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Stronghold: One Man's Quest to Save the World's Wild Salmon
In the tradition of Mountains Beyond Mountains and The Orchid Thief, Stronghold is Tucker Malarkey’s gripping chronicle of an unlikely visionary and his crusade to protect the world’s last bastion for wild salmon. From a young age, Guido Rahr was a misfit among his family and classmates, preferring to spend his time in the natural world. An obsessive fly-fisherman, Rahr noticed when the salmon runs of the Pacific Northwest began to decline—and was one of the few who understood why. As dams, industry, and climate change degraded the homes of these magnificent fish, Rahr saw that the salmon of the Pacific Rim were destined to go the way of their Atlantic brethren: near extinction.
An improbable and inspiring story, Stronghold takes us on a wild adventure, from Oregon to Alaska to one of the world’s last remaining salmon strongholds in the Russian Far East, a landscape of ecological richness and diversity that is rapidly being developed for oil, gas, minerals, and timber. And along the way Rahr must navigate a tangled web of scientists, conservationists, Russian oligarchs, corrupt officials, impenetrable bureaucracies, and unexpected allies in order to set into motion a plan to secure the survival of the endangered salmon, an extraordinary keystone species whose demise would reverberate across the planet.
Tucker Malarkey, who accompanies Rahr to the Russian wilderness and reports on events from up close, has written a clarion call for a sustainable future, a remarkable work of natural history, and a riveting account of a species whose future is closely linked to that of our own.
An improbable and inspiring story, Stronghold takes us on a wild adventure, from Oregon to Alaska to one of the world’s last remaining salmon strongholds in the Russian Far East, a landscape of ecological richness and diversity that is rapidly being developed for oil, gas, minerals, and timber. And along the way Rahr must navigate a tangled web of scientists, conservationists, Russian oligarchs, corrupt officials, impenetrable bureaucracies, and unexpected allies in order to set into motion a plan to secure the survival of the endangered salmon, an extraordinary keystone species whose demise would reverberate across the planet.
Tucker Malarkey, who accompanies Rahr to the Russian wilderness and reports on events from up close, has written a clarion call for a sustainable future, a remarkable work of natural history, and a riveting account of a species whose future is closely linked to that of our own.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published July 23, 2019
140 people are currently reading
5706 people want to read
About the author
Tucker Malarkey
8 books78 followersTucker Malarkey was raised in San Francisco. She attended Georgetown University and was then hired by the Washington Post where she spent the next four years working on the Foreign Desk and then with columnist Haynes Johnson on the book, SLEEPWALKING THROUGH HISTORY, a best-selling account of the Reagan years. Before accepting a magazine job in New York, she decided to go to Africa for three months, visiting an island off the coast of Kenya where there were no cars and only the occasional phone; a place that seemed ideal for figuring out a life plan. The trip that was to last three months lasted two years. Upon returning to America, she was admitted to the Iowa Writers Workshop.
Tucker is the author of the critically acclaimed and national bestselling novels An Obvious Enchantment and Resurrection. her love of human culture and wilderness have since taken her all over the world, where she has worked on various film and writing projects. Stronghold is her first major work of non-fiction.
Tucker is the author of the critically acclaimed and national bestselling novels An Obvious Enchantment and Resurrection. her love of human culture and wilderness have since taken her all over the world, where she has worked on various film and writing projects. Stronghold is her first major work of non-fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
December 20, 2019
Unpopular opinion alert: I really struggled to finish this one. On its face, this book's description sells it as a fascinating study of a man who has dedicated his life to save salmon, filled with adventure, intrigue, corruption, and more. This was not the book I read. I found it to be exceedingly boring, and I really did want to like it. I work in conservation, I love reading books about nature and wildlife, and I still found it to trudge along with no plot in sight.
The first 30% or so of the book is all about Guido Rahr's young life, but honestly, it could have been condensed into half or a third of what it is. The author is Rahr's cousin, and I assume she wrote in depth about this because she found it fundamental to their upbringing and how Rahr became so interested in salmon and fly fishing (yes, there are a lot of pages on fly fishing here...). However, as a third-party reader, I was uninterested in Guido's traipsing around the world in search of new snakes and creatures to take (why does he need to keep so many snakes????), academic failings, disinterest in school, inability to take things seriously - only to make it into the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (arguably the best environmental grad schools in the country) and to go on to work for The Nature Conservancy and other prominent organizations.
Then, when the supposed "adventure" starts, I found myself having trouble keeping up with all of the new characters introduced - government officials, scientists, biologists, fish enthusiasts, funders, etc. all introduced in the span of 50 pages or so. Whiplash. And, as with many experiences in conservation, this ended up being less about the salmon and more about the bureaucracy and negotiations it takes to protect the salmon.
