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Deb Vanasse
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Roar of the Sea: Treachery, Obsession, and Alaska's Most Valuable Wildlife Paperback – February 1, 2022

by Deb Vanasse (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 7 ratings
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A swashbuckling narrative of treachery and obsession involving pirates, fur seals, competing governments, and near war.

"In Roar of the Sea, [Deb Vanasse] writes with verve and dramatic impact, reconstructing the narrative of Elliott's tenacious crusade in a way that will transport the reader back to the cacophonous seal rookeries, to the bloody, blubber-slicked decks of the sealing ships, and to the elegant meeting rooms of the nation's capital. While bringing deserved attention to Elliott for his wildlife conservation work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Vanasse ends with a sobering challenge: those seal rookeries on the Pribilof Islands are now facing new human-caused threats—and could use 21st century advocates."
—The Daily Astorian/Coast Weekend

"Now comes a fascinating, full history of the fur seal story, pitting artist and advocate Henry Wood Elliott against the most famous of the seal pirates, a man named Alex MacLean, and a whole host of ill-informed and corrupt business and political titans. Deb Vanasse, a former Alaskan who now lives in Oregon and is the author of many previous books—including Wealth Woman, about the Klondike gold rush—has done extensive research to illuminate the historical characters, the difficulties of reaching an international agreement to protect wildlife, and the significance of that treaty today."
—Anchorage Daily News

Over a century ago, treachery in Alaska's Bering Sea twice brought the world to the brink of war. The US seized Canadian vessels, Great Britain positioned warships to strike the US, and Americans killed Japanese pirates on US soil—all because of the northern fur seals crowded together on the tiny Pribilof Islands.

The herd's population plummeted from 4.7 million to 940,000 in the span of eight years while notorious seafarers like Alex MacLean (who inspired Jack London's The Sea-Wolf) poached indiscriminately. Enter an unlikely crusader to defend the seals: self-taught artist and naturalist Henry Wood Elliott, whose zeal and love for the animals inspired him to go against all odds and take on titans of the sea.

Winning seemed impossible, and yet Elliott managed to expose corruption and set the course for modern wildlife protections that are all the more relevant today as the world grapples with mass extinction.

Carefully written and researched, Roar of the Sea reveals the incredible hidden history of how one lone activist existing in the margins prevailed against national governments and corporate interests in the name of wildlife conservation.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    228 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Alaska Northwest Books
  4. Publication date
    February 1, 2022
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.48 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1513209574
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1513209579
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

Roar of the Sea tagline

Blurb from Gary Krist

Blurb from Bill Streever

Blurb from Kim Heacox

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Roar of the Sea vividly recreates one of the earliest battles between commerce and conservation: the struggle over the fate of the Pribilof Islands fur seals, once considered 'America's most valuable wildlife.' In this engrossing and timely book, Deb Vanasse shows how ego, ambition, and misinformation can collide with good science to the detriment of all—a lesson the world apparently still needs to learn."
—Gary Krist, author of The Mirage Factory and Empire of Sin

"Deftly told, Roar of the Sea is a tale of both historical importance and contemporary urgency. More than a hundred years ago in the remote Bering Sea, fur seals lurched toward extinction amidst an international culture of greed, piracy, and unconscionable brutality. Their only hope was a fiery naturalist who dared to stand up against the powers of his time. From the remarkable facts of life on a pair of far-flung islands to the perils of taking too much, this book teaches and transports, offering a poignant story of resistance that resonates today."
—Caroline Van Hemert, biologist and author of The Sun is a Compass

"The men who backed wholesale slaughter, the policy makers who argued that killing seals was the only way to save them, a sailing outlaw, and a naturalist whose self-sacrifice and persistence prevented an unnecessary extinction—it's all part of Deb Vanasse's wonderful Roar of the Sea, a detailed history important to all of us who love Alaska and the sea, who believe in conservation, and who look to the past to better understand the complexities of our modern world."
—Bill Streever, biologist and best-selling author of Cold and In Oceans Deep

"Roar of the Sea is a full-sail ride—brightly written and meticulously researched—about pirates, plunder, and a self-taught naturalist who challenged the onslaught to save a species of seals on a remote pair of islands in a distant sea. The world is made better by inspiring stories like this. Bravo, Deb Vanasse."
—Kim Heacox, author of The Only Kayak and Jimmy Bluefeather

