Michael J. Tougias (born 1955 in
Longmeadow
Longmeadow is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, in the United States. The population was 15,853 at the 2020 census.
History
Longmeadow was first settled in 1644, and officially incorporated October 17, 1783. The town was originally farm ...
,
) 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 Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi ...
smen 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
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Current, North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida a ...
.
His book ''The Finest Hours: The True Story Behind the US Coast Guard's Most Daring Rescue'' (2009), co-authored with
Casey Sherman
Casey Sherman is a ''New York Times'', USA Today, and ''Wall Street Journal'' Bestselling American author, journalist and screenwriter most famous for his 2009 book ''The Finest Hours'', which was adapted into the big budget Walt Disney Studios ( ...
, was adapted as a
Disney film by the same name, released in 2016.
Tougias is a frequent guest on
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
programs,
The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel (TWC) is an American pay television channel owned by Weather Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Allen Media Group. The channel's headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia. Launched on May 2, 1982, the channel broadcasts weather forecas ...
,
Fox & Friends
''Fox & Friends'' is an American daily morning news and talk program that airs on Fox News. It premiered on February 1, 1998, and is currently hosted by Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade on weekdays. Will Cain, Rachel Campos-Du ...
,
20/20
Visual acuity (VA) commonly refers to the clarity of vision, but technically rates an examinee's ability to recognize small details with precision. Visual acuity is dependent on optical and neural factors, i.e. (1) the sharpness of the retinal ...
, and national talk shows.
Education
He attended
Boston College
Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...
(1973–74) and graduated from
Saint Michael's College
Saint Michael's College (St. Mikes or Saint Michael's) is a private Roman Catholic college in Colchester, Vermont. Saint Michael's was founded in 1904 by the Society of Saint Edmund. It grants Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees i ...
in
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
in 1977.
Personal life
He lives in Massachusetts and
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
.
He has a daughter, Kristin, with whom he wrote a memoir entitled ''The Cringe Chronicles''.
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
Casey Sherman is a ''New York Times'', USA Today, and ''Wall Street Journal'' Bestselling American author, journalist and screenwriter most famous for his 2009 book ''The Finest Hours'', which was adapted into the big budget Walt Disney Studios ( ...
)
* ''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
Casey Sherman is a ''New York Times'', USA Today, and ''Wall Street Journal'' Bestselling American author, journalist and screenwriter most famous for his 2009 book ''The Finest Hours'', which was adapted into the big budget Walt Disney Studios ( ...
)
;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:
*# ''Nature Walks in Eastern Massachusetts: An AMC Country Walks Book'' (1993)
*# ''More Nature Walks In Eastern Massachusetts: Discover 47 New Walks Throughout the Area Including Scenic Cape Cod'' (1998)
*# ''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
Craig Gillespie (born 1 September 1967) is an Australian-American film, television, music video, and commercial director. He is best known for directing the films ''Lars and the Real Girl'' (2007), ''Fright Night'' (2011), ''I, Tonya'' (2017), ...
, based on non-fiction book ''The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue''
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tougias, Michael J.
1955 births
21st-century travel writers
Living people
Saint Michael's College alumni
People from Longmeadow, Massachusetts
20th-century American novelists
American non-fiction outdoors writers
20th-century American non-fiction writers
American travel writers