This is certainly a subject worth knowing about - salmon used to be a keystone species in rivers around the world, but slowly became extinct from the Atlantic seaboard. Now, salmon on the Pacific Rim are in danger due to gradual disruption of natural river flows in the U.S. and Japan from dams, oil and gas development, and agricultural diversion. The loss of salmon will cause an irreversible trophic cascade affecting entire river and riparian ecosystems. However, this book was not really an interesting conservation-focused read for me. For one of the best books of the year on conservation, I would recommend The Snow Leopard Project: And Other Adventures in Warzone Conservation.
The first 30% or so of the book is all about Guido Rahr's young life, but honestly, it could have been condensed into half or a third of what it is. The author is Rahr's cousin, and I assume she wrote in depth about this because she found it fundamental to their upbringing and how Rahr became so interested in salmon and fly fishing (yes, there are a lot of pages on fly fishing here...). However, as a third-party reader, I was uninterested in Guido's traipsing around the world in search of new snakes and creatures to take (why does he need to keep so many snakes????), academic failings, disinterest in school, inability to take things seriously - only to make it into the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (arguably the best environmental grad schools in the country) and to go on to work for The Nature Conservancy and other prominent organizations.
Then, when the supposed "adventure" starts, I found myself having trouble keeping up with all of the new characters introduced - government officials, scientists, biologists, fish enthusiasts, funders, etc. all introduced in the span of 50 pages or so. Whiplash. And, as with many experiences in conservation, this ended up being less about the salmon and more about the bureaucracy and negotiations it takes to protect the salmon.
This is certainly a subject worth knowing about - salmon used to be a keystone species in rivers around the world, but slowly became extinct from the Atlantic seaboard. Now, salmon on the Pacific Rim are in danger due to gradual disruption of natural river flows in the U.S. and Japan from dams, oil and gas development, and agricultural diversion. The loss of salmon will cause an irreversible trophic cascade affecting entire river and riparian ecosystems. However, this book was not really an interesting conservation-focused read for me. For one of the best books of the year on conservation, I would recommend The Snow Leopard Project: And Other Adventures in Warzone Conservation.
July 12, 2019
Stronghold deliverers the importance of our planet, conservation and sustainability in a nice neat adventure filled package!
Stronghold chronicles the life and triumphs of Guido Rahr, one of the incredible minds at the forefront of global conservation and sustainability. Tucker perfectly captures Guido as a child with a unique connection to the natural world and subsequently his struggles through academia, eventually emerging as the celebrated naturalist he is today.
However, it is easy to see that the real star of this book is the Pacific Salmon. The journey of salmon across oceans and rivers back to their place of birth is pivotal to ecosystems as a whole. Malarkey examines the impact of humans on this keystone species through the life work of Guido. This book conveys everything from perfecting a fly-fishing cast to the evolutionary history of Pacific salmon.
For me, a non-fiction book should tell a story, regardless of how profound it may be. A truly captivating non-fiction book is one which hooks you from the first page, expands your knowledge through expert experiences and changes the way you look at the world. Stronghold does all of this and more!
I love and have a strong background in conservation ecology, which is the reason I was so drawn to this book. I am amazed by how much I have learned about salmon, conservation and general ecosystems from this book. It was so easy to read and the way that Tucker has incorporated the lifelong journey of her cousin alongside the fate of salmon across the globe is simply inspiring. I finished this book with a renewed motivation to do my part in the global conservation of unique ecosystems. I don’t think that I could sing the praises of this book any louder if I tired; If you read one non-fiction book this year make it Stronghold.
Stronghold chronicles the life and triumphs of Guido Rahr, one of the incredible minds at the forefront of global conservation and sustainability. Tucker perfectly captures Guido as a child with a unique connection to the natural world and subsequently his struggles through academia, eventually emerging as the celebrated naturalist he is today.
However, it is easy to see that the real star of this book is the Pacific Salmon. The journey of salmon across oceans and rivers back to their place of birth is pivotal to ecosystems as a whole. Malarkey examines the impact of humans on this keystone species through the life work of Guido. This book conveys everything from perfecting a fly-fishing cast to the evolutionary history of Pacific salmon.
For me, a non-fiction book should tell a story, regardless of how profound it may be. A truly captivating non-fiction book is one which hooks you from the first page, expands your knowledge through expert experiences and changes the way you look at the world. Stronghold does all of this and more!
