My Father, the Captain: My Life With Jacques Cousteau

by Daniel Paisner, Jean-Michel Cousteau

In every legend, there is a legacy. In the life and career of undersea
explorer Jacques Cousteau, that legacy beats in the heart of the sea and in
the heart of his son, Jean-Michel, the noted French environmentalist,
educator and documentary film producer who has spent most of his adult life
nurturing the work of his famous father.

In My Father, The Captain, Jean-Michel Cousteau takes an open and intimate look at the life he shared with his father, and the legend he has taken it
upon himself to carry. In so doing, he hopes to shed new and meaningful
light on the life and work of a man who inspired millions to reconsider our
relationship with the sea and its creatures-and, in the process, to
understand a little more about himself and his family as well.

"Captain Cousteau was a complicated man," the younger Cousteau writes. "He
was a man of many different personalities, many different moods. But this
is how it is with all great men, yes? We know the public mask, but it is
the private face that reveals a man's true character. It is the man we
know when the cameras are not filming."

My Father, The Captain is shot-through with new material and fresh insights
into the life and mind of a man who helped to jump-start a global
conservation effort that continues to flourish. Jean-Michel Cousteau and
his collaborator, New York Times best-selling author Daniel Paisner, offer
an intimate reappraisal of the many touchstone moments Jean-Michel shared
with his father, as well as the seminal moments from his father's life that
have become part of the Cousteau family lore and legend.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published April 7, 2004

About the author

DANIEL PAISNER is one of the busiest collaborators in publishing. He has written over 70 books, on topics ranging from business and sports to politics and popular culture, including 17 New York Times best-sellers.

He is the host of the popular podcast "AS TOLD TO: The Ghostwriting Podcast," featuring long-form, free-wheeling conversations with some of publishing's top ghostwriters/collaborators - a production of the Writers Bone Podcast Network and available wherever podcasts gather.

He is also the author of the novel, "Balloon Dog," just published by Koehler Books. A darkly comic tale of longing and legacy, "Balloon Dog" tells the story of a brazen art heist gone wrong and prompts readers to consider what it means to leave a mark and what it takes to be swept up in the same currents that move almost everyone else.

Paisner's work has been profiled in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, ESPN: The Magazine and on National Public Radio. (In a recent New York Magazine article on how to write someone else's memoir, he was referred to as the "most prolific living ghost" - a title that may or may not have been meant as a back-handed compliment.)

He is co-author of best-selling books with tennis champion Serena Williams; NFL great Ray Lewis; Emmy Award-winning baseball analyst and former All-Star pitcher Ron Darling; MSNBC News personality Mika Brzezinski; the late New York City mayor Ed Koch; and, Academy Award-winning actors Denzel Washington, Whoopi Goldberg and Anthony Quinn, among others.

Recent books include "Blue: The Color of Noise," with ground-breaking deejay Steve Aoki; "It's Up to Us," with former Ohio governor John Kasich; and "Powershift," with FUBU founder and "Shark Tank co-star Daymond John.

He has also collaborated on books with former world champion longboard surfer Izzy Paskowitz; bail bondsman Ira Judelson; legendary high school basketball coach Bob Hurley; and, the late Gilbert Gottfried, the brilliantly potty-mouthed comedian.

Over the years, Paisner has worked with dozens of "ordinary" individuals with extraordinary stories to tell, including Krystyna Chiger, whose chronicle of her family's horrific ordeal in a Polish sewer during the German occupation, "The Girl in the Green Sweater," makes an important contribution to the literature of the Holocaust. The story is the basis for the Academy Award-nominated film, "In Darkness," from director Agnieszka Holland.

Perhaps his most notable collaboration has been the best-selling account of a New York City firefighter's epic tour of duty at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, "Last Man Down," written with FDNY Battalion Commander Richard Picciotto. The book was #1 on the London Times best-seller list and remained a top ten seller in the U.K. for over six months; it reached the #1 spot on the Amazon.com.uk "Hot 100" list.

Paisner has also written several books of his own, including "The Ball: Mark McGwire's 70th Home Run Ball and the Marketing of the American Dream," which was hailed by Amazon editors as one of the best sports books of the year. If you want to really make him happy, consider reading one of his previous novels: "Obit", "Mourning Wood," and "A Single Happened Thing." They're pretty good. "Balloon Dog" might just be his best yet, but if you'd like to build up to it and read them all in the order they were written, that would make him happy as well.

