Strand: An Odyssey of Pacific Ocean Debris [Paperback]

Bonnie Henderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2008

In Strand, travel writer and amateur naturalist Bonnie Henderson traces the stories of wrack washed up on the mile-long stretch of Oregon beach she has walked regularly for more than a decade. Henderson’s writing conveys both a keen attention to the specifics of place and an expansive field of vision. The burned hull of a long-abandoned fishing boat, a glass fishing float, the egg case of a skate, a beached minke whale, an unusual number of dead murres, and an athletic shoe are the starting points for essays that reach across the globe. Henderson takes readers from Coos Bay, Oregon, to Vancouver, B.C.; from the currents circulating through the North Pacific to the “Eastern Garbage Patch” between Hawaii and California; from China’s Shenzhen Special Economic Zone to fishing villages on the coast of Hokkaido, Japan.As Henderson uncovers these odysseys, she meditates on current issues, events, and phenomena—oil spills, the proliferation of ocean debris, international trade, the evolution of sharks, and the survival prospects of whales. The characters that emerge range from the world’s leading minke whale researchers to the crew of a Coast Guard airbase to a small-town salvager of wrecked fishing boats, glued to the radio and praying for disaster. Strand offers a thoughtful look at the surprisingly far-ranging journeys of what washes up on our Pacific shores.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Henderson’s love of beachcombing inspired her to become a volunteer for CoastWatch, signing up to patrol Mile 157 of the Oregon coast. Curious about the stories behind the flotsam and jetsam she observes, Henderson assigns herself intriguing missions. She travels to Japan to learn about the nearly lost art of making glass fishing floats. A brand-new Reebok running shoe is the catalyst for a trip to Shenzhen, China, to visit the shoe factory, followed by unsettling research into container shipping, the loss of consumer goods at sea, and the immense Eastern Garbage Patch, where ocean debris forms grotesque islands of lost plastic. A major die-off of the common murre, a deep-diving seabird, sparks a discussion of a crucial ocean phenomenon, the upwelling, and the damage done by oil spills. A beached whale, a buried fishing boat, each discovery leads to unforeseeable revelations. Subtle in its critique of our destructive impact on marine life and lush with delight in the marvels of ocean and shore, Henderson’s beachcomber tales net a bounty of new knowledge and clarifying perceptions. --Donna Seaman

From the Inside Flap

Strand offers a thoughtful look at the surprisingly far-ranging journeys of what washes up on our Pacific shores. As Henderson uncovers these odysseys, she meditates on current issues, events, and phenomena—oil spills, the proliferation of ocean debris, international trade, the evolution of sharks, and the survival prospects of whales.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Oregon State University Press (October 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870712993
• ISBN-13: 978-0870712999
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #990,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative Surprise, December 10, 2008

By 

Gayleen Wayman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strand: An Odyssey of Pacific Ocean Debris (Paperback)

I learned more about the Oregon Coast by reading STRAND than I've learned from exploring it for the last 25 years. Henderson is an intelligent writer. STRAND is an inviting, informative and sensitive treatment of the subject.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I'm an addict......, December 8, 2008

By 

Barbara E. Lee "Book Addict" (Eugene, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strand: An Odyssey of Pacific Ocean Debris (Paperback)

OK,I admit I'm a complete addict when it comes to natural and human history meets beach meets research that ties it all together. If you are attracted to the idea of John McPhee going soulful, written with joy and wonder, YOU'LL LOVE THIS BOOK.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Strand: An Odyssey of Pacific Ocean Debris, November 12, 2008

By 

Claire DeLune "Clair" (Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strand: An Odyssey of Pacific Ocean Debris (Paperback)

Bonnie Henderson has captured a part of ocean life few know about unless you are a scientist or intrepid beach comber. It's my kind of reading - well written narrative of her personal discoveries with well researched facts. It leaves one engaged and informed.