I love and have a strong background in conservation ecology, which is the reason I was so drawn to this book. I am amazed by how much I have learned about salmon, conservation and general ecosystems from this book. It was so easy to read and the way that Tucker has incorporated the lifelong journey of her cousin alongside the fate of salmon across the globe is simply inspiring. I finished this book with a renewed motivation to do my part in the global conservation of unique ecosystems. I don’t think that I could sing the praises of this book any louder if I tired; If you read one non-fiction book this year make it Stronghold.
October 23, 2023
I was very excited when I won an advanced reader’s copy of Stronghold: One Man’s Quest to Save the World’s Wild Salmon through a Goodreads giveaway but, unfortunately, the book didn’t justify my excitement. Conservation can be messy and complicated, especially when it is being carried out across international borders, but instead of focusing on the most interesting stakeholders, the Russians fighting to protect the salmon on their home turf, the book focused more or less solely on the life of American Guido Rahr. Even the salmon that should have been at the heart of the story were often neglected. (In fact, the author neglected the salmon so much that I often had to stop reading to look up important aspects of salmon biology or translate key pieces of terminology.)
It didn’t help that fishing is a hobby that I fundamentally don’t understand — a lot of Rahr’s desire to protect salmon was centred around fishing — but that actually wasn’t the most frustrating aspect of the book. Tucker Malarkey’s obvious adoration of her cousin encouraged her to overlook flaws which I found incredibly obnoxious. His inability to take no for answer, whether the person saying no was the woman who would eventually become his wife or the administrator of an environmental program at a prestigious school he was not remotely qualified to attend, was painted as charming rather than unpleasant and his selfishnes, his obvious but unacknowledged privilege, was completely glossed over.
There is no doubt that the stronghold concept could and should play a key role in salmon protection or that Rahr has done excellent work in Russia, but this book seemed more interested in documenting him than his conservation efforts. While that might be interesting to his family members, it isn't particularly compelling for the average reader.
It didn’t help that fishing is a hobby that I fundamentally don’t understand — a lot of Rahr’s desire to protect salmon was centred around fishing — but that actually wasn’t the most frustrating aspect of the book. Tucker Malarkey’s obvious adoration of her cousin encouraged her to overlook flaws which I found incredibly obnoxious. His inability to take no for answer, whether the person saying no was the woman who would eventually become his wife or the administrator of an environmental program at a prestigious school he was not remotely qualified to attend, was painted as charming rather than unpleasant and his selfishnes, his obvious but unacknowledged privilege, was completely glossed over.
There is no doubt that the stronghold concept could and should play a key role in salmon protection or that Rahr has done excellent work in Russia, but this book seemed more interested in documenting him than his conservation efforts. While that might be interesting to his family members, it isn't particularly compelling for the average reader.
April 19, 2019
This book is an eye-opener on the crisis regarding salmon health around the globe. There were so many points that I never knew about: how different salmon varieties prefer different parts of a river for spawning and how their bodies are built to return to that specific area; how we can learn so much about a salmon's lifecycle by analyzing its otolith -- basically, the fish's tree rings; like how the fish interact with trees and how climate change is hurting the species; how Atlantic salmon are gone. Truly, awe-inspiring and educational on how valuable these fish are. I admire Guido Rahr and his dedication, and I found his experiences with flyfishing very interesting. Wild Salmon Center focuses work on Pacific salmon and how they are being impacted. It would be very valuable to focus the end of the book more directly on what the average reader can do to help change this situation. Where can we use our purchasing and lobbying powers? As the book says, once the ecosystem is impacted, it can never be fully restored... we have to save what remains. A recommended read for everyone interested in salmon, ecosystems, and the Pacific Northwest.
Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book to read and review. All opinions above are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book to read and review. All opinions above are my own.
July 27, 2019
Yes, this is a non-fiction book about salmon, but it is also an extraordinary story, told with rich language and a fluid, playful cadence. There's this balance between the concrete and explicit (bio-diversity, evolution, keystone species, geo-political history, etc.) with the deeply personal, with lyrical, poetic musings. It is all together enrapturing. Sometimes my experience reading non-fiction is that suggests the writer prioritized the content, and may well be an expert on said content, but falls short in form.
Stronghold never feels content-over-form, but rather, an exquisite coming together of the two to form this sometimes elegiac, sometimes ode-like, wonder-filled, specific and immediate and urgent book.I never felt the content was spoon-fed. Malarkey lays the foundation to get me there but she also asks me to think, to engage. To care.
In a time when we might listen to podcasts at 1.5x speed to ingest as much information as possible, quickly google to get the information we need, this book asks us to slow, to relish, to appreciate the rapture of nature. To see those who fight indefatigably for the preservation of this world. Extraordinary.
