A TRUE ACCOUNT OF WHALING AND REDEMPTION IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC

About Alexander R. Brash

I was born and raised in NYC. An early love for birds evolved into a passion for quantitative community ecology and then a devotion to conservation. Along the way I worked on Great Gull Island and in the American Museum of Natural History, graduated from Yale School for the Environment, worked on a PhD at Rutgers University, and went on to be NYC’s Chief Park Ranger, Regional Director for the National Parks Conservation Association, and then President of the Connecticut Audubon Society.

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  “In this autobiographical duet we join my great great grandfather on his voyage to the distant South Pacific at the cusp of its “discovery”. He crosses paths with notable figures, cannibals, mutineers, and narrowly escapes death on several occasions. While it is largely a tale of whaling, logging in New Zealand, and aboriginal cultures amidst the sprawling South Pacific; it also portrays and explores a man struggling with his own demons, searching for himself, and ultimately finding redemption. Indeed, at its heart, the tale is as much about his own internal struggles, his fight with drink, his relationship with God, and coming of age, as it is about what he saw and did. Interwoven with his tale, I have added historical context, more deeply pursued certain threads of his story, and illuminated the whole by the light of a modern conservationist alongside some deep personal reflections.”

 

- Alexander Brash

  • A unique and engrossing duet format. Alex beautifully intertwines his great-great-grandfather Rob’s autobiographical account with reflections and thoroughly researched historical context. Rob’s fascinating account steeps readers in a mid-19th century whaler’s life and in Rob’s formative 10 year journey wrestling with his inner demons to find himself. Alex’s reflections and research deepen readers’ understanding of Rob, the time period, the South Pacific region and inhabitants Rob came into contact with, the whaling industry, and the cultural milieu.

    A Whaler At Twilight is also a compelling bridge between the past and present as Alex shares his own journey retracing his great-great-grandfather’s footsteps in New Zealand and considers his and Rob’s differing paths and circumstances. The book ends with Alex’s reflections as a conservationist on man’s relationship with the natural world and its future. Readers can’t help but parallel and compare the grim realities of whaling in A Whaler At Twilight with man’s relationship with nature today.

    -Bradley Tusk

    (Founder and CEO of Tusk Ventures, Bradley is an American businessman, venture capitalist, political strategist, and writer. Owner of P&T Knitwear, a unique NYC bookstore, podcast studio, and event space.)

  • “I have known Alex now for twenty years. He’s a superbly knowledgeable conservationist yet also a passionate historian, as he demonstrated by leading the work of the National Parks Conservation Association throughout the Northeast. He’s whip smart, sensitive, and astute while also at times courageously bold. His great-great-grandfather Rob Armstrong, whose personal writings are the second voice in this duet, was equally talented…” 

    “…this book is not just an environmental treatise. It includes a fascinating exploration of American history, and it highlights the importance of historical preservation, of museums, and of places like the New Bedford National Historical Site and Whaling Museum that retain the wisdom of the past ages so that the present generation, like Alex, can explore their own heritage. Finally, this book also brings in the learnings of a morally tortured man in Rob Armstrong, who finds his savior in God.” 

      - Tom Kiernan, President and CEO, American Rivers

Contact us.

PRESS CONTACT

Alyssa Griffin, Lyons Press |  agriffin@rowman.com

AUTHOR BOOKING

Alexander Brash | amelanchierconsulting@outlook.com

LITERARY AGENT AND MOVIE/TV RIGHTS

Beth Davey, Davey Literary & Media | beth@daveyliteraryandmedia.com

SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACT

Susie Stangland, Stangland Consulting | susiestangland@yahoo.com