The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas

Written by Jerry Dennis

Narrated by Barry Press

If fresh water is to be treasured, the Great Lakes are the mother lode. No bodies of water can compare to them. One of them, Superior, is the largest lake on earth, and the five lakes together contain a fifth of the world's supply of standing fresh water. Their surface area of 95,000 square miles is greater than New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island combined. They are so vast that they dominate much of the geography, climate, and history of North America. In one way or another, they affect the lives of tens of millions of people.



The Living Great Lakes is the most complete book ever written about the history, nature, and science of these remarkable lakes at the heart of North America. From the geological forces that formed them to the industrial atrocities that nearly destroyed them, to the greatest environmental success stories of our time, the lakes are portrayed in all their complexity. The book, however, is much more than just history. It is also the story of the lakes as told by biologists, fishermen, sailors, and others whom Jerry Dennis grew to know while traveling with them on boats and hiking with them on beaches and islands.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Nov 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781515982869

Jerry Dennis

Jerry Dennis writes for Smithsonian, Sports Afield, Gray's Sporting Journal, and The New York Times. His books, including It's Raining Frogs and Fishes, A Place on the Water, and The River Home, have won numerous awards and have been translated into five languages. In 1999, he was the recipient of the Michigan Author of the Year Award presented by the Michigan Library Association. He lives in Traverse City, Michigan.

Reviews for The Living Great Lakes

[tajohnson_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have read this book twice, but than again I am from Michigan. I grew up there and this book takes me back to a state that will alway remain in my heart. A wonderful approach to writing about a state with a travel story on a sail boat around the Great Lakes starting in Chicago, through to the Erie Canal out to the Hudson. I highly recommend it.

[sandhiker61 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Even though I live in Michigan, I was a little concerned when I picked up this book that my interest in the topic wouldn't last the length of the book. Dennis turns out to be an excellent storyteller, however, and provides evocative descriptions of history and his own experiences on the Great Lakes. The thread through the book is a trip he and a mostly seasoned crew took across the Great Lakes, up the Erie Canal, to the Atlantic Ocean, to deliver a tall ship to its new owner. Along the way he fills out the narrative with historical and natural details about the areas they sail through. This sort of book isn't a typical read for me, but it turned out to be an excellent companion this summer.

[porch_reader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For three years, my family and I lived in South Bend, Indiana. In slightly more than 30 minutes, we could be on a beach on the southeast shore of Lake Michigan. My kids dug in the sand and played in the waves, while my husband and I took pictures of sunsets and fell in love with Lake Michigan. We still vacation there often, and this year, I picked up Jerry Dennis's book at a small bookshop in Leelanau.

The Living Great Lakes is part natural history, part travel memoir, and part cautionary environmental tale. Much of the book recounts Dennis's trip from Traverse City, MI to Bangor, ME as a crewmember aboard a tall schooner. Along the way, he peppers his adventures with historical stories and present-day challenges faced by the Great Lakes. The end result is a book that helped me better understand the breadth of the impact of these lakes on the economy, the environment, and the people who take the time to find the heart of them.