Stronghold never feels content-over-form, but rather, an exquisite coming together of the two to form this sometimes elegiac, sometimes ode-like, wonder-filled, specific and immediate and urgent book.I never felt the content was spoon-fed. Malarkey lays the foundation to get me there but she also asks me to think, to engage. To care.
In a time when we might listen to podcasts at 1.5x speed to ingest as much information as possible, quickly google to get the information we need, this book asks us to slow, to relish, to appreciate the rapture of nature. To see those who fight indefatigably for the preservation of this world. Extraordinary.
August 22, 2019
A biography of Guido Rahr and his efforts to preserve wild salmon in the Pacific Basin. Today, he would be classed ADD during his early years. This insightful book was written by his cousin. This was a free review copy obtained via Goodreads.com.
July 25, 2019
5 stars
A fascinating look at the world's declining salmon population and the ecological concerns happening around the world. The future is grim if changes are not made soon. I definitely recommend this book to everyone!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. The views given are my own
A fascinating look at the world's declining salmon population and the ecological concerns happening around the world. The future is grim if changes are not made soon. I definitely recommend this book to everyone!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. The views given are my own
January 19, 2021
Stronghold brings together a character study, some natural world wonder, geopolitics (broadly speaking), and an adventure story into one fascinating tale. The trips to Kamchatka (both Guido Rahr's and the author's own) provide the most exciting material, but even Rahr's childhood provides strange and compelling stories.
November 6, 2020
One of the most interesting books I've read this year
March 26, 2021
On my previous review, sbax suggested that I read a nonfiction with a little more personality if I’m going to read nonfiction. Well, it can’t get too much more personal than this. Guys, this book is about my uncle! (Married to one of my mom’s sisters). And it’s written by his cousin. And there’s even a chapter about him meeting my aunt! So I found a more personal nonfiction and was able to read it in like a week!
My uncle works on wild salmon conservation and this book is all about him getting into the career and the various work he’s done in creating organizations, getting funding, supporting salmon research, working on conservation policy, and more. I learned a good amount about salmon and conservation but perhaps more about my uncle.. there’s a lot I didn’t know about how he started out! He also does a lot of work in the Russian Far East, which is just an insane place ecologically and socially and historically. I like the natural science and social studies combo!
This book came out like 2 years ago so it’s bad that I didn’t read it til now, I guess I was a little scared to read about all his accomplishments in a field I’m trying to get in to. But I have finished now and I’ll tell all my family!
My uncle works on wild salmon conservation and this book is all about him getting into the career and the various work he’s done in creating organizations, getting funding, supporting salmon research, working on conservation policy, and more. I learned a good amount about salmon and conservation but perhaps more about my uncle.. there’s a lot I didn’t know about how he started out! He also does a lot of work in the Russian Far East, which is just an insane place ecologically and socially and historically. I like the natural science and social studies combo!
This book came out like 2 years ago so it’s bad that I didn’t read it til now, I guess I was a little scared to read about all his accomplishments in a field I’m trying to get in to. But I have finished now and I’ll tell all my family!
December 28, 2020
Stronghold is a fascinating glimpse into the complex world of fly fishing, salmon rivers, and the struggles of conservation. Malarkey immerses the readers into the landscape and into the mind of her cousin whoes life's work is to protect the remaining wild salmon of the Pacific Rim. I was particularly intrigued by what it took to push conservation efforts through in Russia following the collapse of the USSR. Good read for anyone interested in conservation, fishing, nature, or geopolitics.
September 12, 2023
I started this book right as I began to get into fly fishing on a trip to Alaska. I quickly started finding myself talking about it to near anyone who would listen. Malarkey beautifully balanced and described the scientific side of wildlife biology and conservation with the personal and human side of those on the front lines of the battle.
Whether you’re new to fly fishing or an old pro, a conservationist, outdoorsman, or someone just interested in cool fish or cool people, this book is for you.
Whether you’re new to fly fishing or an old pro, a conservationist, outdoorsman, or someone just interested in cool fish or cool people, this book is for you.
July 30, 2019
I don't know whether this book is being mis-marketed or if I just made it up in my head that it would be as informative as Paul Greenburg's Four Fish, but Stronghold was too much a biography about one man I didn't care about (the author's cousin, Guido Rahr), and too little about salmon.
Guido Rahr has the kind of personality we often find compelling—an essentially selfish, self-isolated white man with an obsessive interest that must take precedence over everything else, including loving his children or supporting his wife. I really just didn't care about the details of Guido's personal life or personality, all of which left a bad taste in my mouth. I wanted to learn more about salmon, but beyond a quick crash course in the beginning, little scientific information is conveyed about them.
