Arlene Lockridge

She had never fished a day in her life, but newly married Hazel Stone (40) and her equally inexperienced husband, Carl, (54) headed off on an adventure of a lifetime--to earn a living fishing in Alaska. Used to the easy life of a socialite in Seattle, Hazel adapted with amazing resilience to harsh conditions, mentioning only in passing such extremes of her situation as cooking with icicles hanging in the galley, gutting and cleaning hundreds of fish, and rain pouring down for days on end. Hazel's niece, author Arlene Lochridge, interweaves fascinating insights to her aunt's life and expands upon her diaries with historical perspectives. Adding to the glimpses of a nation embroiled in World War II, she reveals information suppressed at the time and even decades later, rarely exposed to the American public. In the end, A Fish Out of Water gives lasting tribute to a passing generation through this loving memorial to one incredibly strong woman.