North by Northwestern

A Seafaring Family on Deadly Alaskan Waters

By: Captain Sig Hansen, Mark Sundeen

Narrated by: Rick Adamson

In the tradition of Sebastian Junger and Linda Greenlaw comes Captain Sig Hansen's rags-to-riches epic of his immigrant family's struggle against deadly Alaskan seas, freezing shipwrecks, and dangerously brutal conditions to achieve the American Dream.

Sig Hansen has been a star of the Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch from the pilot to the present. Seen in more than 150 countries, the show attracts more than 49 million viewers per season, making it one of the most successful series in the history of cable TV. With its daredevil camera work, unpredictably dangerous weather, and a setting as unforgivable and unforgettable as the frigid Bering Sea, The Deadliest Catch is unlike anything else on television. But the weatherworn fishermen of the fishing vessel Northwestern have stories that don't come through on TV.

For Sig Hansen and his brothers, commercial fishing is as much a part of their Norwegian heritage as their names. Descendents of the Vikings who roamed and ruled the Northern seas for centuries, the Hansens' connection to the sea stretches from Alaska to Seattle and all the way to Norway. And after 20 years as a skipper on the commercial fishing vessel the Northwestern - which was his father's before him - Sig has lived to tell the tales.

To be a successful fisherman, you need to be a mechanic, navigator, welder, painter, carpenter, and sometimes, a firefighter. To be a successful fisherman year after year, you need to be a survivor.

This is the story of a family of survivors; part memoir and part adventure tale, North by Northwestern brings listeners on deck, into the dockside bars and into the history of a family with a common destiny.

Built around a gripping tale of a deadly shipwreck like The Perfect Storm, North By Northwestern is the multigenerational tale of the Hansen family, a clan of tough Norwegian American fishermen who, through the popularity of The Deadliest Catch, have become modern folk heroes.

©2010 Captain Sig Hansen and Mark Sundeen (P)2010 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Nothing more nor less than a cracking good sea story." ( Booklist)

Wonderful storytelling

I enjoy watching Deadliest Catch mostly because of Sig Hansen and his family on the Northwestern. He is a class act. The history of their family legacy is a delightful story. I am so very glad he wrote this book and that I had the opportunity to share in the rich traditions of their homeland.
I feel a deep sadness that these cultures may disappear...

great book on firsthand experience of crab fishing

This is a great book on the development of the great crab fishing industry of Dutch Harbor and the fishing industry in general of Northwest Washinginton. Remarkably written an illustrated! Proud to be a visitor of the area!

One you will to listen to again!

Would you listen to North by Northwestern again? Why?

I will listen to this again. It is a great book filled with history and interesting facts.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sig, Edgar and their Dad are the best characters in the book. They are real people who have worked hard and I enjoy listening to the their story.

Which character – as performed by Rick Adamson – was your favorite?

I thought Rick did a great job as Sig. I have watched every episode of Deadliest Catch and at first I thought it would be weird to listen to someone other than Sig read the story but Rick was great.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were a few emotional moments in the book, but I am not going to spoil it for other listeners. I laughed may times.

Any additional comments?

This is a worthy book. I got it with a credit, but after listening to it I wouldn't hesitate to buy it.

deadlist catch fans

if you love deadlist catch you will love this bood. it goes into sig live and how the family became fishermen.

Not so much about crabbing

The book wasn't bad, but my intentions were to hear about Sig. This book was mostly about his family and previous fishing history.