Customer Reviews

The Big One: An Island, an Obsession, and the Furious Pursuit of a Great Fish

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Last winter Mark Alan Lovewell, the fishing beat reporter for the Vineyard Gazette wrote that a new book about the Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby had been optioned by the Dreamworks studio. Cool, I blogged. I'd pay to see that flick. The author of the optioned book, David Kinney, detected my blog post through the magic of the InterWebs and sent me an email asking if I'd like a copy to review. Sure, I said. Send it along.

I own about six feet of bookshelf space devoted to fishing books. There's everything from how-to books such as Flounder Fishing and 99 Angling Tips from Lefty Kreh, to big important reference books like Fishes of the Gulf of Maine. In between are the few I pull down every few years and re-read; books like Dick Brown's authoritative book on bonefish, Thomas McGuane's 90 Degrees in the Shade, Peter Mathiessen's Men's Lives and the late Bob Post's Reading the Water, the original book about fishing on the Vineyard. Until now, Post's book has been the one to beat when tackling a subject as steeped in passion as the Derby, one of the oldest and most venerable fishing contests in the world.

It's not often that a Pulitzer-prize winning reporter (Philadelphia Inquirer) sets his mind to fishing, but David Kinney took the kind of trip most anglers dream about in the fall of 2007; he fished the entire Derby with a fishing rod in one hand and a notebook in the other. In the new tradition set by David DiBenedetto a few years back in On the Run, Kinney inserts himself in the story as the eager student sitting at the knee of the venerable experts. With a big dose of humility and another of humor, Kinney does a great job of explaining the history of the Derby, the culture of the off-season Vineyard (and the on-season celebrity soaked world of waterfront wealth), and the great stories that go with serious fishing. He has pulled off a few feats most angling scribes can't contemplate, most notably ingratiating himself into a closed secret society that makes the DaVinci Code look like a church bake sale. I can see why Dreamworks took the option on The Big One, there's enough skull-duggery, intrigue, charges of cheating and lying to drive a dozen plots.

Kinney written a keeper of a fishing book, no mean feat in a genre that tends to get breathless with clichés and pedantic with tips that never seem so smart in actual practice. And spare us from the fishing book that clutters the story with recipes (even, my late mentor John Hersey was recipe-guilty in his Vineyard fishing classic: Blues). This is just a solid story, a great one in parts, thanks to the fortuitous coincidence that Kinney was hanging around with Derby winner and all-around angling ace Lev Wlodyka during "Sinkergate" - the amazing incident where a cow of a striped bass weighed in by Wlodyka was found to contain a pound and half of lead sinkers.

"Instead he reaches all the way into the farthest recesses of the stomach, and as his hand comes out there is a clattering on the dfloor at his feet. It sounds exactly like change falling out of a pants pocket. Martha thinks it is a joke at first, like that time the guy cutting open a leaderboard fish dropped a wrench out of his sleeve as he fumbled around in the stomach. It takes her a moment to see that nobody's laughing. She looks at Lev and sees his face morph from shock to horror to embarrassment before he speaks.

"What the f#$k?"

"Inside Lev's fish-of-a-lifetime, D.J. has found a fistful of lead weights."

That's a scene just made for Hollywood, indeed, it brings to mind the scene in Jaws when they gut open a shark and out falls a Louisiana license plate.

Kinney infiltrated one of the most close-mouthed, evasive, secretive, mendacious, fraternal secret societies in the world - Martha's Vineyard fishing fanatics. Steve Amaral, Dick Hathaway, Whit Manter, Kib Bramhall, Nelson Bryant, Ed Jerome, Dave Skok, Chris Windram, Janet Messineo ... these are names familiar to saltwater fishing fanatics throughout the eastern seaboard, perhaps the world, and Kinney hitches a ride with them in the fall of 2007, accompanying them and others to the beaches, rips and inlets of the island in search of the Derby winner. Along the way he weaves in sixty-plus years of Derby history, island culture, and current drama. Read this book: if only for the description of the complex culture that exists on the jetties at Menemsha - a place I avoided during that same Derby in 2007, when I used my boat to free myself from the crowd that lives there for 838 hours every fall. There is no better way to greet the spring fishing season in New England than to read a good book that confirms why we stand in the water, up to our knees, hoping against hope and the need for sleep for something to happen out there, in the dark, under the water on the end of our lines.

