Working The Sea

Working the Sea: Misadventures, Ghost Stories and Life Lessons from a Maine Lobsterman, Wendell Seavey; North Atlantic Books, 2005

Reviewed by Jim Tolpin

I enjoyed Wendell Seavey's Working the Sea, a lively portrait of an old-school Maine lobsterman. The story covers his life, and his transition from an unquestioning harvester to environmental activist. And what a life...from a two-room schoolhouse to college; from boatyards to back alleys; from strikes to plenty of soul searching. Here is a humble fisherman who has evolved into a great storyteller. Another fine book of the sea is Jack London's The Sea Wolf. London's classic novel is set aboard a sealing schooner in the early 1900's, as seen through the eyes of a young, intelligent, but naive "landlubber". This is a great coming-of-age story. I also enjoyed The Wayfinders, by Wade Davis. This is an eye-opening, insightful investigation into the lives of Third World people who are confronted with profound globalism and exploitation.

In Working the Sea, Wendell Seavey paints a lively portrait of life both off and on the shores of Maine. Journeying from a two-room schoolhouse to the College of the Atlantic, from boatyards to back alleys, and from labor strikes to soul-searching road trips, he is accompanied by not just fisherman, but by professors, psychiatrists, and environmentalists. A man of humor and humility, open to both nature and the supernatural, Wendell Seavey is living proof that fishermen are indeed the best storytellers.