Sebastian Junger's 1997 book, The Perfect Storm, catapulted the first-time author to the sort of celebrity for which most writers hunger their entire lives. His book about a sea tragedy rode the waves of the New York Times bestseller list for months. The paperback rights fetched a sum in the seven figures. In addition, Junger's agent sold the film rights, and Junger's dust-jacket photo adorned articles in magazines and newspapers from the august to the fluffy--from Times Literary Supplement to People; the latter even included him in their "Sexiest Man" issue. "It's totally bewildering," Junger told an online interviewer for Amazon.com, referring to his overnight success. "I mean, a couple of years ago I couldn't even make a living as a freelance journalist. There was no transition from no living to way-too-much living. No transition at all."

The story of six fishermen who went down with their ship...