Shadows on the Gulf: A Journey through Our Last Great Wetland

by Rowan Jacobsen

"A sensitive and elegant amble through both a tragedy and an ecosystem. Required reading for anyone trying to understand the Gulf in its entirety." --Paul Greenberg, author of Four Fish              "Brimming with engaging information about a little-known region and leavened with moments of grace...Rowan Jacobsen succeeds in painting the 'sort of cubist portrait of a beautiful and sometimes contradictory region' he envisioned. And this fragmented portrait turns out to be all the more beautiful and melancholy for being accompanied by the persistent, doleful sounds of a pipe organ." --Wall Street Journal            In the spring of 2010, as we watched oil gushing unstoppably into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, many Americans turned their focus to the region for the first time, wondering how this could happen and demanding corporate and government accountability. Yet Rowan Jacobsen brings a surprising perspective to the as bad as the spill was, it is only the latest chapter in a century-long story of destruction.
            At the height of BP's dispersant madness, the amount sprayed each day merely equaled the amount of dispersant that washes down the Mississippi from the Heartland's dishwashers and washing machines. Coastal drilling has damaged the region's ecology far more than offshore drilling. And the acres of marshland ruined by oil slicks can't compare to the amount that disappears in every hurricane, due to the work of the Army Corps of Engineers. Southern Louisiana is subsiding. Even if we succeed in restoring every mile of beach and wetland from the oil spill, the entire Mississippi Delta could be lost this century, and New Orleans will sink beneath the waves, an American Atlantis.
            Surveying the Gulf Coast by sailboat, skiff, car, and kayak, Jacobsen journeys from the bayous of Terrebonne Parish, where he goes on oil patrol with a Native American man whose tribe is being displaced as their island disintegrates; to the last shucking house in New Orleans's French Quarter, whose oyster supply has vanished; to the pristine barrier islands of Mississippi, where a Kafkaesque cleanup effort is underway. He discovers a little-appreciated ecological wonder of breathtaking natural beauty and rich culture struggling to hold on to the things that have always sustained it.
            Shadows on the Gulf details the catastrophe creeping across the region and reveals why the damage to the Gulf will affect us all. Not only are the Gulf's wetlands the best oyster reefs and fish nurseries in the world, they also provide critical habitat to most of America's migratory songbirds and waterfowl. If the Gulf is allowed to fail, the effects will ripple across America. And fail it will, unless BP's blunder can somehow galvanize a national effort to save it.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Science, Travel, History, Environment, Ecology

240 pages, Hardcover

First published April 11, 2011

About the author

Rowan Jacobsen is the James Beard Award-winning author of A Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur’s Guide to Oyster Eating in North America, Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis, and The Living Shore, about our ancient connection to estuaries and their potential to heal the oceans. He has written for the New York Times, Newsweek, Harper’s, Outside, Eating Well, Forbes, Popular Science, and others, and his work has been anthologized in The Best American Science and Nature Writing and Best Food Writing collections. Whether visiting endangered oystermen in Louisiana or cacao-gathering tribes in the Bolivian Amazon, his subject is how to maintain a sense of place in a world of increasing placelessness. His 2010 book, American Terroir, was named one of the Top Ten Books of the Year by Library Journal. His newest, Shadows on the Gulf: A Journey Through Our Last Great Wetland, was released in 2011. His Outside Magazine piece “Heart of Dark Chocolate” received the 2011 Lowell Thomas Award from the Society of American Travel Writers for best adventure story of the year. He is a 2012 Alicia Patterson Foundation fellow, writing about endangered diversity on the borderlands between India, Myanmar, and China.

Reviews

[Seán · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a superb example of rapid-response concerned journalism. Every event, and every aspect of every grand, world-bending tragedy should have its no-bullshit chronicler. In fact, there should be a corvée for capable scribes, wherein talented prospects are impressed into service for assignment to that which will bear creepy, swollen lianas of absurd, Baby Huey-sized fruit. This here is a sort of tour of the Deepwater Horizon spill of 2010 as well as a more harrowing journey through humanity's centuries-long rapine of the Gulf. You'll find it's Jacobsen's quick step and sometimes inartful but always perceptive writing that hold you.

There's a very detailed account of the BP fiasco itself (it was due to corporate malfeasance, surprise!), a chapter on ecosystem collapse, discussions of the fate of the shrimping industry, and throughout a dour and then sometimes sneakily ambivalent view of the future. I read the thing fast on the train (collective term for the NJ Transit swift, swoop, suit it up like Large Pro to--ack!--this leaden, leaden E train), hungry for the pictures even if some seemed rushed, and almost immediately I handed my copy off to likely relatives.

