Michael J. Tougias Explained

Michael J. Tougias
Occupation:	Writer
Alma Mater:	Boston College, Saint Michael's College
Genres:	-->
Subject:	travel, adventure, United States Coast Guard
Notablework:	-->
Spouses:	-->
Partners:	-->

Michael J. Tougias (born 1955 in Longmeadow, Massachusetts) is an American writer who writes about maritime, travel, and adventure topics.

Career

Michael J. Tougias is a N.Y. Times Bestselling author of 25 books.

An avid fisherman, Tougias became a self-syndicated outdoors writer in 1990. At the time he was also managing a division of a major insurance company. He published the first of 25 books in 1998.

He travels to more than 100 small and large speaking engagements a year to discuss his books and other topics, including "Survival Stories," lessons learned from those who were shipwrecked. U.S. Coast Guardsmen and sailors are frequent audiences; Tougias' last six books have been accounts of historic sea rescues by the Coast Guard, often in the Gulf Stream.^[1]

His book The Finest Hours: The True Story Behind the US Coast Guard's Most Daring Rescue (2009), co-authored with Casey Sherman, was adapted as a Disney film by the same name, released in 2016.^{[2] [3]}

Tougias is a frequent guest on NPR programs, The Weather Channel, Fox & Friends, 20/20, and national talk shows.

Education

He attended Boston College (1973–74) and graduated from Saint Michael's College in Vermont in 1977.

Personal life

He lives in Massachusetts and Florida.^[4]

He has a daughter, Kristin, with whom he wrote a memoir entitled The Cringe Chronicles.^[5]

Works

Novels

• Until I Have No Country (1996)

Non-fiction

Autobiographies:

• Theres A Porcupine In My Outhouse: Misadventures Of A Mountain Man Wannabe (2002, with Mike Tougias), memoirs
• The Cringe Chronicles: Mortifying Misadventures with My Dad: A Memoir (2014, with Kristin Tougias), memoirs

Biographies:

• Derek's Gift: A True Story of Love, Courage and Lessons Learned (2014, with Buck Harris), memoirs

True events:

• Ten Hours Until Dawn: The True Story of Heroism and Tragedy Aboard the Can Do (2005, with Frank Quirk Jr.)

Young Readers Edition: Into the Blizzard: Heroism at Sea During the Great Blizzard of 1978 (Expected publication: 2019)

• Fatal Forecast: An Incredible True Tale of Disaster and Survival at Sea (2006)
• The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue (2009, with Casey Sherman)
• Overboard!: A True Blue-Water Odyssey of Disaster and Survival (2010)
• A Storm Too Soon: A True Story of Disaster, Survival and an Incredible Rescue (2013)
• Rescue of the Bounty: Disaster and Survival in Superstorm Sandy (2014, with Douglas A. Campbell)
• So Close to Home: A True Story of an American Family's Fight for Survival During World War II (2016, with Alison O'Leary)
• True Rescue: A Storm Too Soon: A Remarkable True Survival Story in 80-Foot Seas (2021)

History:

• King Philip's War: The History and Legacy of America's Forgotten Conflict (1999, with Eric B. Schultz)
• The Blizzard of '78 (2001)
• Above & Beyond: John F. Kennedy and America's Most Dangerous Cold War Spy Mission (2018, with Casey Sherman)

Travels:

• The Hidden Charles: An Explorer's Guide to the Charles River (1992, with Mike Tougias)
• Country Roads of Massachusetts (1992)
• Nature Walks in Eastern Massachusetts series:
  1. Nature Walks in Eastern Massachusetts: An AMC Country Walks Book (1993)
  2. More Nature Walks In Eastern Massachusetts: Discover 47 New Walks Throughout the Area Including Scenic Cape Cod (1998)
  3. Nature Walks In Eastern Massachusetts, 2nd: Nature-rich Walks within an Hour of Boston, features the Bay Circuit (1999)
• Nature Walks In Central Massachusetts: Nature-rich Walks from Worceser County through the Connecticut River Valley (1996, with René Laubach)
• Quiet Places of Massachusetts (1996)
• New England Wild Places: Journeys Through the Back Country (1997)
• Cape Ann - North Shore Recreation Map & Guide (1997)
• Hunter Travel Guides series:
  • Autumn Rambles: New England : An Explorer's Guide to the Best Fall Colors (1998)
• Nature Walks In Central & Western Massachusetts, 2nd (2000)
• River Days: Exploring the Connecticut River and its History from Source to Sea (2001)
• Quabbin: A History and Explorer's Guide (2002)
• Trailguide: Outdoors in Franklin (2002)
• Nature Walks South of Boston: AMC Guide to Hiking, Birding, and Exploring Southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod (2006)
• AMC's Best Day Hikes near Boston, 2nd: Four-Season Guide to 60 of the Best Trails in Eastern Massachusetts (2006, with John S. Burk)
• Good Night Vermont (2007)
• Inns and Adventures: A History and Explorer's Guide to Vermont, New Hampshire, and the Berkshires (2015, with Alison O'Leary)

Writing:

• Cape Cod: In the Words of Thoreau and Beston (2000)

Adaptations

• The Finest Hours (2016), film directed by Craig Gillespie, based on non-fiction book The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue

Notes and References

1. Web site: 'Finest Hours' co-author Michael Tougias drawn to stories of survival. The Telegram .
2. Disney's The Finest Hours - Trailer 1. 8 July 2015. YouTube.
3. Web site: "The Finest Hours": The True Story Behind the Movie. Eliza Berman. TIME.com.
4. Web site: Michael J. Tougias. Simon & Schuster.
5. Web site: Maritime survival writer Michael Tougias plunges into something new. BostonGlobe.com.