Wildsam Field Guides: Gulf Coast

by Taylor Bruce (editor), Jess Ruliffson (Illustrator)

Wildsam Field Gulf Coast leads travelers along the marshes, shorelines, and beaches of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida with guidance from trusted locals and seafood experts. Wildsam Field Gulf Coast is the third installment of the Wildsam American Pursuits a line of travel books driven by curiosity and the idea that so many places that captivate travelers and locals alike carry a specific heritage, a definitive pursuit that people build their lives around; a common trade or precious resource that might set the course for generations. For the Gulf Coast, this pursuit is seafood. This handsome volume is the ideal primer to the geography, traditions, and cultural institutions of the Gulf Coast that will turn any visit into an instant, unforgettable immersion. Led along the shoreline and through the wetlands by born-and-bred locals and coastal experts, readers will

128 pages, Paperback

Published June 7, 2021

Reviews

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

For what it is (a pocket-sized almanac/travel guide/cultural cliff's notes) it's a pretty great book. I live along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, but spend a lot of time in other parts of the area, so this will stay in the glove compartment for the next time I find myself somewhere semi-local, and looking for something to do, or for some historical context of where I find myself.

[sav. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast - I already have a complicated relationship with home, and it's easy to succumb to the idle gossip and negative perspectives of people who are not from here, did not grow up here, do not understand or care to know the intricacies and complexities of the history of the Gulf Coast.

I particularly enjoyed:
-the interview with Jesmyn Ward
-Essay "How the Sauce Is Made" (Tabasco)
-Poem "Theories of Time and Space"
-Essay "One Acre"
-All of the Almanac information, but if I had to narrow it down, I would reread the sections on the Gulf Horizon Oil Spill, Vietnamese Fishing Communities, Seminole Native American community, and the Rosewood Massacre.

Thank you for bringing another field guide, this time dedicated to the Gulf Coast. Thank you for capturing the beauty and wonder, alongside the bad and unfortunate, of the Gulf Coast in words. I am refreshed.

[Carrie Honaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this little pocket guide! This is my first Wildsam Field Guide, but not my last. All the personal histories of colorful characters on the Gulf Coast they profiled added to my wonder of this place. And then there was a poem by Natasha Tretheway and a piece by Jesmyn Ward that made this an even richer experience!