I leave you with the part that hit home the closest:

"People see Steve [Amaral] bringing in fish and they figure it's all action for a fisherman like him, but they don't see him on all those days when he comes home with nothing, all those nights when he's working the beach and wondering why in the hell he's out there and not home watching TV in his recliner. "Nothing's easy in this business. You don't go to the beach and they jump up on the sand."

http://www.churbuck.com/wordpress/?p=2775

I am not a fan of fishing -- watching it or actually doing it. I read this book initially because of the Phil Hendrie Show interview and I couldn't put it down. Kinney is a great story teller and this is a great story. Fascinating and exciting, this book is not just for fishing enthusiasts but for anyone looking for a light, fun, engaging read.

I knew a couple of people in the book which was how I was turned on to the story. However, once I began reading the prologue I couldn't put it down. I'm not a fisherman whatsoever, nor was I a fishing fan... until now. The Big One is an awesome story that is very well written and great entertainment.

It has been more than 20 years since I picked up a fishing pole, but I was immediately drawn to this engaging tale of the Martha's Vineyard Fishing Derby. The book is less about fish and more about the people form whom fishing and the derby are a way of life. Kinney does a great job of honestly capturing the soul of this unique New England community. I would highly recommend this story to anyone who understands and admires the pursuit of passion.

I just finished David Kinney's big blue book THE BIG ONE. I will admit I first picked it up because of its seemingly pornographic title, but the expert tale telling kept me reading even after I realized it is about fishing. I was captivated by the world Kinney lifted the curtain on, one I didn't even know existed. Secrets, intrigue, cheating, lying - who knew fishing could be so, well, interesting. Thankfully Kinney braved the stomach churning boat rides and the toe curling bait bucket so I could sit back in comfort and enjoy from a safe distance. A great read and a great gift.

I just spent my most enjoyable, most relaxing holiday weekend in years reading The Big One from cover to cover. Although this is definitely nonfiction, Kinney is a marvelous storyteller who is able to transport the reader with his entertaining style and vivid character development. Whether you've heard of the Derby or not, been to beautiful Martha's Vineyard or have just heard of its magical beauty, this is a sure winner with broad appeal. The Big One is remarkable in its ability to take the reader to all the special Vineyard spots, travel with its luminaries ( they're all here in this book) and experience the Derby firsthand. Mr. Kinney somehow managed to infiltrate the close social ranks on the Vineyard and takes us along in the boat for the ride! You can almost smell the sea air and and overhear the salty conversatons . Kinney is also exceptional as a dead-on researcher and for his knack of filling in all the historical background in an interesting, riveting manner.
I had looked forward to reading this book so much that I feared a letdown. Instead, it delighted me beyond my hopes. It is a truly GREAT book, and, in my opinion, will be thought of with the same affection as the Pulitzer Prize winning Beautiful Swimmers by William Warner. RUSH to buy this one! You ,too, will NOT be disappointed!

A great page turner about the MV derby. It is very well researched and the text rings true. This may be this summer's "must read" book.

This captures the spirit of fun and comradery that encompasses one of the greatest fishing events. Having fished the event, I know the books is true and gives the fisherman and non-fisherman a glimpse into some great derby competitors and the island that hosts the event. Well worth the read. Maybe you'll get some winning tips.

I've been fishing this derby for about 15 years and know many of the subject people in this book. The inner workings of the derby are not always open to all to see but this book brings it all to life for the reader. This just futher completes my knowledge of the island's people, the derby and how much harder I need to work to place on the big board!! I couldn't put it down as every chapter ends with a question and you have to read on to get the answer. If you know any thing about the island , the derby or fishing you must read this book.

The Big One, is a great story about a colorful cast of characters who are addicted to the pursuit of catching the elusive "Big One" in order to capture the glory of entering their catches into one of the oldest fishing tournaments on the East Coast. Although the author tells a story centered around the fishing tournament in Martha's Vineyard, this tale can be appreciated by both old, salty veteran fishermen and novices to the sport since the author focuses on the stories of various cultures on the island and the common bond they all share, the glory of the tournament. Kinney does a great job describing the antics that follow during the tournament such as the controversial art of "yo-yoing", a trick used by commercial fishermen to catch fish. He also does a thorough job in giving a history lesson about Martha's Vineyard and it's rise to fame by the rich and famous. This book will motivate even a novice who has never fished to want to drop what they are doing and grab a rod to catch the "Big One"!