Sacred Sea

Peter Thomson's memoir on his round-the-world trip which included a long stay at Lake Baikal was a well-written book that told of his journeys with his brother after a painful divorce. The author concentrates his essay on the "Sacred Sea," a name which the locals call Lake Baikal which is the deepest lake in the world. It is said that 20 percent of the world's freshwater lies within this body of water located 40 miles east of the Siberian city of Irkutsk. Thomson describes the scenery and tells us of unique microscopic shrimps that literally eat up the pollutants in the water keeping the lake clean. Other animals in the lake include the nerpa, the world's only freshwater seal. The second part of the essay describes Thomson's around-the-world voyages in depth from a train trip across the U.S. to riding a cargo ship from San Francisco to Pusan and then his arrival at Lake Baikal via the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Most of his essay here expresses his concerns for the environmental impact of pollutants from a paper mill on the lake's south shore, a mill that some today report as being close as of a few years ago. Whatever politics one holds on the environemntal movement, credit must be given to Mr. Thomson on his written work here and his concern for the lake. It is heavily footnoted and has a substanial bibiography. Do svidaniya Mr. Thomson!

You will find this book a spiritual reflection, a personal memoir, an ecological thriller. It focuses on one of the most unique and special natural wonders of the world, Siberia's Lake Baikal, "The Sacred Sea," and the necessity of saving it as both a gift to the future and an end in itself. The author writes with passion, conviction and poignancy; a splendid and inspiring read!

I make my living as a writer, so it is with some trepidation that I declare any book beautifully written. But in this case I have to, because it is. "Sacred Sea" is a must-read, the tale of a journalist and his half-brother who decide to voyage to the world's oldest, deepest and biggest lake - without boarding an airplane to get there. When they arrive, they are told of the lake's magical power to restore itself in the face of increasing pollution. They become environmental detectives, using the tools of journalism. It's at once travelogue, environmental investigation and a study of the Russian character, punctuated by passages in a personal emotional voyage. Thomson's renderings of characters are delightful: the long-suffering scientist, the boastful - and yet ultimately conflicted - political appointee, the earnest environmentalist-turned-tour guide, the vividly dressed "Old Believers" for whom even the Russian Orthodox Church is too modern. My favorite chapter, and perhaps the most beautifully written, is Thomson's imaginary trip to the lake's bottom. Yes, it's imaginary - the only part of the book that is - and yet so revealing. No wonder the New York Times called the book "compelling" and a "superb paean to a unique and bizarre ecosystem."

Sacred Sea: A Journey to Lake Baikal is at once a deeply engaging memoir, highly entertaining travel book (and boys' adventure), and a remarkably acute (and non-polemic) cautionary tale about the environment. A few years back, Peter Thomson, then editor and producer of NPR's environmental news program Living on Earth, found himself at the loose ends. Thomson's way of tying up the loose ends was to embark on an around the world boat and train (no planes!) journey with his younger brother, a journey that would center on Siberia's Lake Baikal,the world's largest body of fresh water and home to a unique ecosystem.(With a heavily-polluting paper mill on its shores, Lake Baikal is in some danger.) Thomson managed to talk to a number of people on all sides of the Baikal issue - scientists, business people, environmentalists, politicos - and these conversations make for compelling reading. So do all the sections on getting from Point A to Point B,legs of the journey largely made on cargo ships and not particularly comfortable trains. For the most part, Thomson went native in his travels, and thus left himself open to the types of encounters you won't have if you're riding the clean toilet tourist bus with the Kiwanis Club. This book is highly recommended - and would make an excelent book club choice. Plenty to discuss here!

Much more than a travelogue, the author does a superb job of chronicling his personal and ecological discoveries--illustrating his NPR investigative skills throughout--when he makes his way from Boston to Lake Baikal in the Siberian plateau. A very good read with good pacing, and a true eye-opener about the vulnerablity to pollution of the world's largest body of fresh water.