Stronghold also makes weird assumptions, like that I, the average reader, would find fishing interesting even without it being properly explained. You can make an argument for almost anything being compelling, but in the case of fishing (which takes up great bulks of the book), no argument was made. There was no attempt to make it interesting. The author mentioned briefly that Guido is the rare hunter-environmentalist, but doesn't explain why. I know so much stuff about this person I don't care about, but one of the things that seems most important wasn't explained at all. Guido probably has in-depth thoughts about the ethics of fishing, but I don't know them.
This book holds good information about the enormous complexity involved in protecting nature on an international level, but it is clouded with its focus on Guido Rahr. The book could be shorter, more impactful, and more informative if it focused on the fish and not the man.
Guido Rahr has the kind of personality we often find compelling—an essentially selfish, self-isolated white man with an obsessive interest that must take precedence over everything else, including loving his children or supporting his wife. I really just didn't care about the details of Guido's personal life or personality, all of which left a bad taste in my mouth. I wanted to learn more about salmon, but beyond a quick crash course in the beginning, little scientific information is conveyed about them.
Stronghold also makes weird assumptions, like that I, the average reader, would find fishing interesting even without it being properly explained. You can make an argument for almost anything being compelling, but in the case of fishing (which takes up great bulks of the book), no argument was made. There was no attempt to make it interesting. The author mentioned briefly that Guido is the rare hunter-environmentalist, but doesn't explain why. I know so much stuff about this person I don't care about, but one of the things that seems most important wasn't explained at all. Guido probably has in-depth thoughts about the ethics of fishing, but I don't know them.
This book holds good information about the enormous complexity involved in protecting nature on an international level, but it is clouded with its focus on Guido Rahr. The book could be shorter, more impactful, and more informative if it focused on the fish and not the man.
August 14, 2019
I chose this book on the strength of the publishers blurb, that it is in the vein of The Orchid Thief which I loved, and it’s about saving Salmon, from Oregon and beyond, and I live in Oregon. I didn’t know that Guido Rahr and the author are cousins or that they were children together in Deschutes county where I live, or that Guido was the first reptile interpreter at the High Desert Museum where I am a living history interpreter. I don’t fly fish, I don’t fish, but once I started reading this book, I couldn’t stop.
It’s about fish, it’s about habitat and it’s about keeping them both safe from the encroachment of opportunistic development. Guido’s argument to the Russians was - don’t do to the salmon what the Americans did to theirs. I would say to the Americans, don’t do to habitats what the Russians did to theirs, like Sakhalin Island. As Americans we still have a voice and we need to use it. In the credits i read that the author was a researcher and coauthor of Sleepwalking Through History, a very powerful book that I think should be required reading for all Americans. I’ve read it three times and given copies away; it’s kinda embarrassing.
This is a very readable book that contains a powerful message that we cannot afford to ignore. Read it, give copies to your friends and talk about it. We still have time.
It’s about fish, it’s about habitat and it’s about keeping them both safe from the encroachment of opportunistic development. Guido’s argument to the Russians was - don’t do to the salmon what the Americans did to theirs. I would say to the Americans, don’t do to habitats what the Russians did to theirs, like Sakhalin Island. As Americans we still have a voice and we need to use it. In the credits i read that the author was a researcher and coauthor of Sleepwalking Through History, a very powerful book that I think should be required reading for all Americans. I’ve read it three times and given copies away; it’s kinda embarrassing.
This is a very readable book that contains a powerful message that we cannot afford to ignore. Read it, give copies to your friends and talk about it. We still have time.
July 27, 2019
Thank you, Net Galley and Spiegel & Grau for the chance to read this astonishing book. I chose it initially because of the title. As a native Oregonian, I thought it would interest me because salmon is our heritage. Not far into the book, I realized I knew half the people at the center of this story, which made it even more interesting. Then I fell under the spell of Malarkey’s amazing talent in telling a gripping adventure story while informing readers of the plight of salmon worldwide, how their survival affects all of us. Hats off to the remarkable Guido Rhar for his efforts to save the salmon and thank you, Tucker Malarkey, for the mesmerizing read. Five BIG stars
“A crazy-good, intensely lived book that reads like an international thriller—only it’s our beloved salmon playing the part of diamonds or oil or gold.”—David James Duncan, author of The River Why and The Brothers K. Yes, it’s all of that!
“A crazy-good, intensely lived book that reads like an international thriller—only it’s our beloved salmon playing the part of diamonds or oil or gold.”—David James Duncan, author of The River Why and The Brothers K. Yes, it’s all of that!
