by Sig Hansen
First published 2010
Captain Sig Hansen commands the Northwestern through Alaska's merciless Bering Sea, following a path carved by generations of Norwegian fishermen before him. His family arrived in America with little more than their Viking heritage and an unbreakable connection to the ocean. Twenty years at the helm of his father's vessel have taught Hansen that survival demands more than seamanship. He must serve as mechanic, welder, navigator, and firefighter while battling freezing shipwrecks and weather that kills without warning. The Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch made Hansen a household name across 150 countries, but the cameras miss the deeper story. This memoir weaves together his immigrant family's rise from poverty, their Norwegian roots stretching back to Viking raiders, and the deadly shipwreck that nearly ended everything. Hansen reveals how commercial fishing shaped multiple generations of his clan, transforming them from struggling newcomers into modern folk heroes who embody the American Dream through sheer endurance.
Genres: family-life, adventure, autobiography, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-saga, overcoming-adversity
Setting: Alaska, Bering Sea
Period: 20th Century, 21st Century
336 pages · Hardcover · Thomas Dunne Books