![]() ![]() ![]() Swift forms a strong bond with Mayor James Eskridge, who’s been known by islanders as Ooker his entire life. Swift, who was a reporter for the Virginian-Pilot, now teaching at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, spent a year (2016-17) asking questions, listening, getting to know the local families and traditions, crabbing, attending church, and going to daily afternoon gatherings with crabbers to talk weather, crabs, erosion, or government (in what they call “The Situation Room”). Swift’s book covers these challenges thoroughly, but it covers much more for those who love the Chesapeake, care about its heritage, treasure the seafood, and respect the whims of time and tide. The National Geographic, New York Times, New Yorker, Washington Post, Politico, and CNN have all run stories about the disappearing island’s challenges due to erosion and climate change. Tangier has received more attention in recent years than you’d expect of a remote island with a population now under 500. If you’re not up to taking a 12-mile boat ride from Crisfield, MD, to visit Tangier Island in Accomack County, VA, this winter, you may journey there by sitting on your couch by the fireplace and opening Earl Swift’s new book, “Chesapeake Requiem: A Year With the Watermen of Vanishing Tangier Island.” The author’s clever weaving together of history, science, and folklore makes for compelling reading. ![]()
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