August 24, 2022
This is a brilliantly written book that draws you in from the very first word and never lets go. There is something for everyone in this fascinating study of one very unusual man and his quest to save the world by saving key parts of the salmon ecosystem. It has heartstopping adventure, life and death situations, fly-fishing, geopolitics, brushes with the rich and famous, Russian oligarchs, David and Goliath battles, unexplored lands, obsession and so much more. It is a hard book to describe, it is simply one you feel in your soul as you read it, which you should do, you’ll thank me.
December 2, 2024
Only my second five star read of the year, 2024. I told everyone who would to listen about the salmon of the Pacific Rim. Part biography and part exploration and conservation, Stronghold was inspiring and convicting.
October 24, 2019
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway.
I feel privileged to have read this book. Even though I have had no direct involvement in saving the salmon, I feel like I have taken part in something extraordinary after completing this book. Tucker does a fantastic job of navigating her cousin, Guido's life. From his struggles with school and social situations to becoming a main chess piece in the fight to save whole ecosystems in some of the toughest parts of the world where laws and regulations do not matter. Each chapter was interesting and kept my attention and I know very little about fishing and the going-on's of salmon. I learned so much reading this and I hope to learn even more to help protect what is left of quickly dwindling ecosystems/Strongholds.
I encourage everyone to read this book and can't wait to pass it on to my father and brothers.
I feel privileged to have read this book. Even though I have had no direct involvement in saving the salmon, I feel like I have taken part in something extraordinary after completing this book. Tucker does a fantastic job of navigating her cousin, Guido's life. From his struggles with school and social situations to becoming a main chess piece in the fight to save whole ecosystems in some of the toughest parts of the world where laws and regulations do not matter. Each chapter was interesting and kept my attention and I know very little about fishing and the going-on's of salmon. I learned so much reading this and I hope to learn even more to help protect what is left of quickly dwindling ecosystems/Strongholds.
I encourage everyone to read this book and can't wait to pass it on to my father and brothers.
Read
May 30, 2021Engaging read. I like hearing how nonprofits get anything done, having worked for a nonprofit for many years and struggled to get anything accomplished.
July 8, 2024
I learned a lot about salmon - very interesting
September 16, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down, even during a beach vacation. It is a gripping biography of a man dedicated to a sensitive ecosystem that is in peril. I appreciated that the author (Guido’s cousin) did not gloss over her subject’s shortcomings, but crafted a complete storyline that described him and his achievements in full detail. I learned so much about salmon and the geography that relies on salmon, and I am now terrified that our planet will lose these precious creatures through unregulated development. I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads giveaway, and I am so thankful.
April 4, 2021
It seems like I need to preface a lot of my reviews with a disclaimer: I not only know the subject of the book, but I worked for the Wild Salmon Center for five years. So whatever my review is, it will be in the context of working for the subject of the book, in the salmon conservation field, for a number of years, surely affecting my reaction to the book itself!
OK, having finished the book, and bearing in mind my personal history and knowledge of the subject matter, I can give a strong but not unqualified endorsement. Malarkey clearly has brought a passion and a deep knowledge for the subject, and, as the first cousin of the primary protagonist of the book, has a deep personal history. Since I worked for the subject of the book for five years in the early 2000s, I know much of the history of these activities first hand. Indeed, I know many of the people mentioned In the book from past travel in Russia, Alaska, or Oregon. Where the author really shines is in her effort to get to the bottom of the deep emotional connection that certain people feel with rivers and fisheries. Clearly, many people are involved in river and ocean and fisheries conservation. Many of them do meaningful and important conservation work. But only few them have a deep personal connection that Malarkey and Rahr have. From Bristol Bay to Khabarovsk to the Deschutes, the family connections give this story a deep sense of shared personal history and narrative. And although I worked in this sector for some years, I learned a lot more about the political and economic wrangling that has gone on with salmon conservation in the North Pacific in the years since I left that space, including tentatively engaging with the oligarchs of Russia and the captains of Western industry. It’s always a story of steps forward with the fear of rapid backsliding — a new dam, a mine, a poaching run that destroys a spawning population of migratory fish.
There’s a big underlying elements that I feel the author overlooked. The element is class, and wealth. While she alludes to it in passing, reality is that Guido Rahr, many of his associates, donors, and top mentors and friends referenced to this book come from elite levels of business and old money. The people who could afford to fly fish in the world’s most inaccessible rivers, or to hunt chamois and elk, or have even modest second homes in Jackson Hole and Bend, are an elite who made up the old vision of American conservation: white, wealthy, men who founded the old-school conservation movement so they had beautiful scenery in which to hunt and fish for abundant wildlife species. And there is nothing wrong with that. Indeed it’s the world in which Malarkey grew up too. But in a world where wealthy white men have driven so much of the decline in habitats and ecosystems, to omit the perspectives of indigenous peoples and people of color is a mistake. Indeed, in the case of salmon conservation, it’s been largely the indigenous people of both sides of the North Pacific who’ve had models that could have been emulated. But this is still a great-man approach to storytelling about big conservation wins: Rahr meeting with the head of the World Bank or with major Russian oligarchs, tying flies and making deals and cutting through organizational bureaucratic hiccups over vodka toasts in fly fishing camps.