"With dashing antiheroes, swashbuckling pirates, and adventures at sea, this vivid book is a rarity—an important piece of nonfiction chronicling a treacherous bit of history that reads like a keep-you-up-all-night page-turner. Vanasse is a gem."
—C.B. Bernard, author of Chasing Alaska: A Portrait of the Last Frontier Then and Now

About the Author

Deb Vanasse is an author of novels, nonfiction books, and children’s books, as well as a reporter, historian, and the co-founder of the Alaska statewide writing center 49 Writers. Deb’s writing has been published in Alaska Magazine, and she has been interviewed by the Globe and Mail and CBC radio. She has given lectures for the National Park Service and several museums among other programs. For several years Deb lived in the Alaskan bush, and she has spent time on the Pribilof Islands. She currently lives in Oregon.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Alaska Northwest Books (February 1, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 228 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1513209574
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1513209579
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.48 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

About the author

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Deb Vanasse

Deb Vanasse

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Deb Vanasse is the award-winning author of 18 books of fiction and nonfiction. Her books include history, historical fiction, and nature. Her new release Roar of the Sea will be published on February 1, 2022, followed by Where Giants Roamed in October, 2022. She grew up in the Midwest, attended college in Northern Minnesota, and earned a Masters in the Humanities from California State/Dominguez Hills. After 36 years in Alaska, she now lives on Oregon’s north coast, where she enjoys walking the beach with her boxer dog.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
7 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Sandra Key Holsten
5.0 out of 5 stars should be required reading
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2022
Verified Purchase
Every state and federal employee working in any arena of wildlife management should be required to read this book. It might help them appreciate the personal sacrifice advocates for a species almost always endure.
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Korbyn Duncan
3.0 out of 5 stars Pirates
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2022
Verified Purchase
If you are into pirates and treasure do not miss an opportunity to soak this one up. Happy page turning.
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Torgny
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting history of the fur seal industry and the inception of wildlife conservation efforts
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2022
Deb Vanasse’s book, Roar of the Sea: Treachery, Obsession, and Alaska's Most Valuable Wildlife, is a rousing book about the piracy, greed, and, yes, obsession surrounding the fur seal industry between 1886 and 1930. The book focuses mostly on Alex MacLean, the inspiration for Jack London’s The Sea Wolf; a cabal of endlessly-greedy American businessmen (and their purchased pet politicians) intent on squeezing as much money as possible out of fur seals before the species goes extinct; and, most of all, the selfless efforts of Henry Wood Elliot to save the fur seals from extinction regardless of the costs to himself and his family. The story also touches upon a number of U.S. Presidents including Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Taft; several U.S. Secretaries of State, Japanese pirates, Russians, the Unangax̂, and many others.

While the author sometimes goes too far in anthropomorphizing her fur seals, sometimes seems to fill in blanks with guesses (which she admirably doesn’t try to pass off as fact), and while I really wish she would have provided some maps and photos, I found her book to be well-researched and quite interesting, educating me about a slice of history, and the inception of wildlife conservation efforts, about which I knew little. And she did it in an entertaining manner.

Disclaimer: I did not buy this book, having received an advance copy to review.
One person found this helpful
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akdude
5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening and engaging
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
In this thoroughly researched and captivating book, Vanasse vividly captures a little-known chapter in northern history in which the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Japan nearly waged war over the rights to harvest the fur seals of Alaska’s Pribilof Islands. While pirates and governments were cruelly slaughtering these animals, one man, Henry Wood Elliott, fought to save them from extinction. This is the story of his unlikely crusade and what it cost him. Definitely worth reading.
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deha
5.0 out of 5 stars struggle for survival
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2022
'Roar of the Sea' is an engaging meditation on idealism vs materialism by Deb Vanasse.
Vanasse's well-told tale is a great adventure story, yet it is much more. Throughout the pages, Vanasse imparts much existentialist philosophy without it ever seeming forced or extraneous to the storyline. Her trick in doing so lies in the complex characters, the likes of which I've never before encountered!. Her writing is an awe-inspiring seafaring tale. It is based on true events about the treachery and double-dealing in the plunder of the seals by the pirates and privateers.
A sailing adventure, a struggle for survival, the waxing and waning of dominance, personal discovery and growth along with a love story. These are seamlessly wrapped together and proved to me that 'Roar of the Sea', is a classic worthy of a revisit or an introduction to Deb Vanasse's great writing.
I received this book from the Author for my honest review. Love it. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
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