Suggested reading: the "Atchafalaya" section of John McPhee's The Control of Nature (which began its life as a fantastic New Yorker article). It isn't fair to compare Jacobsen's work to McPhee's even though Jacobsen uses a couple of McPhee's devices (tag-a-longs with colorful Cajuns, representations of individuals that begin to meld into a single persona of Man wrestling with monomaniacal River, etc.). And although the authors' work may dovetail now and then, Jacobsen himself would not mistake himself for a McPhee, so you shouldn't either.

Still, read The Control of Nature. I got mine at the Woodside, Queens Salvation Army, and it can easily be requisitioned by you--hit me up!

[Francine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m sure that I’m not the only one of many who has wondered whatever happened to the horrific oil spill of spring/summer 2010. It seems like as soon as a certain so-called starlet made yet another court appearance, the media stopped informing us about the destruction of the eco-environment due to the BP oil spill and focused on the aforementioned star.
Shadows on the Gulf by Rowan Jacobsen is an amazing eye-opener to what really went on during and after the oil spill disaster.
Mr. Jacobsen not only sheds light on the BP disaster but on the ecological disasters mankind is creating all over the Gulf.
The book is so well written that you don’t become bogged down with boring statistics. Instead you become witness to the devastation of the wetlands through Jacobsen’s words and pictures. It is disturbing, especially the harm done to the animals and marine life, but is worth the read for anyone who wants to find out what really happened.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Prepare for a very long sentence!] I am not a speedy reader so this was a bit challenging; however, I was appreciative that the author was willing to broaden the subject matter to include ecology, politics, the viewpoints of those who are directly connected to the area, a knowledge of long-term big-picture impacts as well as immediate repercussions of not only oil spills but natural phenomena that cause long-lasting and often irreversible changes to this very special area of the United States. [Now breathe!] I was prepared to be bored. Instead I was intrigued and I have enjoyed sharing the insights learned with friends who share a great appreciation for nature, wildlife and how the well-being of those - whether we choose to recognize it or not - has a direct impact upon our human lives. Worth the time and effort to read!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought he did a great job with explaining the history of the Gulf coastal wetlands, especially in Louisiana. A lot of things have happened in the coastal restoration realm since the BP oil spill 13 years ago and I will elaborate more on that this weekend when I get back from the field. I love wetlands, and I spend every summer in the field doing annual vegetation surveys. I've seen how wetlands change over time, sometimes rapidly. This book was a great intro into the history & background of coastal Louisiana (and neighboring states) and aftermath of the BP oil spill. 4 stars!

[Black Spring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily in the top 3 non-fiction books you should read if you live on the Gulf coast of America. Or even if you are just curious about the unending horror and rapacity which passes euphemistically under the term "industry," which truly is a disaster for the human race and the earth. This book is gut-churning and among the darkest shit I have ever read. Galvanizing.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that the Gulf is closer to my backyard, a good way to become reacquainted with the history and tragedy of the region. Plenty of hope in here too.

[Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives you a good idea what happened after the Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico.

[PaHoDe]

Schmoopy's in Dulac. Jimbo Meador. comparison of Isle de Jean Charles's erosion to non-existence to disappeared communities of Sea Breeze, Isle Derniere, and Manila Village, LA. P&J Oyster Co.

ecology of the Gulf of Mexico, history of oil production in Gulf, step-by-step description of BP oil spill, the futile attempts to restore wetlands

[Owen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shadows on the Gulf is an eye-opening look at the devastation this culture has created on the Gulf coast of the United States. Deepwater Horizon has taken a heavy toll on the Southern wetlands, but this book makes it very clear that this was only the latest event in a long history of environmental destruction. If the wetlands are to be saved, it's going to call for some massive action, more massive than the author seems to feel comfortable discussing. [return][return]My biggest issue with this book is that the author understands the scale of the Gulf's predicament, and he understands the main actors in bringing this predicament about, but he stops short of demanding radical change. He talks, rather, about resource conservation, for instance saying that by simply driving a few miles less a year, Gulf oil production could be cut to zero. But in saying this he denies the reality of the situation. First of all, it's not at all clear that consumer oil reduction would actually result in reduced oil use. In all likelihood it would just mean keeping the cost down a little for military, industry, and those who have no moral scruples about using as much petroleum as they can afford. Second, even if oil reduction did occur, it's hardly realistic to expect that all of those reductions would take place in a single area. Even if they did, the Gulf has become one of the more cost-efficient sources available, and there's no reason to think production there would be cut. What Jacobsen offers us, unfortunately, is a hopelessly romantic solution to a problem in need of a far more radical solution.[return][return]That said, I do recommend this book to anyone trying to understand the ecology and history of the Gulf Coast, to get a real sense of how the oil industry and the Corps of Engineers has decimated a vital wetland environment, and the lives of local people dependent on it.

