by Rory Nugent
In the opening pages of Moby Dick, Herman Melville called New Bedford, Massachusetts, โ€�the dearest place to live in, in all of New England.โ€� But the old fishing port and manufacturing centerโ€”once one of the richest cities in New Englandโ€”has withered in the modern economy. Its once-prosperous fishermen now struggle with government regulations and fished-out seas, while its empty factories now offer more work to the Fire Department than anyone else.
ย
In Down at the Docks, Rory Nugent tells the โ€�riches to ragsโ€� story of this iconic American town through beautifully told and unsentimental portraits of its residents. Their lives inform a eulogy to the distinctive ideas, traditions, and culture that is about to disappear from the waterfront.
In the opening pages of Moby Dick, Herman Melville called New Bedford, Massachusetts, โ€�the dearest place to live in, in all of New England.โ€� But the old fishing port and manufacturing centerโ€”once one of the richest cities in New Englandโ€”has withered in the modern economy. Its once-prosperous fishermen now struggle with government regulations and fished-out seas, while its empty factories now offer more work to the Fire Department than anyone else.
ย
In Down at the Docks, Rory Nugent tells the โ€�riches to ragsโ€� story of this iconic American town through beautifully told and unsentimental portraits of its residents. Their lives inform a eulogy to the distinctive ideas, traditions, and culture that is about to disappear from the waterfront.