AUGUST 2018 - AudioFile
The author’s journalistic style and poetic eye for description combine with narrator Tom Parks’s conversational tone to make this story about Virginia island life easy to listen to. Tangier Island, 12 miles off the Virginia coast, is home to a few hundred hardy souls who have one foot in the past—an economy based on commercial crabbing—and one in the present—a changing climate that could wipe out not only their livelihoods but also the island itself. The author, who has written extensively about Virginia and its people, spent a year on the island and recounts stories of the islanders’ daily lives amid the many challenges they face. Parks wisely lets the text speak for itself. His tone perfectly matches the mood of the narrative. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
07/02/2018
Journalist Swift empathetically examines the complicated history of Tangier Island in Chesapeake Bay, which he calls “a community unlike any in America.” Swift (The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways) notes Tangier’s unique qualities: “Here live people so isolated for so long that they have their own style of speech, a singsong brogue of old words and phrases, twisted vowels, odd rhythms,” and the island’s centuries-old crabbing industry dictates everyday schedules. Crabbers go out on the bay in the early morning hours, so buyers, crab processing companies, and marine police “synchronize their workdays to the watermen’s schedule.” When the crabbing industry hits an inevitable rough patch, the consequences can be significant. So can younger generations leaving Tangier and the effects of global climate change and rising sea levels: “Every year sees the Chesapeake soak a little more upland into marsh, and drown a little more marsh into open water,” leaving it careening toward being uninhabitable. With understanding and insight, Swift presents a thought-provoking portrait of Tangier Island as it once was, as it is now, and as it could someday become. Agent: David Black, David Black Literary Agency. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
The best nonfiction book of 2018. … I can’t remember a book in recent years that taught me quite so much. Every page is vivid and rich. … A model for what serious reportage should be.” — Stephen L. Carter, Bloomberg
“[A] sweeping historical narrative. … Intimate, meticulously reported and captivating. … Earl Swift masterfully reveals Tangier as it is. … The definitive account of what once was and of what will soon be no more.” — Washington Post (A Notable Book of the Year)
“Earl Swift has long shown a talent for locating the big and poignant stories that lay hidden in plain sight within the day-to-day lives of unsung Americans. With Chesapeake Requiem, his gift is on fine display. Here is a big story about a small place, a canary-in-the-coalmine tale that’s sad and beautiful, haunting and true.” — HAMPTON SIDES, New York Times bestselling author of In the Kingdom of Ice
“In a gripping, 400-page tome, Swift gracefully outlines the harsh inevitability of global warming and how the people on its front lines try to keep living their lives in its face. ... Fantastic.” — Outside (A Best Book of the Year)
“A masterful narrative of place, people, and nature, supported by the best sort of on-the-ground journalism. … In Chesapeake Requiem, Swift does what only the best environmental writers can do.” — Christian Science Monitor (A Best Book of the Year)
"America is about to learn what Virginians have known for decades—Earl Swift can flat-out write. A deeply moving and well-reported book." — BETH MACY, New York Times bestselling author of Dopesick and Truevine
“A provocative and respectful study of a culture that may soon be lost.” — Esquire, “The Best Nonfiction Books of 2018 (So Far)”
“Swift paints vivid portraits of both the natural environment and the individuals and institutions of this close-knit community. ... Harrowing and moving. ... A well-rounded portrait of a rural community both dependent on and threatened by its natural environment.” — Science
“Swift does such a good, interesting job of telling the stories of the people who live on this island. … He really gets [the] hard questions about the reality of climate change and … how we make decisions as a country and as a community about what we value.” — Heather Hansman, NPR’s All Things Considered
“One of the most powerful ways to tell the story of global climate change is to tell it local. And this meticulous, compassionate look at the fishermen and their families, who have for generations made a home on a tiny island in Chesapeake Bay, is a vivid portrait of what we are losing—and why we may fail to stop that loss.“ — Deborah Blum, NPR’s Science Friday
"A deep dive into the past, present, and narrowing future of Tangier. ... Swift's twilit portrait of Tangier, based on a year he spent there, is immersive, sensitive, and clear-eyed. He captures the grain of the place, all its nicks and whorls." — Garden & Gun
“Earl Swift is as much a master of crafting words on the page as capturing the instructive voices on this shrinking Chesapeake island. He has written not a farewell but a commencement, not an insular but a universal story, one we all should know, of challenge, forbearance, and possibilities.” — JACK E. DAVIS, author of The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea, winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in History
“This is a powerful book. Fascinating people, clinging loyally to a fascinating and lovely place, even as the waters rise—Earl Swift’s Chesapeake Requiem is a tale of our time, movingly told. Perhaps it will inspire some of us living safe on higher ground to more action on behalf of those at risk.” — BILL MCKIBBEN, author of The End of Nature