For more information, visit his website: www.danielpaisner.com.

And to learn more about the art and craft of ghostwriting, visit his podcast website: www.astoldtopodcast.com.

Reviews

[M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un gran libro, yo no sabía quién era Cousteau, su vida y su trabajo me inspiraron a descubrir más sobre el mundo. Además está escrito revelándonos las dos caras de la moneda de su personalidad, también vemos como la familia siempre está ahí, en los momentos de felicidad o tristeza de los protagonistas de la vida.

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a big fan of the Cousteau films and books when I was a youngster, so I thought I'd pick this biography up to find out more about him. Ends up this book is more, or at least as much about his son, the author Jean-Michel. And you do learn a lot of the interesting family history. Then you hit a point about 4/5 of the way through when the bottom falls out of the family, through death and indiscretions. This must have been a hard book to write. The ending explains why the beginning felt a little flat at times. Two things I noticed. First, the book, especially in the early part, is very redundant. An idea is expressed, then expressed again a page later in a slightly different way. If Jean-Michel, who is an architect, designs the way he writes, he must put together some safe buildings... Second, the author mentions a common phrase in French that means "the future can be yours". That's quite a bit different than the American phrase "the future is yours". I appreciate the French for their take on the subject.

[Alejandro Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creo que esperaba una biografía de Cousteau al estilo de Walter Isaacson que son muy entretenidas y lo que encontré fue una biografía mezclada con autobiografía del autor (hijo de Cousteau) que aunque da un punto de vista muy intimo se queda corto en cuanto a anécdotas y aventuras de este pionero de los mares.

[Joe Spoto · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first glance I thought this was a biography of Jacques Cousteau. As the title says, however, it is also about his son Jean-Michel. It is an easy read and probably could be read in a day or two, if you have time enough to sit still. I remember as a kid eagerly awaiting "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau" on television so I thought this book would be interesting. It was almost more of a memoir than a biography, however I thought it was well-written, and it did not include a lot of irrelevant details. I would recommend it.

[Iulia Streanga · Rating 3 out of 5]

We get closer to the man behind the icon by means of the countless experiences shared by his eldest son in this emotional and inspiring biography of Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Although the writing style can feel a bit artificial sometimes, the book succeeds in making the reader more familiar with the passionate, determined, perseverent, creative, but also sometimes perceived as irresponsible adventurer who left a permanent mark on modern oceanic exploration. We get to know him as a human above all, and it is a greatly enriching process.

[Hunter Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s hard to put a full remark on this. Generally, I have to say that this novel is a testament to the saying “don’t meet your heroes”. The ending is the main reason behind this feeling. Otherwise, the book was a soft journey through time and though the focused seemed better to term “The Cousteau Family” instead of just on JYC, it was inspirational. JYC is a man, a human man. That is humbling. The book made that clear. We all know of him behind his historical endeavors, this shedded more light on the intricacies of who, what, and when shaped his path.

[Greyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quasi-memoir with a focus on Jean-Michel's relationship with his father, dating from the halcyon days of his childhood--despite the war--and closing with a frank description of their relationship in "JYC"s last decade of infidelity. The ending portions where he addresses his mother's illness is devastating.

[Linda Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book because when I was younger I loved Jacque Cousteau from watching his amazing shows on sea life. The book was great and I learned a lot of things about the man and his family. I realize he was someone who wanted people to be more aware of taking care of the seas and our resources. Truly a great man and a great read!

[LALO CARAVEO · Rating 3 out of 5]

El libro mezcla la vida de Cousteau y la de su hijo mayor, una especie de biografía doble.

El autor hace reseña sobre su vida y la de su madre en torno al padre.

El libro es ameno pero creo que pudo ser más abundante.

[Mary Baumer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of legendary undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau, spent most of his adult life nurturing the work of his famous father. In an intimate behind-the-scenes look at the legend versus the man, the younger Cousteau writes: “Captain Cousteau was a complicated man. He was a man of many different personalities, many different moods. But this is how it is with all great men, yes? We know the public mask, but it is the private face that reveals a man’s true character. It is the man we know when the cameras are not filming.”

