to follow while keeping you guessing what will happen next. The author’s brilliance is shown in how he makes you feel like you are right there with Gore, hearing the hum of the diesel engines, feeling the roll of the sea under your feet and seeing the quick moves of a fight that might last only seconds. He seamlessly blends humor, action, and spiritual depth without losing the human heart of the story. The prose is plain but full of life, with long easy-flowing sentences that sound like a person talking instead of something too polished, which makes it warm and personal. The characters are memorable without feeling fake, from Chucky Jeffords, a retired Special Forces Lt. Colonel, to the Ark itself, which becomes like a silent companion to Gore. There are themes that stand out such as trust, finding new purpose after loss as well as the surprising ways God can guide a life even when it feels off course. Readers will gather a lot of inspiration from the book regarding courage to move forward even when the past still hurts.

And I Wanted to Be a Boat Bum by Jim Hawk is for readers who enjoy action as well as those who like stories that stir reflection. It is one of those unique stories that, by the end, will leave you feeling like you have been on a long strange voyage with someone you could almost call a friend.  And I Wanted to Be A Boat Bum is a powerful reminder that God’s plan is always better than our own, even when it takes us somewhere we never imagined.  An inspiring reminder that when we surrender our plans, we find God’s purpose.