“A graceful melding of history, nature writing, and perceptive cultural commentary. … An affectionate portrait... sharply drawn and empathetic.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Wonderful, poetic, stirring writing. This lovely book is an elegy to a disappearing way of life.” — CALLUM ROBERTS, marine conservation biologist, University of York, and author of The Ocean of Life: The Fate of Man and the Sea
“Chesapeake Requiem immerses us in an amazing American place. A humane and difficult and supremely reported book.” — CHRISTOPHER COKINOS, director of creative writing, University of Arizona, and author of Hope is the Thing with Feathers: A Personal Chronicle of Vanished Birds
“[Swift’s] book reads as an ode to a people who are disappearing, capturing the ins and out of their everyday lives: the ways they work, speak, fight, make jokes, and vote. Taken together, Swift’s descriptions suggest that Tangier might be one of the most interesting—if strangest—places in the country.” — Earther
“Chesapeake Requiem is a riveting documentary. It also has the deep currents and satisfactions of a magnificent novel.” — JOHN CASEY, National Book Award-winning author of Spartina
“An important book, capturing macro changes through microcosm. ... A moving account of a vanishing place.” — Library Journal
“A superb piece of reporting.” — Telegraph (UK)
“An empathetic portrait of a small and unique community and its plight under environmental duress.” — Booklist
“Earl Swift has hit the trifecta sought by all writers of nonfiction but achieved by very few. The book is the fruit of deep-dive, immersive research; it is deftly written, and it raises questions that affect every person on the planet. ... A soulful portrait of a complicated, endangered slice of America.” — Bill Morris, The Millions
“A detailed portrait of this distinctive community. …. The dire fate of [Tangier] island runs through Swift’s narrative. At its core, though, it’s a look at its people.” — John Yang, PBS NewsHour
Heather Hansman
Swift does such a good, interesting job of telling the stories of the people who live on this island. … He really gets [the] hard questions about the reality of climate change and … how we make decisions as a country and as a community about what we value.
BETH MACY
"America is about to learn what Virginians have known for decades—Earl Swift can flat-out write. A deeply moving and well-reported book."
Washington Post (A Notable Book of the Year)
[A] sweeping historical narrative. … Intimate, meticulously reported and captivating. … Earl Swift masterfully reveals Tangier as it is. … The definitive account of what once was and of what will soon be no more.
Stephen L. Carter
The best nonfiction book of 2018. … I can’t remember a book in recent years that taught me quite so much. Every page is vivid and rich. … A model for what serious reportage should be.
“The Best Nonfiction Books of 2018 (So Far)& Esquire
A provocative and respectful study of a culture that may soon be lost.
Outside (A Best Book of the Year)
In a gripping, 400-page tome, Swift gracefully outlines the harsh inevitability of global warming and how the people on its front lines try to keep living their lives in its face. ... Fantastic.
Science
Swift paints vivid portraits of both the natural environment and the individuals and institutions of this close-knit community. ... Harrowing and moving. ... A well-rounded portrait of a rural community both dependent on and threatened by its natural environment.
Deborah Blum
One of the most powerful ways to tell the story of global climate change is to tell it local. And this meticulous, compassionate look at the fishermen and their families, who have for generations made a home on a tiny island in Chesapeake Bay, is a vivid portrait of what we are losing—and why we may fail to stop that loss.“
HAMPTON SIDES
Earl Swift has long shown a talent for locating the big and poignant stories that lay hidden in plain sight within the day-to-day lives of unsung Americans. With Chesapeake Requiem, his gift is on fine display. Here is a big story about a small place, a canary-in-the-coalmine tale that’s sad and beautiful, haunting and true.
Christian Science Monitor (A Best Book of the Year)
A masterful narrative of place, people, and nature, supported by the best sort of on-the-ground journalism. … In Chesapeake Requiem, Swift does what only the best environmental writers can do.
BILL MCKIBBEN
This is a powerful book. Fascinating people, clinging loyally to a fascinating and lovely place, even as the waters rise—Earl Swift’s Chesapeake Requiem is a tale of our time, movingly told. Perhaps it will inspire some of us living safe on higher ground to more action on behalf of those at risk.
Telegraph (UK)
A superb piece of reporting.
CALLUM ROBERTS
Wonderful, poetic, stirring writing. This lovely book is an elegy to a disappearing way of life.
Bill Morris
Earl Swift has hit the trifecta sought by all writers of nonfiction but achieved by very few. The book is the fruit of deep-dive, immersive research; it is deftly written, and it raises questions that affect every person on the planet. ... A soulful portrait of a complicated, endangered slice of America.
JOHN CASEY
Chesapeake Requiem is a riveting documentary. It also has the deep currents and satisfactions of a magnificent novel.
Booklist
An empathetic portrait of a small and unique community and its plight under environmental duress.
JACK E. DAVIS
Earl Swift is as much a master of crafting words on the page as capturing the instructive voices on this shrinking Chesapeake island. He has written not a farewell but a commencement, not an insular but a universal story, one we all should know, of challenge, forbearance, and possibilities.
