The Fishermen and the Dragon dives into the racist, polluted history of Texas’s Gulf Coast. The book primarily deals with the relationship between Vietnamese refugees and racist white shrimpers/Klan members in the gulf, but it also sheds light on a fight against the chemical plants that have had a stranglehold on the economy there in recent decades. Both stories are intertwined in interesting ways, and the epilogue of the book shows the impact of both on the community in the “Cancer Belt.”

Johnson’s strength is in crafting a nonfiction narrative that feels not unlike reading a good novel – there are no dry, dense paragraphs to wade through to get a real understanding of the atmosphere or conditions at the time. With nonfiction, I sometimes find myself overwhelmed with the amount of information thrown at me at once, thus slowing down the read. Johnson balances the line perfectly between providing that information while also making the book unputdownable, despite the blatant and at times sickening displays of racism and violence on show. Although the two narrative threads diverge for a while, they are ultimately brought together in a way that demonstrates the long-lasting effect both have had on the community over the decades.

I’ll read anything about Texas history that isn’t just about licking the boot, and while I was aware of the pollution issues near the gulf, I had no idea about the disgustingly racist history between Klan-allied white fishermen and the Vietnamese community who just wanted to earn a living. I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise at this point, but I’m glad that Johnson is shedding light on this story, as I’m sure I’m not the only Texan who was unaware of or too young to have seen this part of our history. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Texas history, Gulf Coast history, or the fight for justice in the South.

Thank you to Viking and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.