Islands at the Edge of Time: A Journey To America's Barrier Islands

by Gunnar Hansen

Islands at the Edge of Time is the story of one man's captivating journey along America's barrier islands from Boca Chica, Texas, to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Weaving in and out along the coastlines of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina, poet and naturalist Gunnar Hansen perceives barrier islands not as sand but as expressions in time of the processes that make them. Along the way he treats the reader to absorbing accounts of those who call these islands home -- their lives often lived in isolation and at the extreme edges of existence -- and examines how the culture and history of these people are shaped by the physical character of their surroundings.

Genres: Travel, Nature, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1993

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years before the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, Gunnar Hansen wrote this book, forewarning us about the implications of messing with Mother Nature. In this book, the history and future of America's barrier islands are explained for the reader in a way that makes the reader want to travel to each listed island to see that which is disappearing.

We start with South Padre Island in Texas, where you swear you can smell the seawater and hear the waves pounding on the beach. While in Texas, we get a history lesson on the storm that hit Galveston at the beginning of the 19th century, a disaster that still remains our greatest catastrophe for loss of life. Then, it's on to the Deep South, where we learn how man's greed has doomed the natural deterrents to major storms.

I loved learning about Walter Anderson, the South's enigmatic painter and how he chose to live his life on a barrier island. Of course, we end up at the Banks, the islands off the Carolinas, where the rich have overrun the area. Along the way, I learned a history lesson on St. Helena, where Martin Luther King met with his Caucasian staff, as it was the only safe place he could do so.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers do not come off well here. Their goal in life appears to be getting jobs to justify their existence, and we saw how that worked with New Orleans. The author doesn't come across as a fervent environmentalist, as he is too busy discovering new characters (including a gentleman who multiplies in Roman numerals) and new places, such as an abandoned village. The image that stayed with me after reading this book was that of a house that had been moved by Hurricane Hugo, gently, so that the dining table still remained with bottles standing as they were before the great storm.

This is a very good and enlightening read, and one which has me considering some travel to see that which will be gone.


Book Season = Summer

[Fred Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a North Carolinian and grew up vacationing at among other places, The Outer Banks, Atlantic Beach, Cape Hatteras, Wrightsville Beach, all considered barrier islands, and I never understood what these islands are and the role they play in protecting our coastline. A barrier island is defined by having the sea on one side and a marsh on the other, with the mainland behind the marsh. Barrier islands shift and change as they say with the weather; like hurricanes, coastal storms and the shifting of tides and wave action. The author takes the reader on a journey along the U.S. Barrier Islands from Texas to North Carolina, and describes the history and geology of them. Many People build houses on barrier islands and wonder "how could my house have washed away in the storm?". According to the author the islands are fragile and if you want to know just how fragile, take a look at how hurricanes have rearranged our coastline over the years. Of course they present us with beauty and beach fun; however, I agree with the author that we should reevaluate how we manage our zest to build on them. A fascinating read, well researched and eye opening.