Floating Coast
An Environmental History of the Bering Strait
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Narrated by:
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Christa Lewis
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By:
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Bathsheba Demuth
About this listen
The first-ever comprehensive history of Beringia, the Arctic land and waters stretching from Russia to Canada, Floating Coast breaks away from familiar narratives to provide a fresh and fascinating perspective on an overlooked landscape.
The unforgiving territory along the Bering Strait had long been home to humans - the Inupiat and Yupik in Alaska, and the Yupik and Chukchi in Russia - before Americans and Europeans arrived with revolutionary ideas for progress. Rapidly, these frigid lands and waters became the site of an ongoing experiment: How, under conditions of extreme scarcity, would the great modern ideologies of capitalism and communism control and manage the resources they craved?
Drawing on her own experience living with and interviewing indigenous people in the region, as well as from archival sources, Demuth shows how the social, the political, and the environmental clashed in this liminal space. Through the lens of the natural world, she views human life and economics as fundamentally about cycles of energy, bringing a fresh and visionary spin to the writing of human history.
Floating Coast is a profoundly resonant tale of the dynamic changes and unforeseen consequences that immense human needs and ambitions have brought, and will continue to bring, to a finite planet.
©2019 Bathsheba Demuth (P)2020 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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Very interesting and Germane to Today's World
- By Mark on 07-18-08
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The Great Warming
- Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations
- By: Brian Fagan
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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The history of the Great Warming of a half millennium ago suggests that we may yet be underestimating the power of climate change to disrupt our lives todayand our vulnerability to drought, writes Fagan, is the silent elephant in the room.
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Good book but unpracticed, disjointed narration.
- By Paul on 09-12-10
By: Brian Fagan
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The Gulf
- The Making of an American Sea
- By: Jack E. Davis
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 20 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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When painter Winslow Homer first sailed into the Gulf of Mexico, he was struck by its "special kind of providence." Indeed, the Gulf presented itself as America's sea - bound by geography, culture, and tradition to the national experience - and yet, there has never been a comprehensive history of the Gulf until now. And so, in this rich and original work that explores the Gulf through our human connection with the sea, environmental historian Jack E. Davis finally places this exceptional region into the American mythos in a sweeping history that extends from the Pleistocene age to the 21st century.
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Decolonize gulf history
- By Jesse Carr on 05-02-18
By: Jack E. Davis
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Work
- A Deep History, from the Stone Age to the Age of Robots
- By: James Suzman
- Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
- Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Work defines who we are. It determines our status and dictates how, where, and with whom we spend most of our time. It mediates our self-worth and molds our values. But are we hardwired to work as hard as we do? Did our Stone Age ancestors also live to work and work to live? And what might a world where work plays a far less important role look like? To answer these questions, James Suzman charts a grand history of "work" from the origins of life on Earth to our ever more automated present, challenging some of our deepest assumptions about who we are.
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if you like Jared Diamond's work, you'll like this
- By Mark on 04-09-22
By: James Suzman
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1493
- Uncovering the New World Columbus Created
- By: Charles C. Mann
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 17 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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More than 200 million years ago, geological forces split apart the continents. Isolated from each other, the two halves of the world developed radically different suites of plants and animals. When Christopher Columbus set foot in the Americas, he ended that separation at a stroke. Driven by the economic goal of establishing trade with China, he accidentally set off an ecological convulsion as European vessels carried thousands of species to new homes across the oceans.
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Fascinating Mindbending History.
- By Betsy Powel on 12-19-11
By: Charles C. Mann
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Marooned
- Jamestown, Shipwreck, and a New History of America's Origin
- By: Joseph Kelly
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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We all know the great American origin story: It begins with an exodus. Fleeing religious persecution, the hardworking, pious Pilgrims thrived in the wilds of New England, where they built their fabled "shining city on a hill". Legend goes that the colony in Jamestown was a false start, offering a cautionary tale of lazy louts who hunted gold till they starved and shiftless settlers who had to be rescued by English food and the hard discipline of martial law.
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“Breath-y” narration bit great book
- By NBerg on 02-15-20
By: Joseph Kelly
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An Edible History of Humanity
- By: Tom Standage
- Narrated by: George K. Wilson
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Throughout history, food has acted as a catalyst of social change, political organization, geopolitical competition, industrial development, military conflict, and economic expansion. An Edible History of Humanity is a pithy, entertaining account of how a series of changes---caused, enabled, or influenced by food---has helped to shape and transform societies around the world.
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Flawed, but worthwhile
- By Ary Shalizi on 12-28-17
By: Tom Standage
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Ramp Hollow
- The Ordeal of Appalachia
- By: Steven Stoll
- Narrated by: Brian Sutherland
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Appalachia - among the most storied and yet least understood regions in America - has long been associated with poverty and backwardness. But how did this image arise, and what exactly does it mean? In Ramp Hollow, Steven Stoll launches an original investigation into the history of Appalachia and its place in US history, with a special emphasis on how generations of its inhabitants lived, worked, survived, and depended on natural resources held in common.
