The Gulf

The Making of an American Sea

By: Jack E. Davis

Narrated by: Tom Perkins

Pulitzer Prize winner, History, 2018.

Winner of the 2017 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction - the tragic collision between civilization and nature in the Gulf of Mexico becomes a uniquely American story in this environmental epic.

When painter Winslow Homer first sailed into the Gulf of Mexico, he was struck by its "special kind of providence." Indeed, the Gulf presented itself as America's sea - bound by geography, culture, and tradition to the national experience - and yet, there has never been a comprehensive history of the Gulf until now. And so, in this rich and original work that explores the Gulf through our human connection with the sea, environmental historian Jack E. Davis finally places this exceptional region into the American mythos in a sweeping history that extends from the Pleistocene age to the 21st century.

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. Davis starts from the premise that nature lies at the center of human existence, and takes listeners on a compelling and, at times, wrenching journey from the Florida Keys to the Texas Rio Grande, along marshy shorelines and majestic estuarine bays, profoundly beautiful and life-giving, though fated to exploitation by esurient oil men and real-estate developers. Rich in vivid, previously untold stories, The Gulf tells the larger narrative of the American Sea - from the sportfish that brought the earliest tourists to Gulf shores to Hollywood's engagement with the first offshore oil wells - as it inspired and empowered, sometimes to its own detriment, the ethnically diverse groups of a growing nation.

Davis's pageant of historical characters is vast, including the presidents who directed western expansion toward its shores, the New England fishers who introduced their own distinct skills to the region, and the industries and big agriculture that sent their contamination downstream into the estuarine wonderland. Nor does Davis neglect the colorfully idiosyncratic individuals: the Tabasco king who devoted his life to wildlife conservation, the Texas shrimper who gave hers to clean water and public health, as well as the New York architect who hooked the "big one" that set the sportfishing world on fire.

Ultimately, Davis reminds us that amidst the ruin, beauty awaits its return, as the Gulf is, and has always been, an ongoing story. Sensitive to the imminent effects of climate change, and to the difficult task of rectifying grievous assaults of recent centuries, The Gulf suggests how a penetrating examination of a single region's history can inform the country's path ahead.

©2017 Jack E. Davis (P)2018 Tantor

What a book!

Every summer in my childhood from before I can remember, we vacationed on the gulf coast, somewhere from Pensacola, Florida to Gulf Shores, Alabama and later also to Biloxi, Mississippi. At least one day was on a deep sea fishing charter boat and I joined my dad starting when I was 8. It was a world of wonder to a child and even a teenager and you couldn’t keep your line in the water more than a few minutes before catching something.We saw sharks and flying fish and porpoises raced the boat. The pure white sandy beaches and emerald green water were what I thought all beaches were until I visited the Atlantic coast in my late teens and Texas’ coast in my 20’s. We had a family friend who operated a motel in Biloxi and I remember the devastation of Hurricane Camille. So, this book was fascinating and brought back many memories. 

And much that I didn’t know, too. When we think of American history, we think of the Atlantic coast and the western movement that eventually led to the plains and finally to the Pacific. But, the gulf was one of the most powerful influences on the development of America. The gulf is the 10th largest body of water in the world and for the most part is relatively shallow compared to the Caribbean or any of the oceans. It is fed by one of the world’s mightiest rivers bringing nutrients down from most of the continent along with a multitude of other rivers feeding it making it one of the most fertile and productive salt water regions in the world. It is the source of the great Gulf Stream which wanders down around the tip of Florida and up the Atlantic coast bringing warm water and warmer weather to the northeast and even over to England and provided a push for the heavily laden Spanish galleons laden with gold. The gulf is lined with long barrier islands and many bays providing lots of protection to pirates, wildlife, and fishing fleets, while also being filled with moving sand shoals that made navigation sometimes treacherous. Most of the gulf is surrounded by the United States, leading to the book’s subtitle, “The Making of an American Sea.” 

Davis gives us a well-researched history of the Gulf from the formation of the Gulf in prehistory and explains the geography and the changes that we know about over the centuries or more including how the water has risen at different times so that much of the Mississippi valley was once under water. He talks about the advanced civilizations that once existed along the Gulf which we are still learning about, but which died out (mostly due to disease) with the arrival of Europeans from the Spanish, to the French, the English, and Americans. 

He goes on to describe significant events that affected the Gulf, or where the Gulf affected the US. Included are various environmental events. It is this section where it’s really handy to open Google Maps and view the locations that Davis is talking about. You’ll learn who Marjorie Stoneman Douglas was, long before the high school named after her became world famous. And, when you look closer at Florida from the sky, it’s easy to see the work of the developers who created canals to drain land as well as to give every home boat access. Almost a century before Disney World, Florida developers were already trying to create an artificial reality. He explains the usefulness of the great barrier islands that stretch from Florida all the way around  and into Mexico and the various other islands and shoals that are constantly moving due to regular wave action and storms. He talks about many of the environmental blunders that have reduced the marine harvest and caused the loss of a lot of shoreline, especially in Louisiana which is losing the equivalent of the state of Delaware each decade, leaving New Orleans ever more vulnerable to disastrous hurricanes, even when they aren’t major storms. And yes, he also talked about fishing. 