OK, having finished the book, and bearing in mind my personal history and knowledge of the subject matter, I can give a strong but not unqualified endorsement. Malarkey clearly has brought a passion and a deep knowledge for the subject, and, as the first cousin of the primary protagonist of the book, has a deep personal history. Since I worked for the subject of the book for five years in the early 2000s, I know much of the history of these activities first hand. Indeed, I know many of the people mentioned In the book from past travel in Russia, Alaska, or Oregon. Where the author really shines is in her effort to get to the bottom of the deep emotional connection that certain people feel with rivers and fisheries. Clearly, many people are involved in river and ocean and fisheries conservation. Many of them do meaningful and important conservation work. But only few them have a deep personal connection that Malarkey and Rahr have. From Bristol Bay to Khabarovsk to the Deschutes, the family connections give this story a deep sense of shared personal history and narrative. And although I worked in this sector for some years, I learned a lot more about the political and economic wrangling that has gone on with salmon conservation in the North Pacific in the years since I left that space, including tentatively engaging with the oligarchs of Russia and the captains of Western industry. It’s always a story of steps forward with the fear of rapid backsliding — a new dam, a mine, a poaching run that destroys a spawning population of migratory fish.
There’s a big underlying elements that I feel the author overlooked. The element is class, and wealth. While she alludes to it in passing, reality is that Guido Rahr, many of his associates, donors, and top mentors and friends referenced to this book come from elite levels of business and old money. The people who could afford to fly fish in the world’s most inaccessible rivers, or to hunt chamois and elk, or have even modest second homes in Jackson Hole and Bend, are an elite who made up the old vision of American conservation: white, wealthy, men who founded the old-school conservation movement so they had beautiful scenery in which to hunt and fish for abundant wildlife species. And there is nothing wrong with that. Indeed it’s the world in which Malarkey grew up too. But in a world where wealthy white men have driven so much of the decline in habitats and ecosystems, to omit the perspectives of indigenous peoples and people of color is a mistake. Indeed, in the case of salmon conservation, it’s been largely the indigenous people of both sides of the North Pacific who’ve had models that could have been emulated. But this is still a great-man approach to storytelling about big conservation wins: Rahr meeting with the head of the World Bank or with major Russian oligarchs, tying flies and making deals and cutting through organizational bureaucratic hiccups over vodka toasts in fly fishing camps.
April 8, 2019
As a lifelong hard-core fisherman, I have despaired at humanity’s handling of the salmon’s existence. Totally a slave to its own stubborn fight for life, the salmon’s numbers have greatly diminished in recent years by the incompetence displayed by supposed experts and organizations charged with saving the vanishing fish. These inept schemes to protect and replenish their numbers have only one thing in common; their failures.
Tucker Malarkey tells us about a man, Guido Rahr, whose makeup may have the same stubborn fortitude as the salmon. The book’s title, “Stronghold,” is the sobriquet for a wild river untouched by civilization; only found in a few places. The book is the story of a remarkable conservationist who wages an inflexible battle against the environmental, commercial, and recreational greediness that threatens these stronghold rivers, most of which are found in Russia. It’s a story that indeed produces tears and a broken heart as this magnificent fish fights its natural battle for survival against the unnatural demons of over fishing, poisons, environmental carelessness, and stupidity of people and their governments.
Is there any hope that the battle will ever replenish our natural resources with the reappearance of this glorious creature? Probably not, if the disappearance of other wild animals is any gauge. Man’s careless stewardship has caused the demise of many beautiful beasts. Malarkey has enumerated these excesses and, in her study of Rahr, has introduced a person who might have the fortitude and aptitude to create new approaches to the distressing problem, even when dealing with the intransigent Russia government (and America’s fumbling efforts).
Rahr exemplifies the ingrained strong will of the fish he fights to protect. As a non academic who struggled with everything except interest in the natural world, Rahr has talked his way into being a strident and persuasive world wide advocate for the salmon’s well being. His fight against gamesmanship, corruption, and stupidity is a magnificent display of dedication and negotiation skills. Malarkey has displayed her own impressive skills by writing an intriguing book about this determined defender. Her ability to unsnarl this complicated endeavor is exceptional.
