Entangled: People and Ecological Change in Alaska's Kachemak Bay

by Marilyn Sigman

Chronicling her quest for wildness and home in Alaska, naturalist Marilyn Sigman writes lyrically about the history of natural abundance and human notions of wealth—from seals to shellfish to sea otters to herring, halibut, and salmon—in Alaska’s iconic Kachemak Bay.
Kachemak Bay is a place where people and the living resources they depend on have ebbed and flowed for thousands of years. The forces of the earth are dynamic   they can change in an instant, shaking the ground beneath your feet or overturning kayaks in a rushing wave. Glaciers have advanced and receded over centuries. The climate, like the ocean, has shifted from warmer to colder and back again in a matter of decades. The ocean food web has been shuffled from bottom to top again and again.
In Entangled , Sigman contemplates the patterns of people staying and leaving, of settlement and displacement, nesting her own journey to Kachemak Bay within diasporas of her Jewish ancestors and of ancient peoples from Asia to the southern coast of Alaska. Along the way she weaves in scientific facts about the region as well as the stories told by Alaska’s indigenous peoples. It is a rhapsodic introduction to this stunning region and a siren call to protect the land’s natural resources in the face of a warming, changing world.

293 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2018

Reviews

[Stacey Schmeidel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful, insightful, poetic meditation on the connections among birds, sea creatures and humans in a beautiful and important part of the world. Beautifully written, blending science, lyricism and personal insight in a quietly fearless personal style. I read this book because it was recommended by Sherry Simpson, author of one of my very favorite books, Dominion of Bears. Entangled has fewer bears than "Dominion," but it has a similar approach -- blending the best of a number of disciplines. I really, really liked this book. Glad to have spent time with this author.

[Amy Farnham]

I met the author of this stunning book—Marylin Sigman—at the Kachemak Bay Writers Conference this year. She was presenting on how to engage with museum artifacts for effective writing. She mentioned writing a sweepingly ambitious book about ecological changes Kachemak Bay over its entire 8,000 year history of human habitation. I am having enough difficulty writing about less than ten years of my own life, so I was awed and intrigued.
Sigman (who I have stayed in touch with and I hope becomes a friend) manages to tie together patches of information about life in the Bay from across millennia in a way that is intimate, unswervingly curious, and humble. She intersperses folklore from many cultures who have passed through the area with well-researched facts and personal antecdotes. She draws on her own experience of several decades as a scientist in Alaska to create a narrative framework that questions the foundations of our science and draws wisdom from her observations of the land itself. Her stories range from counting moose to befriending an otter to helping clean up after the Exxon-Valdez oil spill.
I loved this book mainly because I love Kachemak Bay, but I suspect it would be a beautiful read for anyone interested in ecology and/or Alaska.

[Empanadani · Rating 3 out of 5]

such dry writing. ugh. there were some gems in there that had so much potential. and some interesting facts. it's the only thing that kept me going! it was a bunch of essays summarizing different subjects related to Kachemak Bay from bidarkis to salmon to sea otters. Summary essays of the science, culture, and other people's perspectives! the author's own expertise/experiences/relationship to the land, her own introspective conclusions was dwarfed by that of other people. Who was she? What were her struggles? Her distaste for the men at ADF&G (relatable) taught her what exactly?

The creative sentences in the essays meant to transform these science papers into creative non-fiction essays were NOT beautiful - just straightforward and tired.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will choose fiction over non-fiction 10 times after 10, but thanks to my stellar book club, had the occasion to read this remarkable book. The author’s treatment of biology, anthropology, history, combine with her devotion to Alaska to create a simply compelling tale. I recommend it for any reader without reservation.

[Jon Wlasiuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wildlife biologist Marilyn Sigman weaves together personal reflections with ecosystem biology to tell a deep story of Alaska's Kachemak Bay.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marilyn Sigman is a biologist living in Homer and while some of the essays were better than others, the ones I liked the best were those that connected ecology, history of Dena'ina and Sugpiak migration and lifestyles and practices in what is now Homer, and the authors own story of being a Jew in diaspora. Not all the essays did this! But some did, and they were so fucking gorgeous. She also did a good job, I think, leading me to Native sources, which I am excited to read!

[Stephen Kaminsky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starts off with a very interesting take on a community and environment that is foreign to most. Gets "Entangled" in way to much detail as it progresses.