Jean-Michel and his collaborator, New York Times best-selling author Daniel Paisner, offer an intimate portrait of the seminal moments in his father’s legend. Students studying the innovative and passionate Jacques Cousteau will find new material here, but the lack of an index makes pinpointing specific topics difficult -- and this is not casual reading material. The prose is stiff and self-conscious. It is only the innate drama of a fascinating man’s life unfolding, combined with details from the pioneer marine conservationist’s perspective, that propels the dialogue forward. Jean Michel’s disillusionment with his father and his causes as an adult clearly contrasts with his childhood hero-worship. Jean-Michel’s bitterness regarding his father’s mistresses and second wife and family is palpable.

A small section of black-and-white photographs enliven the narrative. 2010 marks the 100th anniversary of Jacques Cousteau’s birth.

[Adilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A autobiografia de Jean-Michel Cousteau não me estimulou no início. Achei a narrativa entediante e literalmente transcrita de um caderno de memórias, sem a refinação necessária para um texto atraente. Fui conquistado posteriormente, porque não desisti do livro, com relatos ricos de experiências maravilhosas em terra e mar. A intimidade da vida à bordo do mítico Calypso, as expedições realizadas pela equipe comandada pelo lendário e polêmico Jacques-Yves Cousteau dono de uma desconcertante personalidade, são descortinadas sensatamente por seu filho. Jean-Michel é um dos principais personagens, responsável pelo sucesso das aventuras empreendidas pela equipe, juntamente com o irmão Phillipe e sua mãe, carinhosamente chamada de a Bergère.
Jean-Michel faz um relato honesto e emocionante honrando todos os membros do Calypso, que contribuíram com amor e dedicação e transformaram a The Cousteau Society no mais famoso e prestigiado grupo de exploração marítima do século XX, cujo trabalho pode ser visto nos célebres filmes realizados pela equipe, exibidos no mundo todo - e que, diga-se de passagem, cresci assistindo.

[William Graney · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - Having grown up with the Undersea World, becoming a diver, and aware of all the great work Jacques & Jean-Michel Cousteau have done in trying to educate the world on the importance of preserving our oceans I was well acquainted with the Cousteau's going in. There were elements of the Cousteau family I was unaware of in regards to certain controversies and living arrangements. Those types of things are not particularly important to me but towards the end of the book these topics altered the tone and Jean-Michel wrote with more feeling than he had earlier in the book. His thoughts on La Bergere were particularly well done I thought. The earlier portions of the book were more of a step by step account of what happened when. It would have been interesting to read more tales from Calypso.

[Elaine Dowling · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an affectionate look at the life of Jacques Cousteau from the perspective of his oldest son. The book addresses warts and all and appears to do so with both some honesty and some of the spin adult children can use to make the sins of the Father more palatable. It is not a long book, and it cannot be called well written. However, if you grew up mesmerized by the Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, it is a fairly brief look an an interesting man.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a kid in the 1970s I was exposed to the great underwater adventures of Jacques Cousteau so I enjoyed reading all the innovative man through the viewpoint of his eldest son. Jean-Michel does a fine job of putting words to the activities of his father known afectionately as JYC. Co-Author Daniel Paisner surely made major contributions to this book which reveals plenty of behind the scenes nuances. Take a look at this book.

[g-na · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although there have been other biographies written about Jacques Cousteau, this is the first written by his son, Jean-Michel. It also happens to have been the first one I've read. Although I grew up watching "The Undersea World of Jacques-Cousteau, I knew very little about the man himself, so I enjoyed getting to know him better, so to speak. Recommended for those who like Cousteau, or the ocean, or scuba diving, etc.

[Dave Forcucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jean-Michel shares lots of intimate stories about the Cousteau family that would have been lost had it not been for his courage to write them down. Thank you.

I always thought that the death of Phillipe was a huge blow to the Cousteau legacy and Jean-Michel confirms this. It s affected the three remaining Cousteau's in different ways.

If you want to learn the nitty gritty of the Cousteau family, this is a book like no other.

[Henry Luciano · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and honest perspective of the Cousteau family. Renewed my long forgotten interest in "the Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau" and found some of the earlier works mentioned in the book.

[Chrystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honest biography of the famous Cousteau by the son of his first marriage. Don't read if you are happy thinking he could do no wrong.

[Arnel Bondoc · Rating 3 out of 5]

finished reading