Other People’s Oysters

by Alexandra C.H. Nowakowski, J.E. Sumerau

There may be no more famous form of seafood than an Apalachicola oyster. People travel from all over the world for the chance to try out these oysters and gush over just how large, flavorful, and unique they are in comparison to other foods. In Other People’s Oysters, however, Apalachicola oysters are not merely internationally known delicacies bringing money and recognition to the bay – they are the center of family ties, a symbol of a disappearing way of life, and the catalyst for a social movement that rocks the nation. Tripp and Jessica Rendell have lived on Richards Island in the Apalachicola Bay harvesting, selling, and cooking oysters for decades. During this time, their children – Carina, Bobby, and Roy Lee – grew up to take over the harvesting business (Carina), take over the family restaurant (Bobby) and run off into the wider world to become a lawyer and political activist (Roy Lee). Through the eyes of Carina, we watch life and work change throughout the bay throughout these decades, and witness the ways corporate, environmental and political policy focused more on wealth than the lives of the people and the conservation of the bay led to increasing poverty, decreasing oyster production, and the ongoing destruction of the bay. But when her latest series of law suits seeking aid and reparation stall in the courts, Roy Lee moves back home and forms a plan for taking back the bay, raising up the people, and fighting for the Rendells’ way of life. Other People’s Oysters may be read entirely for pleasure and used in courses focused on social movements, families, class dynamics, politics, environmentalism, mental diversity, sexualities, gender, rural and small town cultures, intersectionality or the American southeast.

216 pages, Paperback

Published March 29, 2018

Reviews

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a deeply thoughtful book that I am afraid will be simplified by many into a poignant read about families, a liberal political statement, or a conversation about how people of different races, sexualities, genders, and abilities can and do contribute to society. Other People’s Oysters is a combination of so many ideas and people and it examines them on individual, community, and even national scales. Even if you disagree with a portion of the book, I urge you to consider its other facets and reflect on how every component combines and interacts. I would then urge you to reflect and your own personal and communal experiences, but I digress. As someone who grew up camping in Apalachicola and hearing about FL and GA’s water feud, I was excited to read about it. The book turned in a way I was not expecting, and then it made me cry. Well worth a read.

[Lain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never in my life did I imagine I would read a book that so perfectly draws connections between the power of humans and the life of oysters, but alas, here is that very book. If you appreciate a good edge of your seat story with complicated characters and small town dynamics having an impact on the national level, then this is the story for you. I could not put down this novel once I started reading it. Seriously. It will suck you into a beautiful, turbulent story vortex that you won’t be able to escape until the last word of the last sentence on the last page. I was screaming with laughter one minute and bawling the next, with every emotion in between. I also love this novel because the narrator is a neuroatypical queer person, which is hardly ever recognized in contemporary media. Check this one out, it will be entirely worth it and you won’t forget it.

[Nik · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing novel! Other People's Oysters captures the voices of working class and LGBTQ people living in the South, while focusing on social movements, intersectionality, families, and class dynamics in the United States. I enjoyed how the authors brought Carina, Bobby, and Roy Lee to life through the pages!

[Dirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nowakowski and Sumerau's Other People's Oysters is an outstanding example of social fiction that draws readers into multiple levels of social relationships at once. The book is most entertaining while raising important social issues. I highly recommend this piece of social fiction, also to teachers of sociology. With this book, you will get your students to read.