The Gulf
Ratings2
Average rating5
15
Ratings2
Average rating5
Significant beyond tragic oil spills and hurricanes, the Gulf has historically been one of the world's most bounteous marine environments, supporting human life for millennia. Based on the premise that nature lies at the center of human existence, Davis takes readers on a compelling and, at times, wrenching journey from the Florida Keys to the Texas Rio Grande, along marshy shorelines and majestic estuarine bays, both beautiful and life-giving, though fated to exploitation by esurient oil men and real-estate developers. Davis shares previously untold stories, parading a vast array of historical characters past our view: sports-fishermen, presidents, Hollywood executives, New England fishers, the Tabasco king, a Texas shrimper, and a New York architect who caught the "big one". Sensitive to the imminent effects of climate change, and to the difficult task of rectifying the assaults of recent centuries, this book suggests how a penetrating examination of a single region's history can inform the country's path ahead. --
Reviews with the most likes.
The Gulf is a comprehensive history of the Gulf. It's also the story of the natural history of the animals and plants of the Gulf. The almost unbelievable surge in population of the people along the Gulf shore. The destruction of the natural environment along the Gulf. Oil in the Gulf and its legacy. Hurricanes in the Gulf and their impact. Attempts at improvement of the natural environment around the Gulf. The estuaries, the rivers, the offshore areas—Jack E. Davis tells all.
This is the selection of our naturalist book club for February, March, and April. Our meetings were cancelled for March and probably April, so I foresee we will finish discussing this book later in the year.
