Casting into the Light: Tales of a Fishing Life
(Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read)
Janet Messineo knew from the get-go that she wanted to become a great fisherman. She knew she was as capable as any man of catching and landing a huge fish. It took years—and many terrifying nights alone on the beach in complete darkness, in search of a huge creature to pull out of the sea—for her to prove to herself and to the male-dominated fishing community that she could make her dream real.
Messineo writes of the object of her obsession: striped bass and how it can take a lifetime to become a proficient striped bass fisherman; of stripers as nocturnal feeders, hard-fighting, clever fish that under the cover of darkness trap bait against jetties or between fields of large boulders near shorelines, or, once hooked, rub their mouths against the rocks to cut the line.
She writes of growing up in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and Salem, New Hampshire, the granddaughter of textile mill workers, tagging along with her father and brother as they cast off of jetties; of going to art school, feeling from a young age the need to escape, and finding herself, one summer, on the Vineyard.
She describes the series of jobs that supported her fishing—waitressing at the Black Dog, Helios, and the Home Port, among other restaurants. She writes of her education in patience and the technique to land a fish; learning the equipment—hooks, sinkers, her first squid jig; buying her first one-ounce Rebel lure.
She re-creates the thrill of fishing at night, of being buffeted by the island’s harsh winds and torrential rains; the terror of hooking something mysterious in the darkness that might pull her into water over her head.
She gives us a rich portrait of island life and writes of its history and of Chappaquiddick’s (it belonged to the Wampanoags, who originally called it Cheppiaquidne—“separate island”); of the Martha’s Vineyard Derby: its beginning in 1946 as a way to bring tourism to the island during the offseason, and the Derby’s growing into one of the largest tournaments in the world.
Messineo describes her dream of becoming a marine taxidermist, of learning the craft and perfecting the art of it. She writes of the men she’s fished with and the women who forged the path for others (among them, Lorraine “Tootie” Johnson, who fished Vineyard waters for more than sixty years, and Lori VanDerlaske, who won the Derby shore division in 1995). And she writes of her life commingled with fishing—her marriage to a singer, poet, activist; their adopting a son with Asperger’s; and her teaching him to fish. She writes of the transformative power of fishing that helped her to shake off drugs and alcohol, and of her profound respect for fish as a magnificent animal.
With eighteen of the author’s favorite fish recipes, Casting into the Light is a book about following one’s dreams and about the quiet reckoning with self in the long hours of darkness at the water’s edge, with the sounds of the ocean, the night air, and the jet-black sky.
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Janet Messineo. (2019). Casting into the Light: Tales of a Fishing Life. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Janet Messineo. 2019. Casting Into the Light: Tales of a Fishing Life. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Janet Messineo, Casting Into the Light: Tales of a Fishing Life. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2019.
MLA Citation (style guide)Janet Messineo. Casting Into the Light: Tales of a Fishing Life. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2019.
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- bioText: JANET MESSINEO is a former president of the Martha’s Vineyard Surfcasters Association. She has written about fishing for many publications, including On the Water, Vineyard Style, and the Martha’s Vineyard Times. She lives with her husband, Tristan Israel, in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts.
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- Tales of a champion surfcaster: the education of a young woman hell-bent on following her dream and learning the mysterious and profound sport, and art, of surfcasting, on the island of Martha’s Vineyard.
Janet Messineo knew from the get-go that she wanted to become a great fisherman. She knew she was as capable as any man of catching and landing a huge fish. It took years—and many terrifying nights alone on the beach in complete darkness, in search of a huge creature to pull out of the sea—for her to prove to herself and to the male-dominated fishing community that she could make her dream real.
Messineo writes of the object of her obsession: striped bass and how it can take a lifetime to become a proficient striped bass fisherman; of stripers as nocturnal feeders, hard-fighting, clever fish that under the cover of darkness trap bait against jetties or between fields of large boulders near shorelines, or, once hooked, rub their mouths against the rocks to cut the line.
She writes of growing up in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and Salem, New Hampshire, the granddaughter of textile mill workers, tagging along with her father and brother as they cast off of jetties; of going to art school, feeling from a young age the need to escape, and finding herself, one summer, on the Vineyard.
She describes the series of jobs that supported her fishing—waitressing at the Black Dog, Helios, and the Home Port, among other restaurants. She writes of her education in patience and the technique to land a fish; learning the equipment—hooks, sinkers, her first squid jig; buying her first one-ounce Rebel lure.
She re-creates the thrill of fishing at night, of being buffeted by the island’s harsh winds and torrential rains; the terror of hooking something mysterious in the darkness that might pull her into water over her head.
She gives us a rich portrait of island life and writes of its history and of Chappaquiddick’s (it belonged to the Wampanoags, who originally called it Cheppiaquidne—“separate island”); of the Martha’s Vineyard Derby: its beginning in 1946 as a way to bring tourism to the island during the offseason, and the Derby’s growing into one of the largest tournaments in the world.
Messineo describes her dream of becoming a marine taxidermist, of learning the craft and perfecting the art of it. She writes of the men she’s fished with and the women who forged the path for others (among them, Lorraine “Tootie” Johnson, who fished Vineyard waters for more than sixty years, and Lori VanDerlaske, who won the Derby shore division in 1995). And she writes of her life commingled with fishing—her marriage to a singer, poet, activist; their adopting a son with Asperger’s; and her teaching him to fish. She writes of the transformative power of fishing that helped her to shake off drugs and alcohol, and of her profound respect for fish as a magnificent animal.
