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Reviewed by:
  • Beautifully Grotesque Fish of the American West by Mark Spitzer
  • Cory Willard
Mark Spitzer, Beautifully Grotesque Fish of the American West. Lincoln: U of Nebraska P, 2017. 232 pp. Cloth, $24.95.

Mark Spitzer's Beautifully Grotesque Fish of the American West is a compelling read about many of the lesser known, underappreciated, or "trash" fish of the western United States. One of the major western issues Spitzer anchors his study to (perhaps obviously) is water. Water scarcity, irrigation, power generation, dams, and so forth are all issues that affect both the people and fish of the West. Spitzer argues that "Water is a natural resource that everybody everywhere needs to survive" (2) and, likewise, that "freshwater fish live in fresh water, and the freshwater fish of the American West, which have been dealing with water issues since the 1800s, [End Page 267] are now dealing with accelerating problems" (3). So, in many ways, the fish and people of the West are embroiled in various aspects of the same central struggle. Spitzer defines the American West as anything west of the Mississippi, and while that may not concur with the definition used by the US Census Bureau (or the one hundredth meridian designation), it does allow Spitzer to include trips to Missouri and Oklahoma.

The book is split into eleven chapters that cover such fish as American eel, burbot, white sturgeon, paddlefish, Asian carp, bowfin, snakehead, catfish, muskellunge, alligator gar, razorback, and pikeminnow. One could argue that some of these species (especially musky) don't quite fit Spitzer's personal motto of "give me your wretched, your maligned, your demonized," but it's safe to say the book's target audience surely won't mind (4). The book is written for a general audience, particularly those who, like Spitzer, can't get enough of fish and fishing. Additionally, through his adventures, Spitzer has encounters with Jeremy Wade, host of Animal Planet's River Monsters, and Skipper Bivins, star of Animal Planet's Hillbilly Handfishin', along with his "Fishing Support Group," which is made up of a colorful cast of characters with comedic nicknames like "Turkey Buzzard," "Minnow Bucket," and "Goggle Eye," calling to mind the fictional personas in John Nichols's The Annual Big Arsenic Fishing Contest!

Perhaps the one gripe to be had with Beautifully Grotesque Fish of the American West is that Spitzer concentrates much of his critical writing toward the end of the book. Passing references to climate change, problematic development, and habitat mismanagement are peppered throughout, but it's not until the last few chapters—and especially the conclusion—that Spitzer makes plain his criticisms of western fish management, his frustration at climate change denial, and his ideas about how we might do things better. His beliefs and reasoning surrounding conservation at times feel very reminiscent of Wallace Stegner's "The Wilderness Letter," which carries an argument that still resonates with many people. Conversely, for someone not looking for a critical treatise, this backloading of more overt critical considerations might serve as an effective culmination [End Page 268] after being drawn in by Spitzer's nonthreatening, conversational style.

Most chapters follow a similar plot arc that, when taken as a whole, can feel a bit repetitive but also enhances the book's accessibility. It is very satisfying to pick the book up and read a chapter or two at a time. Along with this standard arc, however, there is an undercurrent of tragedy lurking in the margins and between the lines that after being baited bit by bit is finally hauled onto the page in chapter nine, "Vision Questing Gator Gar in the Slick Texas Mud." Spitzer writes about the painful end of his marriage and the death of his mother, culminating in the revelation that the ten beautiful alligator gar he caught "ultimately reconnected [him] with what [he] had temporarily lost: that youthful capacity for wondering and marveling at what this world ha[s] to offer" (164). For Spitzer, as for many, this quest to connect with fish is a quest to connect with and heal the self as well.

While one might not agree with all of Spitzer's ideas or his...

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