One With Nature

A Day in the Life of a Lobster Fisher

Non-Fiction - General
65 Pages
Reviewed on 04/29/2018
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

One With Nature: A Day in the Life of a Lobster Fisher is a nonfiction photographic journal written by Christopher M. Meuse with photographs by CMDM. In 2014, the author spent a day with his son, Captain Anthony Meuse, and his crew on a lobster fishing trip on Baie Sainte-Marie, Nova Scotia. The day began hours before sunrise, and the captain’s boat, Major Expense, set out on the water while it was still dark. Navigational equipment has gotten quite sophisticated, and Meuse was able to familiarize himself with the arsenal of GPS units, radio devices, depth sounders and sonic equipment that enable boats to avoid collisions and wrecks and navigate the waters safely as they prepared to set out. Lobstermen drop trawls, which are lines that have traps attached to them, and the location of each trawl is marked by a buoy bearing the distinctive colors of that fisherman. Meuse spent his day working alongside his son and the crew, dropping the trawls, baiting the traps and then going through the catch to release undersized lobsters. Meuse shares his son’s family history as fishermen; his great-grandfather, Eugene, began his working life as a Nova Scotia fisherman when he was 15 years old. There’s are archival photographs of Eugene from the early 1900s. Meuse shares each aspect of his day aboard the Major Expense with the reader. He also includes a number of inspirational quotes and poems.

Christopher M. Meuse’s One With Nature: A Day in the Life of a Lobster Fisher is a grand and glorious adventure aboard a lobster boat on a picture-perfect day. I’ve often wondered what the life of a fisherman would be like, and while I’m not too keen on getting up hours before dawn, CMDM’s brilliant photography had me picturing myself aboard the Major Expense along with the author and Captain Anthony. Meuse gives the reader a good look at the work and effort that goes into not only getting a boat like the Major Expense, but keeping it functioning where there are no guarantees of profits and the work is perilous to boot (between 1999 and 2015, the Transportation Safety Board data shows 55 deaths on Canadian boats). I was also fascinated to learn about eco-psychology, which the author has studied, and its focus on nature’s healing powers. One With Nature: A Day in the Life of a Lobster Fisher will give an aspiring fisher a good idea of what the field is all about, and the rest of us the peace and inspiration that a day of sun and sea can bring. It’s most highly recommended.