With eighteen of the author’s favorite fish recipes, Casting into the Light is a book about following one’s dreams and about the quiet reckoning with self in the long hours of darkness at the water’s edge, with the sounds of the ocean, the night air, and the jet-black sky. - reviews
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May 15, 2019
A tackle box full of fishing tips, memories, histories, anecdotes, taxidermy, and even recipes from an angler who found focus and purpose for her life among her fellow fishermen on Martha's Vineyard. Though the location suggests a life of leisure among the privileged elite, Messineo endured a hardscrabble upbringing and found herself among the outsider artistic community, working as a waitress and overindulging in drugs and alcohol. Fishing likely saved her life, or at least gave her one, though she doesn't belabor the redemptive spirit as much as the title suggests. The author also doesn't wax too poetic, at least once she moves beyond the introduction, where she describes fishing as "the meditative place similar to where gardeners go when they kneel in the dirt and dig their fingers in the soil....Standing in the surf, casting my lure toward the horizon, I feel like I am the woman I'm meant to be....My life becomes meaningful and I feel part of my surroundings." Comparatively, the rest of the memoir is more nuts-and-bolts description: how and where the author learned to fish, how she went from feeling like an intruder to being accepted as a rare woman in a sport dominated by men, how the ethics and competition of fishing have changed--and how cheaters have occasionally rigged that competition and gotten away with it. Messineo writes about lucky sweaters and about how unlucky bananas are for fishermen. She touches on her marriages and the son she and her husband have adopted, and she treads lightly on the schizophrenia of her fishing mentor, who eventually succumbed to suicide. Whereas many fishing memoirs are often more literary, turning that time with nature into a spiritual pilgrimage and the art of fishing into a metaphor for life, this is more about fishing itself, written for readers who like to fish or think they might like to learn. A chronicle of a life in fishing by an author who seems like good company.COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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May 27, 2019
Fishing columnist Messineo recounts a life spent fishing on Martha’s Vineyard in her delightful debut. Growing up in blue-collar New England mill towns, Messineo was a tomboy who evolved into a hippy in the late 1960s and followed an artsy path until she ended up in Martha’s Vineyard, where she eventually elbowed her way into the masculine sport of surfcasting. Chasing monster striped bass and toothy bluefish, she found her calling and redemption in fishing, which saved her from a failed marriage, addiction to drugs and alcohol, and a hand-to-mouth existence (she started off selling her catch to local restaurants). She writes with a beginner’s excitement about hooking a fish, such as when she landed a 45-pound bass: “My heart was pounding... my knees were shaking... I set the hook. Luck was with me and I was on again.” Messineo walks a tightrope of reporting (“bluefish have large razor-sharp teeth that are set into strong, unyielding jaws”) and memoir by giving great insight into the existence of professional anglers and the insular culture of Martha’s Vineyard. She ends with a selection of her favorite fish recipes, baked stuff bay scallops and bluefish cakes among them. Messineo’s captivating memoir brings a refreshing mix of vulnerability, accessibility, and joy to the fishing genre.
- premium: True
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July 1, 2019
Messineo (former president, Martha's Vineyard Surfcasters Assn.) takes a wide view of surfcasting in this unusual fishing memoir. More than an account of selecting lures, techniques for landing trophy fish, and tales of hard-fought tournaments (although this is certainly covered), the author brings readers into her world of surfcasting for the prized striped bass. Along the way, she recounts her youth, past relationships, and history of substance abuse while describing how she became fascinated with fishing off the shore of Martha's Vineyard. Working as a waitress for 20 years, and as a fish taxidermist for 30 years, she never had enough money for buying or chartering a boat, so she became obsessed with surfcasting. She improvised her own equipment when needed, and sought the advice of local fishermen, eventually becoming a surf-fishing guide and teaching classes on the basics of surfcasting. The dwindling fish population, due to overfishing and changes in the ocean ecosystem, the author writes, has changed the sustainability of commercial and sportfishing. VERDICT Although Messineo's voice is rough around the edges, it adds to the authenticity of her narrative. Readers interested in fishing and ocean ecology as well as women's memoirs will be drawn to this story.--Susan Belsky, Oshkosh P.L., WI
Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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Starred review from July 1, 2019
Messineo has been fishing the coastline of Martha's Vineyard for more than 40 years and has a healthy obsession with striped bass. She made a name for herself among the male-dominated sport, absorbing lessons from a large cast of characters who let her make necessary mistakes and shared countless hours behind the reel and in waders during many frigid nights. While her focus is on surf casting and yearly competitions like the annual Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby, Messineo shares a few details of her upbringing; relationships; marriage to her husband, Tristan; and the adopting of a son with Asperger's syndrome. This is a tender tribute to the New Englanders (men and women) who helped guide her through turbulent years of addiction (drugs, alcohol) to sobriety to becoming a noted surf caster and skilled marine taxidermist. Each anecdote will lure readers into the world of East Coast fishing and Martha's Vineyard culture, making this a must-read for fishers, both hard-core devotees and recreational participants, as well as anyone interested in learning about the sport. An inspirational memoir of one woman's self-discovery while pursuing the elusive catch. Concludes with a chapter of favorite fish recipes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)
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Janet Messineo knew from the get-go that she wanted to become a great fisherman. She knew she was as capable as any man of catching and landing a huge fish. It took years—and many terrifying nights alone on the beach in complete darkness, in search of a huge creature to pull out of the sea—for her to prove to herself and to the male-dominated fishing community that she could make her dream real.
Messineo writes of the object of her obsession: striped bass and how it can take a lifetime to become a proficient striped bass fisherman; of stripers as nocturnal feeders, hard-fighting, clever fish that under the cover of darkness trap bait against jetties or between fields of large boulders near shorelines, or, once hooked, rub their... - sortTitle
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