Refraction: An Arctic Memoir

Refraction: An Arctic Memoir

Refraction: An Artic Memoir recounts the experience of working in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, a remote Arctic outpost and home to the largest oilfield in North America. It's the story of one person's journey, told in a series of reflections on a time spent living in a frozen wasteland. Justifying the endeavor as a modern-day gold rush or a romantic odyssey could otherwise be viewed as another distorted image hovering above the horizon-another refraction. Refraction provides an intimate insight into the power of Big Oil, the shadow of the cold war of the '80s, the dangers of working in an industrial environment, living with fellow laborers in an isolated work camp, and growing threats posed by climate change. It has been described as a cross between Heart of Darkness and Into the Wild. Numerous writing awards for  Refraction include first place in the San Francisco Writing Contest for adult non-fiction, first place in the International Chanticleer Book Awards for narrative non-fiction, and first place in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association's Literary Contest for narrative non-fiction. Additional accolades include a Nautilus Gold Award for travel memoir, a Silver Forward Reviews Award for ecology and environment, a Bronze Forward Reviews Award for adventure, sports and recreation, a Gold CIPA EVVY Award for narrative nonfiction, and a Silver CIPA EVVY Award for travel/outdoors. Excerpts have been recognized in the Monthly Muse , the Sunshot Prose Contest, and a chapter was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Bruce Rettig's Refraction brings to mind Christopher Buckley's Steaming to Bamboola, or Barry Lopez's Arctic Dreams. Part adventure and part environmental awakening, Refraction carries you off like a cold and quirky carnival ride. Forty years after Rettig's first season in the Arctic, his journey is more relevant than ever. -David Masiel, author of 2182 Kilohertz, and The Western Limit of the World Bruce Rettig has written a fascinating memoir of his summers working for a tugboat and barge company on Alaska's North Slope in the mid-1980s. Rettig's photographic descriptions vivify the harsh realities of 12-hour workdays spent chopping ice and snow from tugboats and heavy equipment, stark beauty of the arctic landscape, personalities of the laborers he worked alongside, and budding friendships he forged with local native people. A wonderful coming-of-age adventure that brings up important issues of human impact on the natural world. -Andrea Ross, author of Unnatural Selection: A Memoir of Adoption and Wilderness It's an honest rendition of one man's experience on the construction of the Alaska Pipeline and how it looks to him now. It's a real look at how our perception of our own experience can change over time. It's not just the story of a pipeline. It's the story of a life, filled with nuances of self-criticism. It will stand on my shelf with McKibbon and Shackleton. -Michael O'Laughlin, author of Omens in a Dry Season A captivating and much-needed diversion from the literary tradition that declares as heroes those who venture to the Earth's poles. In Refraction, Bruce Rettig vividly captures the harsh environment north of the Arctic Circle and the people who earn their living there. Refraction honors those workers, illuminating the grueling manual labor that goes into getting oil out of the ground and into our gas tanks, while confronting the massive corporations who profit from that labor, and who have yet to be held accountable for the massive role they've played in creating the climate crisis. -Tanja Hester, author of Wallet Activism Bruce Rettig is an award-winning author of narrative non-fiction, essays, and short stories. In addition to managing his marketing and graphic design company, he has worked as a travel writer/photographer. Rettig's multi-award-winning debut book, Refraction: An Arctic Memoi r, recounts his experience as a merchant marine in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, home to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and the largest oilfield in North America.