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Almost unlistenable
- By Golf Fan on 09-13-18
By: Steven Stoll
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Clash of Cultures
- Prehistory-1638
- By: Christopher Collier, James Lincoln Collier
- Narrated by: Jim Manchester
- Length: 1 hr and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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History is dramatic - and the renowned, award-winning authors Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier demonstrate this in this compelling series aimed at young listeners. Covering American history from the founding of Jamestown through the present day, these volumes explore far beyond the dates and events of a historical chronicle to present a moving illumination of the ideas, opinions, attitudes and tribulations that led to the birth of this great nation.
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good context
- By MonicaB on 03-03-20
By: Christopher Collier, and others
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How Iceland Changed the World
- The Big History of a Small Island
- By: Egill Bjarnason
- Narrated by: Einar Gunn
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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The history of Iceland began 1,200 years ago, when a frustrated Viking captain and his useless navigator ran aground in the middle of the North Atlantic. Suddenly, the island was no longer just a layover for the Arctic tern. Instead, it became a nation whose diplomats and musicians, sailors and soldiers, volcanoes and flowers, quietly altered the globe forever. How Iceland Changed the World takes readers on a tour of history, showing them how Iceland played a pivotal role in events as diverse as the French Revolution, the Moon Landing, and the foundation of Israel.
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Brilliant
- By Ian D. Jones on 06-01-21
By: Egill Bjarnason
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Changes in the Land
- Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England
- By: William Cronon
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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In this landmark work of environmental history, William Cronon offers an original and profound explanation of the effects European colonists' sense of property and their pursuit of capitalism had upon the ecosystems of New England. Reissued here with an updated afterword by the author and a new preface by the distinguished colonialist John Demos, Changes in the Land provides a brilliant interdisciplinary interpretation of how land and people influence one another.
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Excellent histgory and ecology
- By Eugene Gallagher on 09-26-20
By: William Cronon
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Late Victorian Holocausts
- El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World
- By: Mike Davis
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 15 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Examining a series of El Niño-induced droughts and the famines that they spawned around the globe in the last third of the 19th century, Mike Davis discloses the intimate, baleful relationship between imperial arrogance and natural incident that combined to produce some of the worst tragedies in human history. Late Victorian Holocausts focuses on three zones of drought and subsequent famine: India, Northern China, and Northeastern Brazil.
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Mike Davis on Audible!
- By Nathan D. Backlund on 09-02-17
By: Mike Davis
What listeners say about Floating Coast
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jonathan Erdman
- 12-01-23
Perspective
This is a history that imparts the gift of perspective, to truly reflect with wisdom on the dominant 20th century imperial visions of communism and capitalism that continue to shape our world and suppress our ability to imagine something better. The writing is clear and compelling, creating a story and narrative that clears the clutter of contemporary political commentary. Sit with this history and stand on the edge of the world, and from there perhaps will come a vision of what might be.
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- Kurt Ellison
- 01-18-23
Great book
I really compelling human and environmental history of the Bering Sea. Well written and narrated. Highly recommended if you are interested in the area.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Bel Iblis
- 10-28-22
Native lifestyles meet western economic expansion
This is an amazing break down of the environmental and early economic history of Alaska. The story is balanced and provides a break down of Native lifestyles along with the impact caused by western mariners in search of economic returns. The narrator was engaging and captivating. Highly recommend listening to this audio book.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 03-08-22
This is a masterwork
Demuth’s examination of this remarkable region is an engaging and valuable primer for those who work for agencies, the conservation community and anyone interested in Berengia’s complicated ecological, cultural, and political history. Extremely well written and narrated. I’m recommending this to all my colleagues and kin - especially those heading north.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-25-24
The contrast between the native people, the Soviets and the Americans
The authors amazing way with words. She was able to remain articulate among a tragic history.  It all seemed so inevitable, and also so foolish.
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1 person found this helpful
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- LarryC
- 12-16-21
Stunning work of history and literature
I cannot think of another recent work that is both path breaking environmental history and breathtaking work of literature. The research is deep and the argument persuasive, this would be an important work if the writing were pedestrian. But the writing is luminous. So many times I stopped to savor a phrase, so perfect. This is the best work of history I've read in years.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Joanne Arkush
- 06-22-23
Everyone should read (or listen to) this book
Poetic and so well crafted structurally. Urgent, and often heart wrenching. Thorough. On my list of favorite nonfiction.
Fans of books like Braiding Sweetgrass, The Worst Hard Times, and Voices In The Ocean will not be disappointed.
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- Leanne Lusk
- 02-09-24
Well researched and beautifully written!
I appreciate the level of research that went into writing this book. It’s well written and elicits important emotions to help the reader to comprehend the level of harm done to our Alaskan First Nation peoples.
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- elisabethan
- 02-08-22
Beautiful and necessary
This beautiful and well researched book tells an important story of Beringia. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
The performance was wonderful. The only reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is because of a couple of words that are consistently mispronounced. I’m not sure most people outside of Alaska would notice, but I imagine they make the author cringe a little bit. Please don’t let this dissuade you from listening, though. It’s entirely worth it.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Robby Strunk
- 07-28-22
Assirpaa // It is really good
I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook. I listened to it over the span of ~ 9 months. Demuth is such a good storyteller putting all perspectives of history using science into a book. I’ll definitely read this again and recommend it.
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2 people found this helpful