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“For those interested in putting the Gulf crisis in perspective, there can be no better guide than this funny, often uncertain, frank, opinionated, always curious, informed and awestruck, accounting of how we’ve gone wrong and could go right, a full-strength antidote to the Kryptonite of corporate greed and human ignorance.”
—Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Traveling the shores of the Gulf from east to west with oceanographers, subsistence fisherman, seafood distributors, and other long-time Gulf residents, acclaimed author and environmental advocate David Gessner offers a lively, arresting account of the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. With The Tarball Chronicles Gessner tells a story that extends beyond the archetypal oil-soaked pelican, beyond politics, beyond BP, and beyond other oil spill books in the market. Instead, heart on his sleeve and beer in hand, he explores the ecosystem of the Gulf as a complicated whole and focuses on the people whose lives and livelihoods have been jeopardized by the spill. With his signature combination of intellect, passion, and humor, Gessner asks how much we are willing to sacrifice for the conveniences of modern life.
Prelude: Into the Gulf 3
I In the Thick of It
The Green Sun Rises: July 16,2010 17
Forces of Nature 31
II My Crowded Day
Up in the Air 45
The Case Against Straight Lines 57
Russian Dolls 71
Beyond Flipper 83
A Night at the Fish Camp 99
III "Firm Ground Is Not Available Ground"
Barriers 119
Stress Balls 137
The Oiled Pelican 151
Atlantis 163
IV Beyond the Oiled Pelican
Migrations 185
Déjà Vu: A Northern Interlude 203
V Return
Two Stories 221
Faith 237
Energy 257
Adaptation 271
The Testimony of Captain Ryan Lambert 281
Notes 289
Overview
“For those interested in putting the Gulf crisis in perspective, there can be no better guide than this funny, often uncertain, frank, opinionated, always curious, informed and awestruck, accounting of how we’ve gone wrong and could go right, a full-strength antidote to the Kryptonite of corporate greed and human ignorance.”
—Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Traveling the shores of the Gulf from east to west with oceanographers, subsistence fisherman, seafood distributors, and other...