The Living Great Lakes

Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas

By: Jerry Dennis

Narrated by: Barry Press

If fresh water is to be treasured, the Great Lakes are the mother lode. No bodies of water can compare to them. One of them, Superior, is the largest lake on earth, and the five lakes together contain a fifth of the world's supply of standing fresh water. Their surface area of 95,000 square miles is greater than New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island combined. They are so vast that they dominate much of the geography, climate, and history of North America. In one way or another, they affect the lives of tens of millions of people.

The Living Great Lakes is the most complete book ever written about the history, nature, and science of these remarkable lakes at the heart of North America. From the geological forces that formed them to the industrial atrocities that nearly destroyed them, to the greatest environmental success stories of our time, the lakes are portrayed in all their complexity. The book, however, is much more than just history. It is also the story of the lakes as told by biologists, fishermen, sailors, and others whom Jerry Dennis grew to know while traveling with them on boats and hiking with them on beaches and islands.

©2003 Jerry Dennis (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A fine guide to the Great Lakes with a storyteller's sense of pacing, savvily blending the factual with the picaresque." ( Kirkus)

Fascinating Information

Since I live in Chicago, I was drawn to this title so I would learn more about the Great Lakes which I have so enjoyed, especially Lake Michigan. However, knowledge of these bodies of water should be required reading! The author takes you on a voyage through the lakes in current day and past. Very well done!

Enjoyed this book, brought back great memories

Fascinating read /listen! Lived by, camped, backpacked, !canoed, kayaked, fished these wonderful waters most of my 75 years! Learned so much, my wonder and gratitude for having them be my front door

Good book, problematic narrator

Growing up in Michigan, I loved this book and I recommend to anyone who loves the Lakes or wants to learn more about them. The narrator however, was annoying at times and cringe worthy at points. I can look over the mispronunciations of local place names and roll my eyes at his bad attempt at a French accent whenever he read accounts by the French explorers. His use of an African-American accent when reading speech by Detroiters, however, was downright abominable and really soured an otherwise fascinating story. It was highly unnecessary and I really wish another narrator did this book because of it

Nice balance of history and memoir

I loved the author's appreciation for the Lakes. There is a great balance of history, telling the stories of the past with each passing feature of the lakes, and memoir as the author re-counts his time as a crew member on a tall ship navigating the Great Lakes.

One thing: the narrator's pronunciation of "fillet" and all of its forms drove me a little crazy. Ticky-tack, I know.

If you are from the region, or spending time there for vacation or otherwise, this is an excellent audio-companion.

Informative and engaging contents, vivid narration

Great storytelling, mixed with great information. It made me want to explore the Great Lakes more in my future trips!

good read!

loved it. great book, so much information and I was able to follow the asides perfectly. we read this while on a vacation I'm the great lakes region and it was awesome to see some of the things from the book.

performance was excellent.

History interspersed with present day events

Excellent narrative, visual descriptions. Great overview of Great Lakes, land & water. History was presented like a story.

A must-read for anyone in the Great Lakes region

The story captures the spirit of living in the Great Lakes region through a variety of tales. Some of these consist of a boat rides across the Great Lakes and other disasters in the history of the region over the many centuries. It is a perfect read for anybody who lives in the Great Lakes region or those interested in helping maintain the Great Lakes.

Fascinating

A well written adventure intertwined with fascinating stories, hard truths and the history of the Great Lakes. A great book for sailors, conservationists and anyone who loves the lakes. 

Excellent, but...

If you aren't already living in awe of the great inland seas, this book will win you over. It's literary, entertaining, and pleasantly packed with truly interesting information. I just wish the publisher of the audio book would have taught the narrator how to pronounce the name Petoskey like people from Michigan do. Hearing it repeatedly mispronounced really grates an otherwise fine performance.