The Heart of the Sound: An Alaskan Paradise Found and Nearly Lost

by Marybeth Holleman

Book Overview

"You can't step in the same river twice--although I once believed I could. I believed that the pieces of my life I had chosen, those I held close to my heart, would, once chosen and held, remain the same."--from the book

How does one recover from disaster? That question is at the heart of Marybeth Holleman's lyrical, elegiac response to the repercussions of the Exxon Valdez oil spill that devastated Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1989...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0874807913
• ISBN13: 9780874807912
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: University of Utah Press
• Length: 209 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Of Places Wild and Human

This book is many things. It is a personal journey about following one's heart. It's a love story between a woman and a place. It's about beauty. It's about loss and change. Marybeth Holleman witnessed the unspoiled beauty of Prince William Sound, the immediate aftermath of the oil spill from the Exxon Valdez, and subsequent years of healing. She details the devastation wrought by both the ruptured oil tanker and the swarm of experts and volunteers who came to help. Fifteen years later, the coasts and wildlife of Prince William Sound still show evidence of this oil. This is an intimate look at a specific wild place in the vastness of Alaska. A gentle voice tells her stories, reflects on her life and beloved environment, and reveals an inner landscape. The pages display photographs taken by the author. The words are her love songs for the wild creatures, the water, and many natural wonders of the sound. Such intimacy brings us into her world and broadens our capacity to see and to care what she is passionate about, perhaps humanizing us in unexpected but important ways. I hope to visit Alaska some day to see the glaciers and the wildlife, to experience the wonders, serenity, and potency of nature. When I go, I will have more respect for the fragility of such beauty. The Heart of the Sound gave me a more complete and complex story about a well-known disaster-not just how this event affected the author and the Alaskan community back then, but how it affects all of us, all of life still.

Concern Born of Love

One of the things I most admire about Marybeth Holleman is something she told me in person: "I moved to Alaska because of Prince William Sound." This statement is verified in her writing, which is replete with examples of her love and devotion to the place, even when the environment presents obstacles. Camped on Decision Point, she finds the terrain so water-logged it takes five railroad flares to start a fire and she and her husband are forced to don head nets to escape the swarms of no-see-ums. This is not the kind of experience most of us come away from feeling enraptured, but Holleman's reverence and awe never falter. Crucial questions are presented in the last third of the book. In the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oil spill Holleman casts a critical eye on restoration money designated for scientific study. "All this counting, tagging, radio-implanting, all these projects, research, buildings--I could not fathom how they would help restore the wild," she writes.Finally, the book takes on a larger scope, asking that we take a hard look at our adaptability to environmental degradation. Things that bother her should trouble us all: noise pollution, species' extinction, global warming, acid rain. How is it that we have come to accept these phenomena as "natural" by-products of economic growth? Thanks to Holleman and other nature writers these issues will continue to surface in discussions across the nation. And, if we are lucky, those in power will begin to listen.

Restorative Powers

The Heart of the Sound will find a permanent home on my book shelf--for reference, for enjoyment, for inspiration. I was born and raised in Alaska and have lived here over fifty years. Still I learned about the difference between two genetically distinct groups of Orca whales, about the "soundscape" created in Denali National Park for managing uses, and much more. I worked on the Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup for six weeks on the water and beaches far outside of Prince William Sound and through Holleman's clear, passionate voice and keen powers of observation I was able to sharpen my own image of what it was like at "ground zero" of the spill. The chapter titled "restoration", with its hard questions and profound insights into the human relationship to place, I will visit often. Holleman cares, and I trust her. This is a beautiful book.

Hope in the Face of Despair

After reading this book, I bought another copy to give to a friend who had experienced a series of losses and was fighting off despair. She took the book in her hands. Trusting my advice, she ran her hand over the cover of the book and said quietly, "It's beautiful." "Yes," I responded, "and so is the story. I know it may seem strange that a story about an oil spill and it's aftermath could be a source of hope, but trust me." My friend randomly opened the book and turned to this passage which she read aloud, "The cries of loons had always comforted me, a comfort I now craved, for I was fearful of feelings . . . ." The Heart of the Sound is the kind of book I like to read and recommend, because in the reading of it I get to know a brave and committed woman who understands her life as an adventure and a journey with challenges both personal and public. I learn about a place unspeakably beautiful and threatened by forces that threaten us all. I learn about life forms that I simultaneously long to see in actuality and feel that I have seen through the reading: a sea otter floating on the water holding and suckling her infant on her chest; killer whales seemingly dancing in synchrony; and bears fishing for salmon. When I finished this book, I put it down feeling enriched and grateful and confident I would read it again. And, I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about Alaska, natural history, and environmental challenges, as well as those looking for a good story full of adventure and courage. Marybeth Holleman brings to her writing an open heart and the capacity to embrace the inevitable pain that comes with loving a person or a place. In the process, she uncovers the joy and hope that is available to all who nurture life.

A Journey of Discovery

Marybeth Holleman is a gifted writer who captures the strength and beauty of a wonderous place while sharing her own story of personal growth. Her prose weaves a tale of discovery and disappointment, joy and sorrow. Having visited Prince William Sound myself, I could picture the incredible beauty of the forests, tidal pools and marine life as I read the book. Her detailed descriptions of birds, plants, terrain and water evoked in me a longing to further explore and experience the Sound. I am grateful that Marybeth told the story of the devastation and despair created by the Exxon Valdez oilspill. We must never forget. This is a book for everyone who values a connection with wild places and the ocean.