On The Point, author Eric Jay Dolin joins us to discuss his latest book Black Flags, Blue Waters- The Epic History of America’s Most Notorious Pirates. It takes us on a deep dive into pirates and their influence on the emergence of America. Pirates are part of our popular culture: children dress up as pirates for Halloween, and we see movies or visit theme parks based on the Pirates of the Carribbean franchise. It’s all part of our romanticized version of the rackishly handsome, swashbuckling sailor who plies the high seas in search of treasure. The real story of piracy, particularly the pirates who operated off the coast of North America in the 18th and 19th centuries, is much more complicated.
Notorious pirates