Garden & Gun
"A deep dive into the past, present, and narrowing future of Tangier. ... Swift's twilit portrait of Tangier, based on a year he spent there, is immersive, sensitive, and clear-eyed. He captures the grain of the place, all its nicks and whorls."
Earther
[Swift’s] book reads as an ode to a people who are disappearing, capturing the ins and out of their everyday lives: the ways they work, speak, fight, make jokes, and vote. Taken together, Swift’s descriptions suggest that Tangier might be one of the most interesting—if strangest—places in the country.
John Yang
A detailed portrait of this distinctive community. …. The dire fate of [Tangier] island runs through Swift’s narrative. At its core, though, it’s a look at its people.
CHRISTOPHER COKINOS
Chesapeake Requiem immerses us in an amazing American place. A humane and difficult and supremely reported book.
Science
Swift paints vivid portraits of both the natural environment and the individuals and institutions of this close-knit community. ... Harrowing and moving. ... A well-rounded portrait of a rural community both dependent on and threatened by its natural environment.
Booklist
An empathetic portrait of a small and unique community and its plight under environmental duress.
Washington Post (A Notable Book of the Year)
[A] sweeping historical narrative. … Intimate, meticulously reported and captivating. … Earl Swift masterfully reveals Tangier as it is. … The definitive account of what once was and of what will soon be no more.
Garden & Gun
"A deep dive into the past, present, and narrowing future of Tangier. ... Swift's twilit portrait of Tangier, based on a year he spent there, is immersive, sensitive, and clear-eyed. He captures the grain of the place, all its nicks and whorls."
Science
Swift paints vivid portraits of both the natural environment and the individuals and institutions of this close-knit community. ... Harrowing and moving. ... A well-rounded portrait of a rural community both dependent on and threatened by its natural environment.
Garden &Gun
One of the most powerful ways to tell the story of global climate change is to tell it local. And this meticulous, compassionate look at the fishermen and their families, who have for generations made a home on a tiny island in Chesapeake Bay, is a vivid portrait of what we are losing—and why we may fail to stop that loss.“
Christian Science Monitor
A masterful narrative of place, people, and nature.”
“The Best New Adventure Books for Fall” Outside
In a gripping, 400-page tome, Swift gracefully outlines the harsh inevitability of global warming and how the people on its front lines try to keep living their lives in its face. ... Fantastic.
Washington Post
[A] sweeping historical narrative. … Intimate, meticulously reported and captivating. … Earl Swift masterfully reveals Tangier as it is. … The definitive account of what once was and of what will soon be no more.
AUGUST 2018 - AudioFile
The author’s journalistic style and poetic eye for description combine with narrator Tom Parks’s conversational tone to make this story about Virginia island life easy to listen to. Tangier Island, 12 miles off the Virginia coast, is home to a few hundred hardy souls who have one foot in the past—an economy based on commercial crabbing—and one in the present—a changing climate that could wipe out not only their livelihoods but also the island itself. The author, who has written extensively about Virginia and its people, spent a year on the island and recounts stories of the islanders’ daily lives amid the many challenges they face. Parks wisely lets the text speak for itself. His tone perfectly matches the mood of the narrative. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2018-05-10
Land and culture erode on an island in the Chesapeake Bay.Journalist Swift (Auto Biography: A Classic Car, An Outlaw Motorhead, and 57 Years of the American Dream, 2014, etc.) spent more than a year on Tangier Island, among crab fishermen and their families, in 2000 and again in late fall 2015. In a graceful melding of history, nature writing, and perceptive cultural commentary, the author offers an affectionate portrait of the island and its "God-fearing, self-reliant," close-knit residents—now numbering under 500. Although Tangier currently faces new social problems—drugs, alcohol (on an island defiantly dry), and loss of young people to the mainland—the island "is more Norman Rockwell than real American town, with morals intact, air fresh, and entertainments wholesome." When Swift returned to the island in 2015 from his home in Virginia, he was particularly concerned with how Tangier was dealing with climate change that threatens to raise sea levels. Already, the island has shrunk from 2,163 acres, as documented in 1850, to 789. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicted that about a third of remaining acreage would vanish within the next 50 years without major intervention. Residents, however, ascribe topographical changes "solely to wind-driven waves, not climate change," refusing to believe that accelerating winds were "a symptom of a global phenomenon." Still, they feared for their future as crab fishermen. With hundreds of millions of crabs swimming by the island each year, Tangier supplies restaurants all along the east coast; New York, for example, pays handsomely for soft-shell crabs. Swift's profiles of individuals are sharply drawn and empathetic, and he captures their frustration with government bureaucracy as they hope for federal financing of a sea wall. It will take a miracle, writes the author, for the Army Corps of Engineers and Congress to act "before a storm muscles up the bay and renders the whole thing moot."A well-rendered narrative about how one specific island's fate stands as a warning for all coastal regions.
