Outward Bound Or, Young America Afloat: A Story of Travel and Adventure

by Oliver Optic

"Outward Bound; Or, Young America Afloat: A Story of Travel and Adventure" by William T. Adams (Oliver Optic) is a novel written in the late 19th century. This engaging adventure takes readers on a journey with the juvenile crew of the Academy Ship "Young America" as they prepare for life at sea, focusing on themes of discipline, education, and the mischief of youth. The story introduces several key characters, including Robert Shuffles, the impulsive instigator, and Harry Martyn, who works to uphold discipline among his fellow classmates. The opening of the narrative introduces readers to Robert Shuffles and Isaac Monroe, two boarding students from Brockway Academy engaging in a petty theft of peaches from a local garden. This act of rebellion sets up a backdrop where discipline is a pressing issue at the academy, leading to the suggestion of reformatory education aboard a ship. Mr. Lowington, the academy's principal, reflects on his own troubled youth while preparing to turn the ship into an institution for moral and educational development. With the main boys gathered on board, anticipation builds for their eventual adventures, academic pursuits, and the lessons—both harsh and humorous—they will learn while sailing the open seas.