Starting at Sea Level

by Terry L. Noble

It was the 1950s, and the violent one-hundred-year struggle for control of the Chesapeake Bay's oysters was still raging. Terry Noble was growing up idyllically in the fishing village of Oriole, Maryland, while his father battled poachers to protect the Bay's last oyster beds. A gunshot, piercing the river darkness, changed the family forever. Faced with the prospect of a hard life as a waterman, Terry chose another path. Supported by a determined mother and an eclectic cast of mentors, he fought to turn his dream into reality. Despite thieves, business setbacks, and injury, he perserved and managed to have fun along the way. The pages of this book are rich with the natural history of crabs, oysters and the men who caught them. Interwoven are delightful stories of boyhood scrapes, high school life, big fish and a host of watery escapades. Complimenting it all are the poignant moments with sick animals and the inspiring veterinarian who made them well. This heartwarming, often humorous tale, told with Chesapeake as its backdrop, illuminates a unique time and place while offering valuable child rearing lessons for today. It portrays a period before the upheaval of the 1960s, when less was given to children and more was expected of them.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2007