We should all look inward at our attitudes and insist on meaningful reform. We must be vocal and demanding in our attempts to bring order to the fight against extinction. No excesses or stumbling attempts at conservation should be allowed and only officials who are single-minded and totally unbiased should be given the reins of any protection effort. After reading this astounding book, I am rededicating my efforts to the goal of protecting the glorious salmon from annihilation and from inept attempts at conservation.
August 27, 2019
You might also enjoy:
✱ Made of Salmon: Alaska Stories from the Salmon Project
✱ Kings of the Yukon
✱ The Good Rain
✱ Eat Like a Fish
✱ The Founding Fish
✱ Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food
✱ Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
✱ American Wolf
✱ Coyote America
✱ American Serengeti
✱ The Seabird's Cry
✱ Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers
✱ Made of Salmon: Alaska Stories from the Salmon Project
✱ Kings of the Yukon
✱ The Good Rain
✱ Eat Like a Fish
✱ The Founding Fish
✱ Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food
✱ Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
✱ American Wolf
✱ Coyote America
✱ American Serengeti
✱ The Seabird's Cry
✱ Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers
April 19, 2019
4.5 stars.
Stronghold is a fascinating book about Guido (Gee-do) Rahr and his passion for salmon, fly-fishing for them, and in particular- SAVING them. I am not what one would call a "fish person". I don't fish or even eat much fish, however I am passionate about the conservation of our natural lands and resources and this book really opened my eyes to the fact that salmon are a keystone species throughout the Pacific Rim, as they once were in the North Atlantic until development, pollution, and overfishing caused the collapse of salmon (and other species) in the Atlantic region.
The author (Rahr's first cousin) really made me care about fish and opened my eyes to the challenges they face and the value they offer to the rivers and the lands, plants, and terrestrial animals surrounding their rivers!
Stronghold is a fascinating book about Guido (Gee-do) Rahr and his passion for salmon, fly-fishing for them, and in particular- SAVING them. I am not what one would call a "fish person". I don't fish or even eat much fish, however I am passionate about the conservation of our natural lands and resources and this book really opened my eyes to the fact that salmon are a keystone species throughout the Pacific Rim, as they once were in the North Atlantic until development, pollution, and overfishing caused the collapse of salmon (and other species) in the Atlantic region.
The author (Rahr's first cousin) really made me care about fish and opened my eyes to the challenges they face and the value they offer to the rivers and the lands, plants, and terrestrial animals surrounding their rivers!
January 16, 2020
I started liking this book very much and lost interest as it, for me, dragged on. It's well-written and well-researched and provides insight into one man's passionate fight to preserve salmon habitats and the larger interconnected environment. My main issue was what I felt was a lack of objectivity by the author about the protagonist, her cousin. Her idolizing him seemed downright creepy at times and led me to believe that others exposed to his selfish determinism and privilege probably don't see him the same way. And I questioned her intimate descriptive details of river trips she didn't attend 30 plus years ago.
December 5, 2019
I don't know where I heard about this book but it was just meh to me. Of course the salmon biodiversity was interesting but it could have been covered with fewer words. As for Guido his story didn't impress. He fly fishes with rich people? That's not interesting. I fly fish with a middle class guide in the Green River in Utah who is way more interesting than the characters, as portrayed, in this book. Sorry but this book left me bored and I love fishing. 3 stars for the description of the Russian rivers reaching out towards Alaska.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2022
The first part pf the book is interesting, as the young man, Guido Rahr, struggles with autism and dislike of formal education. with intense love of nature. The story was written by his 1st cousin, who knows many details of his life and his family , but she seems to almost worship him as she tells of his successes. The books need editing, and the story could have been told in nearly half of the pages written. We really didn’t need to know every river he fishes, and every fish he caught! But what he accomplished is remarkable!
March 2, 2023
The first third of the book was pleasing but after that it descended into name dropping and holier than thou.
I grew up in Eugene and was a fly angler and tyer for decades.
This book is mostly about the neer do well son of a rich influential MN family who uses his name and status to promote his work.
While I applaud his work I don’t like the way it is described.
Besides, any adult who wades into the Deschutes with their son in a baby carrier so they can fish is worse than irresponsible. It illustrates what is important to him.
I grew up in Eugene and was a fly angler and tyer for decades.
This book is mostly about the neer do well son of a rich influential MN family who uses his name and status to promote his work.
While I applaud his work I don’t like the way it is described.
Besides, any adult who wades into the Deschutes with their son in a baby carrier so they can fish is worse than irresponsible. It illustrates what is important to him.
April 15, 2020
I really enjoyed reading and learning about salmon and the wildernesses they inhabit, but I found the author's constant deification of her cousin really offputting and as a consequence, found him to be a very unsympathetic character. By the end, I could care less if he succeeded or failed in his goals
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