GRN STAFF BOOK REVIEW: THE WILDERNESS COAST AND THE SEA BRINGS FORTH BY JACK RUDLOE

As Summer comes to the Gulf coast, it brings with it our famous humidity, shrimp boils, barbeques and time on the beach! From Corpus Christi to Key West, time on the beach means time with your books! From time to time as the summer kicks off, GRN staff will be weighing in with some eco-centric books for you to consider adding to your beach bag.

There is magic along the Gulf Coast of Florida. It stretches from the coastal marshes to the underwater wonder worlds that lay beneath the surface of the Gulf. Creatures that would seemingly be from another planet can be found in the deep water of the Gulf of Mexico. Creatures that are from another time, modern day dinosaurs, can be found along the creeks and rivers that empty black, brown, and sometimes clear waters into the Gulf. Jack Rudloe’s writings are infused with that magic and it makes his books a pure joy to read.

“The Wilderness Coast” and “The Sea Brings Forth” by Jack Rudloe document some of his adventures with his wife, Ann Rudloe, as they explore the Gulf Coast of Florida. Jack and Ann have operated the Gulf Specimens Marine Lab in Panacea, Fl. since the 1970’s and have educated generations of Floridians about the science, ecology, and wonder of the Gulf of Mexico. Ann Rudloe is a distinguished marine researcher with a long career at Florida State University, and together she and Jack have explored the smallest coastal wetlands to the deepest Gulf waters looking for specimens for academic and research facilities around the world.

The most compelling thing about these books is the sense of adventure and quest for knowledge that Jack Rudloe brings to his writings and his trips. And he has adventures with crazy weather, wild wildlife, interesting coastal characters, and all the pressures and logistics of finding critters and getting them safely to places where people can learn more about them. Between the bull sharks and the alligators we’re lucky that Jack and Ann are still with us and still voices for conserving the “Wildernes Coast” of Florida and beyond.

I highly recommend these books, and in particular I recommend them to folks who like marine science, fishing, or a little time outdoors on the Gulf. The writing is scientifically oriented, but it is always a story…and a good one…..being told. Kids who are interested in marine biology or marine science would enjoy these books, and maybe a summertime activity would be for a family to read these books then take a road trip to Panacea, Florida to visit the lab and meet the author. These books are also great for those activists among us as Jack and Ann are researchers who have put thousands of hours into advocacy and understand the link between education, research, and advocacy. They talk the talk and walk the walk.

So, kick back this summer when your not out there fighting for the Gulf of Mexico and read some good books! I suggest starting with these, and again the roadtrip to Florida’s Nature Coast or the Florida Panhandle to meet Jack Rudloe, see the marine lab, and here some incredible stories should be in everyone’s summer travel and reading plans.

Joe Murphy

Joe Murphy is the Florida Program Coordinator for GRN