When a young man is confronted with the death of his grandfather, he goes about preparing himself to say goodbye. Along the way, we are let in on the very special relationship shared by the boy and the old man, lessons learned by each as they struggled with growing up and growing old. Into this relationship, we are also introduced to the boys father, who found in the old man a surrogate father and role model for how a man should act. We follow this relationship from the time the old mans daughter brings here young boyfriend home, through crises of careers and health, of relating to a growing son, to dealing with the death of the only true mentor in the mans life. As a result of the complexities faced by the three men, the novel explores the often lonely world in which men compare them selves against the masculine ideal, a world where fears and doubts are considered signs of weakness, where what a man can do with his muscles is often in conflict with what he can do with his heart. As we move through the novel, we also meet several other men whose experiences serve to underline the realities of being a man: Alex is the old mans brother. The two share a stormy relationship that stems from the early influences on their lives of their illiterate father. In time however they eventually settle into an acceptance of each others differences. Ed is a friend of the old man who saw his own father die as a result of trying to save his son. Austin suffered the disapproval of his lifestyle and the brutal loss of the only man he ever loved. Stans relationship with Mike shows the surprising tenderness shared by brothers who otherwise see themselves as tough guys. The women in the lives of these men are an underlying influence of strength and guidance, providing certain qualities that the men are often incapable of showing or even realizing. The boys grandmother, mother and sister, and the woman who becomes his wife act as foils and friends, lovers and protectors, appeasers as well as provocateurs of the male ego. Providing further proof to these roles are other wives, mothers and lovers that show the soft side of men, the sides they are often loathe to reveal to their peers. Set primarily in the beautiful and rugged cottage country of Ontario, Cowboys and Fishermen demonstrates the need men have for one another and the dependancy they share for the women who have touched their lives.

The essays in this book detail Paul Schullery's thoughtful philosophical understanding of the western fly fisher: where we came from, what we care about, and what our prospects are.

One of the most gifted and entertaining journalists writing today, Matt Labash can extract comic humanity from even the most wary politicians, con artists, and rogues—while shedding wisdom about the rich corners of our American experience. Fly Fishing with Darth Vader pulls together the best of Labash’s feature writing and includes his masterful profiles of the outrageous characters who populate America’s periphery, his loving and lacerating portraits of New Orleans and Detroit, and his hilarious tirades on the health hazards of Facebook and the virtues of dodgeball. Among other must-read essays, Labash chronicles Al Sharpton’s eating habits, fishes the Snake River with Dick Cheney, and investigates the “great white waste of time” that is our neighbor to the north. Labash was born with a natural appreciation for the American scoundrel and a sense that life is one big chance for laughter. For those reasons, Fly Fishing with Darth Vader will be cherished and talked about for years.

It's 1992 in Newfoundland and Labrador and the cod moratorium has put some thirty thousand fishers out of work. Journalist Jenn Thornhill Verma blends memoir and research in this gripping account of the enduring legacy of the largest mass layoff in Canadian history. Tracing the early history of the fishery to the present, Verma considers what lies ahead and what was lost along the way.

Now a feature-length documentary on the Discovery channel narrated by Tom Brokaw. “Lush, gorgeously written…A profoundly hopeful book.” —Tina Rosenberg, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award A Kirkus Best Book of 2016 Many of the men and women doing today’s most consequential environmental work—restoring America’s grasslands, wildlife, soil, rivers, wetlands, and oceans—would not call themselves environmentalists; they would be too uneasy with the connotations of that word. What drives them is their deep love of the land: the iconic terrain where explorers and cowboys, pioneers and riverboat captains forged the American identity. They feel a moral responsibility to preserve this heritage and natural wealth, to ensure that their families and communities will continue to thrive. Unfolding as a journey down the Mississippi River, Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman tells the stories of five representatives of this stewardship movement: a Montana rancher, a Kansas farmer, a Mississippi riverman, a Louisiana shrimper, and a Gulf fisherman. In exploring their work and family histories and the essential geographies they protect, Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman challenges pervasive and powerful myths about American and environmental values.

When a young man is confronted with the death of his grandfather, he goes about preparing himself to say goodbye. Along the way, we are let in on the very special relationship shared by the boy and the old man, lessons learned by each as they struggled with growing up and growing old. Into this relationship, we are also introduced to the boys father, who found in the old man a surrogate father and role model for how a man should act. We follow this relationship from the time the old mans daughter brings here young boyfriend home, through crises of careers and health, of relating to a growing son, to dealing with the death of the only true mentor in the mans life. As a result of the complexities faced by the three men, the novel explores the often lonely world in which men compare them selves against the masculine ideal, a world where fears and doubts are considered signs of weakness, where what a man can do with his muscles is often in conflict with what he can do with his heart. As we move through the novel, we also meet several other men whose experiences serve to underline the realities of being a man: Alex is the old mans brother. The two share a stormy relationship that stems from the early influences on their lives of their illiterate father. In time however they eventually settle into an acceptance of each others differences. Ed is a friend of the old man who saw his own father die as a result of trying to save his son. Austin suffered the disapproval of his lifestyle and the brutal loss of the only man he ever loved. Stans relationship with Mike shows the surprising tenderness shared by brothers who otherwise see themselves as tough guys. The women in the lives of these men are an underlying influence of strength and guidance, providing certain qualities that the men are often incapable of showing or even realizing. The boys grandmother, mother and sister, and the woman who becomes his wife act as foils and friends, lovers and protectors, appeasers as well as provocateurs of the male ego. Providing further proof to these roles are other wives, mothers and lovers that show the soft side of men, the sides they are often loathe to reveal to their peers. Set primarily in the beautiful and rugged cottage country of Ontario, Cowboys and Fishermen demonstrates the need men have for one another and the dependancy they share for the women who have touched their lives.

In 1979, Wisconsin native Tim McBride hopped into his Mustang and headed south. He was twenty-one, and his best friend had offered him a job working as a crab fisherman in Chokoloskee Island, a town of fewer than 500 people on Florida's Gulf Coast. Easy of disposition and eager to experience life at its richest, McBride jumped in with both feet. But this wasn't a typical fishing outfit. McBride had been unwittingly recruited into a band of smugglers--middlemen between a Colombian marijuana cartel and their distributors in Miami. His elaborate team comprised fishermen, drivers, stock houses, security--seemingly all of Chokoloskee Island was in on the operation. As McBride came to accept his new role, tons upon tons of marijuana would pass through his hands. Then the federal government intervened in 1984, leaving the crew without a boss and most of its key players. McBride, now a veteran smuggler, was somehow spared. So when the Colombians came looking for a new middle-man, they turned to him. McBride became the boss of an operation that was ultimately responsible for smuggling 30 million pounds of marijuana. A self-proclaimed "Saltwater Cowboy," he would evade the Coast Guard for years, facing volatile Colombian drug lords and risking betrayal by romantic partners until his luck finally ran out. A tale of crime and excess, Saltwater Cowboy is the gripping memoir of one of the biggest pot smugglers in American history.