After hearing a radio interview with the author I decided to buy this book and learn something about an important Oregon industry and an unfamiliar way of life. I think it's good to learn about the often unseen human costs of bringing us the food we take for granted. I found the descriptions of the lives of fishermen and their families to be very interesting, and the human tragedy at the heart of the book to be compelling. I would have given it four stars except for two things: the author has very strong opinions on the negative effects of government regulations and bureaucratic red tape, and while I often tend to agree with her, I know there are usually at least two sides to every issue and I don't know enough about fishing to know the nuances. Secondly, the author has a mystifying tendency to describe in great detail every meal she ever ate or prepared. Often this information was irrelevant to the story and it became tedious after a while. Perhaps she should think about writing a cookbook. ( )