Other editions of book The Cay

When the freighter on which they are traveling is torpedoed by a German submarine during World War II, an adolescent white boy, blinded by a blow on the head, and an old black man are stranded on a tiny Caribbean island where the boy acquires a new kind of vision, courage, and love from his old companion.Following a shipwreck in the Caribbean, a boy, blinded by a blow on the head, and an old black man learn to survive together on a tiny island

Phillip is excited when the Germans invade the small island of Curaçao. War has always been a game to him, and he’s eager to glimpse it firsthand–until the freighter he and his mother are traveling to the United States on is torpedoed.When Phillip comes to, he is on a small raft in the middle of the sea. Besides Stew Cat, his only companion is an old West Indian, Timothy. Phillip remembers his mother’s warning about black people: “They are different, and they live differently.”But by the time the castaways arrive on a small island, Phillip’s head injury has made him blind and dependent on Timothy.From the Trade Paperback edition.

When the freighter on which they are traveling is torpedoed by a German submarine during World War II, an adolescent white boy, blinded by a blow on the head, and an old black man are stranded on a tiny Caribbean island where the boy acquires a new kind of vision, courage, and love from his old companion.Following a shipwreck in the Caribbean, a boy, blinded by a blow on the head, and an old black man learn to survive together on a tiny island.

Phillip's mother didn't like black people. "They are different," she had told him. Phillip had never believed her before, but now...After all, Timothy was different. He was huge, and he was very old, and to Phillip he seemed ugly. And he was the most stubborn man Phillip had ever known. But after the Germans torpedoed the freighter on which he and his mother were traveling during wartime, Phillip found himself dependent on the old West Indian. There were just the two on them cast up on the barren little Carribbean island--three, if you counted Stew Cat--and a crack on the head had left Phillip blind.Their struggle for survival and Phillip's efforts to adjust to his blindness and to understand the dignified, wise, and loving old man who was his companion make this a memorable tale.

Phillip's mother didn't like black people. "They are different," she had told him. Phillip had never believed her before, but now...After all, Timothy was different. He was huge, and he was very old, and to Phillip he seemed ugly. And he was the most stubborn man Phillip had ever known. But after the Germans torpedoed the freighter on which he and his mother were traveling during wartime, Phillip found himself dependent on the old West Indian. There were just the two on them cast up on the barren little Carribbean island--three, if you counted Stew Cat--and a crack on the head had left Phillip blind.Their struggle for survival and Phillip's efforts to adjust to his blindness and to understand the dignified, wise, and loving old man who was his companion make this a memorable tale.