Customer Reviews

Silence in the Sound: Aftermath of Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Technical this book in is not. We don't really know anything about the Exxon clean up because Exxon will never

allow the truth to be published. So let's settle for the next best thing...........a published book about the human aspect

of the catastrophe.

Silence in The Sound "The Adventure", is a book that allowed me to folllow through the three months of the cleanup with Merle as she related the daily events that occurred.. it seemed everyday was a battle for her in the position as General Foreman.Even after proving herself to be a responsible leader,she had to fight to maintaim the rank without compromising her principles. There has been and always will be sexual discrimination in all areas in life. For both male and female.

It is no wonder that in a situation where there are very little boundaries nor confinements of justice. The prejudice

and indifferences would prevail especially in the work forces.

Merle shows bravery in situations when there was a need which far exceeded normal expectations. Relying on her journal, she seems to keep the story together,making it a very interesting read with actual events of our time. The personal stories about some of the people she met demonstrated compassion of this writer especially when she shared the story about her father. I recommend Silence in The Sound 'the Adventure as a different point of reference concerning the Alaskan oil spill cleanup from someone whe actually lived and survived the expereince.

Silence in the Sound the Adventure
Finally a book from behind the scene

S. Neal Editor/Writer - Phoenix, AZ

I had no idea about what transpired during the summer after the Alaskan
oil spill. For a while the media was on top with news, but it was like
a blanket had been draped over the event, like the oil had covered the
beaches. Well now we have the opportunity to read about what really
happened.
I am grateful for Merle Savage's Silence in the Sound the Adventure. It
brings back memories of how I felt when the event took place, but with
more information. Her tell all book gave me an opportunity to identify
with the characters, because they were real people. I know she changed
some of the details for privacy reasons, but I was able to read about
the historic event, which took place during my lifetime, through the
eyes of someone who lived the adventure.
The Preface, Introduction and Shocking Media Coverage painted a picture
of Alaska and the event, and I felt closer to what had taken place.
For this being her first book, I was impressed by her descriptions and
the flow she maintained through out the story. Her writing gave the
daily events as she lived them and her encounter with workers was so vivid
and easy to understand.
Some sexual and verbal abuse goes on in every place of business where
there are different sexes, but I can see how it ran rampant in that
wildness environment. Merle seemed to handle herself in most incidents and I
applaud her efforts. The situation concerning the two girls and their
supervisor was one where she went out of her way to make things right.
She put her job on the line many times for her beliefs and work ethics
with the faith that it would work out for her best interest. Good Job
Merle and I am looking forward the next book.

Silence in the Sound the Adventure -

A story that needed to be told

I was stationed in Alaska when the Exxon Valdez event occurred. When John Keeble's book Out of the Channel was published, I read how devastating the impact was to the Sound. Keeble's book covered all the technical aspects of how the oil was retrieved from the beaches, with interviews about the count of oil collected in barrels, how many boats were rented, and the equipment that was used during that summer.

Silence in the Sound the Adventure is about a woman's working relationship with other employees who cleaned the beaches and the ordeals they faced and also gave insight into the lives of some of the workers. Throughout the workday Merle dealt mostly with people and therefore filled her book with personal experiences we otherwise would have never known about. Merle's details about the day-to-day tasks performed under weather hardships were similar to the many marches I endured in the rain while on active duty. Her descriptions of how the beaches were cleaned made it easy to identify with the work process.

I found the author to be knowledgeable in her perception of the devastating events and human correlation. Working in an environment with little supervision or guidelines made it possible for Merle to operate under her own influence. Thirty years ago when I joined the Army the military was totally different than today. At that time there were very few servicewomen and I underwent sexual harassment every day. It was a time when "No" meant no promotion for women. I came up the ranks the hard way, so I have empathy for what Merle went through. It takes courage for a woman to work in a man's world and maintain her dignity. This was a grand adventure for Merle and I am glad that she shared her story.

After reading Silence in the Sound by Merle Savage, I felt like I had been on board the same vessels and experienced the same situations that had been described in the book. Without knowing what an oil spill cleanup would involve, the process was very evident in Savage's vivid descriptions.

It was not as if Merle Savage was a reporter who was sent out to get the big story. She signed on to clean beaches and attained the role of General Foreman while working. While employed she learned of work related discrepancies that made her take a stand and speak out. I admire anyone who goes against the system for what they believe in, even when they could lose their job.

I found that the discrimination between the sexes was inexcusable, but that goes on in all work places. I am sure that Merle Savage had a difficult time keeping one step ahead of events, but it seems that she was pretty much on top of her game. I sensed she had little work experience of that nature, but appreciate that she handled herself with excellent on the job training abilities.

