"The Hungry Ocean" written by Swordfish Captain Linda Greenlaw, details one of her 30 day swordfishing expeditions. Greenlaw describes the preparations she makes before leaving on the trip; the personalities of the men accompanying her on the trip; how she decides where they are going to do the actual fishing; the fishing itself and the equipment used; how she decides when the fishing trip is over; and finally, shows a receipt detailing the money spent on the trip and how much money each fisherman made. Interspersed with the details of this particular trip are chapters called "Mug-Up" with anecdotes of past fishing trips.

"The Hungry Ocean" is a fascinating read. Greenlaw doesn't dwell on the fact that she is a female working in a job dominated by men. She provides detailed explanations of what needs to be done on board to prepare for the fishing, although she sometimes lost me in describing some of the details. I wish pictures had been included of some of the equipment she used. Greenlaw also describes how she deals with the inevitable problems that come up when a number of sleep deprived people are working together in a cramped space for a long period of time.

One of the best parts of the book are the small details Greenlaw includes: how they cook and prepare food on a moving boat, eating off Pyrex pie plates to keep the food from falling off; the practical jokes they play on new fishermen to break the boredom; and the various superstitions fishermen have. For the most part, Greenlaw comes across as likable, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for the fish as she describes their struggle once captured. Still, I don't begrudge the fishermen; it's a tough and dangerous way to make a living.

"The Hungry Ocean" is a very compelling read. ( )

At the time that she wrote this book, Linda Greenlaw was the world’s only female swordfishing captain, and she was the primary source for the technical detail in Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm. In her own memoir, she describes a typical thirty-day swordfishing trip from Gloucester to the Grand Banks aboard the Hannah Boden (sister ship to the Andrea Gail which was lost during the Halloween storm in 1991). The author describes the boat, equipment, electronics, and her technique for finding just the right area to fish. The process of laying out the 40 mile long-line and hauling in the catch is also explained in detail. She talks about the shipboard life of the crew, their personality conflicts, hard work, and uncertain rewards—what will be the selling price for the catch?

Narrative Context: Middle Range Narrative Content

Subject: Long line/deep-sea fishing, commercial fishing, women boat captains, dangerous occupations, women in unusual careers, nature writing, personal responses to nature

Type: Memoir; autobiography

Pacing: Slower paced than most peril-at-sea stories

Tone: Exciting without terror, evocative of a dangerous way of life, with man against nature.

Similar Titles or Authors: The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger; The Cure for Anything is Salt Water by Mary South; Steady as She Goes: Women’s Adventures at Sea edited by Barbara Sjoholm; Rowing to Latitude: Journeys Along the Arctic’s Edge by Jill Fredston

Whole Collection Context: Waterwoman by Lenore Hart

Learning/Experiencing: High on this continuum, with all the detail provided.

Characterizations: The author reveals her personality and thought processes through her narrative, and shows effective insight into the characters and assets/liabilities of her crew.

Story Line: More action-oriented than psychological.

Language: Straightforward, without much embellishment or philosophy.

Setting: Ocean off Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and the trip to and from the fishing grounds.

10.0

Written by the female fishing captain featured in The Perfect Storm. A very well-written & interesting story about what it is like to fish for a living.

Great book about a swordfishing trip, interspersed with vignettes from other trips. Lots of detail on what life as a fisherman is like, including gear lists, budgets, temperature ranges for swordfish, etc. ( )