This is a superb book, but you have to open Google Maps and turn on the satellite view to really get the most out of it. It will slow your reading down a bit, it is certainly worth it. Davis has brought a wealth of information together and put together a history, an ecological treatise, a geography lesson, and so much more and yet made it easily readable and interesting.

A Treasure

Anyone who loves or lives by the Gulf should read/listen to this amazing book. Meticulously researched and penned with love and wry humor. I will reread it often.

Learn about your own backyard

I learned an incredible amount from this book. Unfortunately, mostly bad about human behavior and it's negative affect on our shared environment. There is some hope, however so read to the end. If you have lived in any of the Gulf states for any length of time you will undoubtedly learn interesting details of history about places you've been and places you want to go. I was fascinated. The research that was done revealed facts that I doubt few people are aware of. Don't stay ignorant about your own backyard. Read this book, Southerners.

More of a cultural/social history of the gulf

This book is more about the cultural or social history of the Gulf of Mexico than a history. I wanted to learn about its history and was disappointed that there was no mention of the 1980s drug smuggling in the gulf. If you like environmental history/policies or the boating side of the gulf or the nature discussions, than this book is definitely the type of book that you will want to read.

A fascinating story about the life and times of a body of water.

The amount of information about the Gulf of Mexico in this book is like reading a biography of an ancient sage. I loved it.

Great history nearly ruined by horrible narration

I enjoyed this thoroughly researched history. My complaint is with the narrator. One would think he would have researched proper pronunciations, especially in what is a regional-specific history book. It is obvious he has never been to the Gulf South, much less spoken to anyone living in these communities. I almost turned this off multiple times due to the cringe-worthy mispronunciations every 5 or 10 minutes.

A cultural ecology for all who love America's sea

Appreciating where you live and knowing its story--both the good and the bad--is a gift. Jack Davis gave this Floridian reader/listener that gift in his brilliant and richly detailed cultural ecology. I grew up with the Gulf lapping at my toes, collecting shells and fossils, tasting its salty water, and watching the sun disappear over the liquid horizon. I instinctively recognized the riches of this unique region, even when I knew little about it. Sanibel Island (whose history and preservation Davis covers) played an especially large role in my childhood. This book sets Florida's beautiful Gulf coast in its larger context, chronicling what we know about this rich sea's origins and sketching a kind of family portrait of the land, water, estuaries, barrier islands, reefs, animals, and communities that make up our emerald cornucopia.

In the smart, smooth prose of a writer as fascinated with his topic as he wants his readers to be, Davis leads us through centuries from native habitation and Spanish conquest to American dominion and industrial exploitation. While his environmental and ethical sensibilities are evident, this is far from a misanthropic and anti-American screed (don't listen to reviewers who say it is). The story he tells shows how generously nature can provide for human needs, if only we respect its integrity. Davis thinks humans have a place on the Gulf, and he acknowledges that place in countless ways, from praising Native ingenuity and sustainable modern fishing practices, to celebrating the art, language and music that have grown up on these shores since conquistadors and colonists first landed.

The impression he leaves readers with is that this underappreciated Eden is not invincible. America has been given an embarrassment of riches in the Gulf, but we can destroy it. We've come close many times. There is still plenty of hope, and what we do matters--not just for our sea and its creatures, but for all of us human creatures who depend on its bounty. The environmental struggles of this region are a microcosm, and even those who've never visited can take precious lessons from the complicated, shell-strewn, bird-festooned, oil-slicked surf of our American sea.

I have only two criticisms of this book. First, Davis often assumes his moral sensibilities are self-evident. Even where he is right, he could have done a better job making the case and heading off those who want to dismiss him as a hippie, mangrove-hugging commie. Second, he neglects to mention one of the most bizarre and potentially disastrous human projects ever undertaken on the the Gulf: the Cross-Florida Canal. This modern monument to the Army Corps of Engineers' hubris would have sliced my state from the nation and connected the Atlantic to the Gulf. Thankfully, the project was scuttled in 1971, but its ghostly remnants haunt the forests of northern Florida, and no story like this is quite complete without such a wacky chapter.

Check pronunciation!

Fascinating story and very well told. Narrator should have checked pronunciation. I am from Gulf area and did not initially recognize some places mentioned.

Interesting Read

So much information packed into this book! Initially I purchased this book in print, and had started and stopped reading it several times. The narrator was excellent and made listening to the story of the gulf very enjoyable!

Must read for all with ties to the Gulf Coast

I liked the book from a historical aspect which covers the Gulf Coast. Much information that I was unaware of especially the importance of this body of water. Although I am from the St. Augustine, Florida, I remember as a young boy pulling a seine net at the beach and hauling in all types of fish, crabs and shrimp and cooking everything up on the beach. I’m am far from a climate change believer however, the book does drive home some of the disastrous effects of man concerning the Gulf Coast. It made me aware of my playground as a young boy, the St. John’s river. I did a lot of fishing and swimming (against my parents wishes) and now understand the importance of less interference is the best action we can take to protect these valuable resources.