The Waters Between Us: A Boy, a Father, Outdoor Misadventures, and the Healing Power of Nature

“The Meadows were only five miles away from our suburban Massachusetts home, but to my brother Mark and me, these low-lying acres were in a different world. It was here that our passion for the outdoors blossomed. Filled with marsh, fields, ponds and streams, the area held infinite possibilities for two young explorers.

And there was mystery too. The Connecticut River, New England's largest, flowed silently, forcefully, by the edge of the Meadows, like a living being that commanded respect by its very presence. We knew little about the river; we had never been on it in a boat, never fished it, and never swam in its dark waters. It was simply too big for us. In fact, the widest point on the river's entire 409-mile length is at the Meadows. To Mark and me it was an ocean--a bit frightening, but a powerful lure nevertheless.

There was one June day in particular that put the Meadows and the river in my heart forever, probably the start of the journey that led me to my quest for a cabin in the woods.”

So begins Mike Tougias’ memoir of growing up loving the woods and waters and the fields and fauna of Massachusetts.

Michael Tougias is a writer who was born in Longmeadow, Massachusetts in 1955. He writes about maritime, travel, and adventure topics. He is a N.Y. Times Bestselling author of 25 books.

An avid fisherman, Tougias became a self-syndicated outdoors writer in 1990. At the time he was also managing a division of a major insurance company. He published the first of his books in 1998.

He travels to more than 100 small and large speaking engagements a year to discuss his books and other topics, including "Survival Stories," lessons learned from those who were shipwrecked. U.S. Coast Guardsmen and sailors are frequent audiences; Tougias' last six books have been accounts of historic sea rescues by the Coast Guard, often in the Gulf Stream. His book The Finest Hours: The True Story Behind the US Coast Guard's Most Daring Rescue (2009), co-authored with Casey Sherman, was adapted as a Disney film by the same name, released in 2016.

Tougias is a frequent guest on NPR programs, The Weather Channel, Fox & Friends, 20/20, and national talk shows.

"In Michael Tougias's memoir, "The Waters Between Us" (Lyons, 240 pages, $26.95), the author writes about growing up as a rambunctious boy in the 1960s, the last time parents sent their children outdoors with no instructions except not to do anything stupid and to be home by dark. Mr. Tougias usually managed the second part.

"The book is about his outdoor adventures, the troubled relationship between a "spirited" boy and his father, and the healing power of the natural world. It's in no way a knock against Mr. Tougias as a writer to say that a photo in the book most succinctly sums up this situation. It shows young Michael in his bedroom looking at the camera as his father holds up a small bass that the boy has caught. The father, in profile, is laughing or smiling, delighting in his son's delight. And Michael does look triumphant, even if he's still fearful of holding the fish himself. But there's something in his eyes--a wildness, almost a mania--that hints at the rocky road ahead. A kid with undiagnosed ADHD (it was the '60s) who will set school records for detention? Check. A kid who confounds--seemingly tortures--his parents with his inability to follow the simplest of rules? Check. A kid who will nearly drown playing on the too-thin ice of a pond, who'll nearly be swept out to sea in a riptide in Maine, who'll nearly perish on a stupid run down a raging river in a kid's rubber raft? Check, check and check.

"Along with his father's love, the other constant in the boy's life--and the thing Mr. Tougias credits with saving him from more serious trouble--is his love of the outdoors, a dynamo of fascination and adventure, a place that draws him back endlessly. Always in the background is his father, who leaves the house before anyone else is awake and labors physically for 50 or 60 hours a week, coming home too exhausted to attend his son's games. Michael knows his father loves him but isn't sure the man likes him, which is what he craves. As anyone who has played a part in this ancient drama knows, there's no single moment of reconciliation. It comes with time, incrementally. And it's not the father who changes."-- "The Wall Street Journal"

"By depicting the event from the perspective of both the rescued and the rescuers and focusing only on key moments and details, Tougias creates a suspenseful, tautly rendered story that leaves readers breathless but well-satisfied. Heart-pounding action for the avid armchair adventurer."-- "Kirks Reviews"

"A passionately recounted peril-at-sea adventure...described with excruciating intensity. A blustery seafarer's delight, rendered with gusto."-- "Kirks Reviews"

"A heart-pounding account of the storm that tore apart a forty-five-foot sailboat. Author Michael Tougias is the master of the weather-related disaster book."-- "The Boston Globe"

The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue (co-authored with Casey Sherman)

"A blockbuster account of tragedy at sea...gives a 'you-are-there' feel."-- "Providence Journal"

"The best story of peril at sea since Sebastian Junger's Perfect Storm. Superb!"-- "Booklist"