Wow. I had no idea.

As always Wallace Johnson has written an amazing and well researched book. It’s heartbreaking to know that this is all still going on in different ways, but accords the whole country. I read this as Trump and Vance were spewing lies about legal Haitian immigrants in Ohio, right out of a Nazi playbook. And so similar to the single mindedness and incorrect focus of these poor fisherman and shrimpers. Who could not see the real villains.

An account of a small fishing town on the Texas Gulf Coast, and their struggles with low fishing hauls starting in the late ‘70s. First there were struggles between the White residents and the new Vietnamese refugees who moved into the area, where the KKK got involved. And then in the ‘80s, there were struggles between the local manufacturing plants and what they were doing to the local environment.

An interesting account and an eye-opening one. It’s a compelling read that falls apart a little in the epilogue. But overall is really good and very well-researched.

I am a Houston resident so this story hits close to home. I agree with the author’s sentiment in the acknowledgment, I also hope the world our children grow into looks nothing like the one described in the book.

Heartbreaking, infuriating, and amazing. I am gobsmacked that I lived near that area during that time period and was completely unaware of what was happening. I’m equally outraged at how human beings can treat each other so poorly as well as how a few greedy, immoral people can destroy our environment. Now I’m grateful to be far away from the Gulf.