There are very few women who could have completed that type of job to make an impact on the situations like she did. I found the Adventure, intriguing, compelling, mysterious, and entertaining. I am glad that Merle Savage kept a journal of the events and put them to print so we can catch a glimpse of current history that happened in our life time.

In 1989 when the Exxon Valdez oil spill was top news for a short time, there was never really any detailed coverage about what was taking place. I know it has been a few years but at last someone came forward to share with the world what happened and how one oil company controlled the spill and the cleanup without supervision. Exxon was responsible for the transporting of crude oil across the State of Alaska and the waters of Prince William Sound, and did not have an oil response recovery course of action available. During the 13 days before the cleanup began is when the wildlife endured the oil invasion and most suffered with loss of life.

How one company was allowed to get away with such a disaster with nothing but a slap on the wrist is only a sample of what goes on in every day life. With wealthy conglomerates dominating our life style like the pharmaceutical, oil companies, and media there is little hope that we will receive the real story.

The fact that this is Merle Savage's first book makes me look on Silence in the Sound as an encounter with a breaking news story that should have been printed 16 years ago.

I have never read a story that provides as much detail as this. If you like to know what's behind the curtain this story will certainly give you that. The cleaning up of the alaskan oil spill, in being horrendous, was almost as bad as the actual spilling of the oil. I could not stop reading it and am glad I finished it. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought that it was well written and had a difficult time putting it down. I loved hearing about the "behind the scenes" drama that occured during the oil spill. Big Business America doesn't always want us to know what is going on.

I found this book entertaining and educational. Because it's fiction I found myself wondering what was true and what wasn't. Either way, Merle Savage is a very tough woman. I was very impressed and proud to hear of the accomplishments of a strong woman in this male dominated fiasco.

I have a lot of respect for Merle Savage for keeping a journal and putting it to print for everyone to read. I also worked during the oil cleanup in Prince William Sound on a different Task Force, and know from experience exactly what took place. I have searched for information about the oil spill that would give a personal view, and Silence in the Sound the Adventure is the only one I have found that told the story the way it was lived.

Merle Savage could not have told the real story except through the experience of an individual who had encountered the events by walking the walk and talking the talk. Every so often we hear about someone who has stood up and spoke out for their belief, and Merle Savage has written a powerful eye-opener into the lives of ordinary people working under extreme working conditions. This story is about a small woman with human flaws, inspired by her belief and compelled to speak out in defiance when necessary to complete the task at hand.

Merle Savage had a difficult job; working for a sub-contractor, answering to the large oil company, then dealing with the workers. Her position would have been challenging for anyone with knowledge in oil recovery. She tells the story on a daily basis which makes the reader feel like part of each experience. Now when anyone asks me to explain about the Alaskan oil spill cleanup, I recommend Merle Savage's Silence in the Sound the Adventure.

This book was incredible, very well written, easy to understand and hard to put down.

The book description outlines briefly what happened to this author during the oil spill clean up attempt. But that is where the briefness ends.

The author did her best to captivate me with explicit details of her life in the Sound. Whether it's the people she meets, the places she goes or the things she encounters, I felt as if I was her. When she tells of the boat's smell, I cringed and covered my nose. When she falls on the oily rocks, I felt pain in my back. When she mentions the torment that people unleash on her, I wanted to fire back in rage. Everything this author did pulled me into her reality. It was like a 200 page Disneyland thrill ride. It's the most fun you can have reading, and it's the best book I've read in a long time.

And keep in mind, this book is not about why the Exxon Valdez lost it's oil or the people involved before the spill. It's the author's experiences after the spill or as she put it, "The Adventure." And boy, it is a GREAT one.

Two thumbs up for the information between the pages of Silence in the Sound. It was an adventure for me that put me right in the middle of the oil cleanup. After seventeen years this book made the destructive accident come alive with more knowledge than the media gave during the summer of 1989. I have also reviewed the DVD and putting the book and beach scenes together made the cleaning process clearer. Merle Savage gathered a lot of information with the DVD of Prince William Sound and with her journal did an excellent job of capturing an adventure in her book.

I just finished one of the best books I have read in a very long time. Silence in the Sound by Merle Savage. Normally I usually read action adventure, however I may have to change. Merle does a beautiful job of describing the friends and enemies she made while working as a female in what was considered a man's world. Then she is promoted on merit above men who feel they should have got a particular job. Even though the job at hand, cleaning up after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, was completed, her success was achieved through her ability to work and supervise others. Through her efforts, workers received clothing and equipment needed for the job which was hoarded by others. The spill did get cleaned up but only to the degree management considered appropriate. An excellent read.