[1.1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This accessible, well-paced book takes on some of the media sensationalism surrounding the BP oil spill of 2010 and reveals that the Gulf Coast was already greatly compromised at that time. Also it has a few pages of nice color photographs to help state the case. There is inherent criticism of the system in this book, but no particular target develops. The conclusion is rather predictable (but no less honest): systematic failures led to this point which, catastrophic as it was, wasn't even so bad in view of the previous 50-60 years.

Yes, Jacobsen at times paints a bit of a hopeless picture of things. However, his book also has its lighter moments: swamp adventures, a number of interesting Coast contacts, humorous interludes. Consider:

"Yet as we approached, we could see blue shapes at regular intervals along the beach. Through binoculars, they revealed themselves as tents, each shading an assemblage of coolers, rakes, and plastic chairs. No one was around. Just the beach and the tents. It was like something out of a Beckett play, Waiting for Godot with hydrocarbons." p.76

It's a mixed product of the times. I applaud the author for taking the sensationalists to task and tackling the rather monolithic issue of Gulf conservation. If you wanted to get a better picture of the Gulf Coast in its entirety, inside of 200 pages, this book is likely your best starting point. The writing is clear and effective and the subject matter is damn interesting – and for better or worse, it isn't hyper-scientific.

(Thanks Goodreads Giveaways, it's nice to win a book I really wanted to see)

[Debbie is on Storygraph · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gulf oil spill is one of those events that people erroneously assume is completely fixed, but only time will show the full extent of how the spill will impact the Gulf ecosystem, and the lives of those communities that rely on the Gulf for their livelihoods. But what Jacobson shows is that humans have been impacting the Gulf long before the BP spill in its quest to maintain the status quo of development, beginning with the Army Corps misguided stabilization of the Mississippi River.

Perhaps the entire book could be summed up with this one line: "...we need to remind ourselves that natural systems are much more finely tuned than we think, and if we like the way they currently work, then we should try very, very hard to not screw with them."

Jacobson intersperses his own experiences in the Gulf, both during and after the oil spill with chapters on the history, ecology, and culture of the Gulf, and a few chapters detailing the Deepwater Horizon explosion and its aftermath. Doing so really gives a good sense life along the Gulf and how much has already changed through the decades, and made me think depressingly of how much will continue to change, given the spill.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via LibraryThing's Early Reviewer Program

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personally, I found this book outstanding !
I wish there were more authors/journalists like Jacobsen who can tell a story while teaching you all the stuff it contains.
I could tell so much about this book, how it made me discover a wonderful region I barely know about ( I could not tell where the Mississipi river was on a map before I read the book ! By the way I'm canadian, if this can excuses anything !!!). The leveed river, how the delta was formed over the time, how many drilling rigs are on the Gulf coast, everything seems incredible !
The best I can tell is that if you are interested in the subject and want to learn about an amazingly complex ecosystem, or if like me you're just curious, you should really read this book.
I hope I'll have a chance to visit this region one day and I will certainly put Fruitless Fall on my to read list !

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gulf seafood—Not so fast

Rowan Jacobsen has written a captivating, readable and ultimately infuriating account of BP’s Deep Horizon oil spill of 2010 and its adverse effects on the gulf coast. Thanks to his reporting I may never eat gulf seafood again, at least not without some worry for my health. The Louisiana delta has sold its soul to big oil. And this tragedy occurred during the Obama administration. I can just imagine how much worse the situation has gotten under our current administration and its deregulation penchant.

[Sara Deal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just received my first reads copy of this book and hoping to be able to start it this week. It seems like a book that I would definitely be interested in.

This was a decent read. Parts were slow and hard to hold my interest. The book was very biased which is ok since I agree with the bias but would have like a bit more balance to the writing. The book did seem pretty rushed in terms of the writing.

I learned a lot though and felt there was a good message in the book

[David Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is not the only problem that this region faces. I learned a lot of things about oil drilling that I didn't know. You meet some interesting people in this book too. I received this book for free from the Goodreads first read giveaway.

[Jill Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting little book about not just what happened with the recent gulf oil issues, but how the area has be in decline for over a century. It’s sad to read about how greed is destroying such a beautiful area. Though there is hope for reviving some of the lands, which is very reassuring.

[Fredrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shadow on the Gulf evaluates the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the events leading up to it, and effects on the environment. It is a blend of emotion and fact.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at the disasters of the 2010 Gulf oil spill. This work explores the causes of the disaster and the effects on both the ecology and the environment. Free copy.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted to read about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, but got way more than I bargained for with this book. Extremely well detailed, but way more than I wanted it to be. Extremely factual.

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, talked more about the Deepwater Horizon spill than I thought it was going to but still enjoyed it.