Survival, friends and fishing

Author, former S&E columnist Michael Tougias releases two new books

Massachusetts native and author Michael Tougias’ latest literary offerings focus on two different yet similar subjects — how to overcome adversity and how to work with a friend to achieve both of your goals.

Most recently in Westminster telling the story of a controversial WWI episode, the former Sentinel & Enterprise columnist likes to keep busy.

Tougias, also a new york times best-selling author, said that his newest book, “Extreme Survival: Lessons From Those Who Have Triumphed Against Allodds” was a 30-year project.

“I interviewed over a hundred of the most incredible survivors during that period and then I selected the very best stories for the book,” Tougias said. “In ‘Extreme Survival’ I first tell their stories then I explain how they endured and overcame incredible odds. I began to see similar patterns of the mental techniques they used, and ultimately identified ten mindsets they used to achieve their goals.”

Tougias, an author or co-author of nearly 40 books, grouped the stories by survival techniques in the 10 chapters of the book. He said he wanted it to be “an edge of your seat read, but also to show the reader how these mindsets can be used by all of us to achieve difficult goals.”

The second book, “The Power of Positive Fishing: A True Story of Friendship and Quest for Happiness,” was co-authored by fellow writer Adam Gamble, who is also a photographer and publisher. According to the book description, when the pair first met theywere married with two children each, had nice homes in the suburbs and jobs that paid the bills, and went on fishing trips.

But their comfortable lives had cracks in them, and they soon found themselves hit by the rogue waves of divorce, financial challenges, addiction, and career upheaval. What kept them going — and helped them navigate the rough waters of middle age— was

fishing and friendship.

“‘ The Power of Positive Fishing’ is also a book about adversity, only this time it is about the coauthor’s and my own challenges and how together we overcame them,” Tougias shared. “The book is not really a fishing book, but the setting is on the ocean as we tackle midlife crises such as divorce, illness, addiction, and career upheaval. I’m hoping the reader sees how having just one good friend can make all the difference.”

He went on to say that “much of the action” of the true story takes place out on the ocean, where they share their adventures with sharks and whales, “lost in the fog while kayaking and striped bass fishing.”

“This book is for anyone that loves nature and the outdoors but is looking for a story about navigating the rough waters that hit us all in life’s journey,” Tougias said.

The Mendon resident is set to speak at the Boylston Public Library on Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m., where he will be giving a slide presentation on King Philip’s War between the Native Americans and the colonies with most of the battles fought in Central Mass.

Tougias said that while he will give an overview of his two latest books at the event, his presentation will focus on the bloody armed conflict “which had the highest per capita casualty rate of any war involving America.”

“One survivor of the war, Mary Rowlandson of Lancaster, is an important eyewitness,” Tougias said. “She was also an incredible survivor, so I included her in ‘Extreme Survival’ as well.”

He went on to say that when he was a kid growing up in Western Massachusetts in a small town situated along the Connecticut River, he’d see signs related to King Philip’s War but had no idea what it was about. Tougias began researching the war in his late 20s and eventually published two books on his findings. The historical novel “Until I Have No Country” was published in 1996 and co-author Eric Schultz was the lead writer of their collaborative history of the conflict “King Philip’s War: America’s Forgotten Conflict,” which was released in December 2000.

Tougias is currently working on two series of books geared towards readers ages eight to 14. “The True Rescue Series” has six books total and the first book in “The True Survival Series,” “Abandon Ship,” came out recently.

“This is a true World War II story about how a ship the size of the Titanic was sunk by a U-boat and the book follows the survival story of how only a few survived seven weeks adrift in life rafts,” Tougias said of “Abandon Ship.” “The story was covered up by the American and British military because the U-boat that sank the ship later rescued some of the survivors. The story gets even stranger when a U.S. plane bombs the U-boat knowing that British are onboard. It has been interesting to learn that although the book is for young adults, just as many adults are purchasing it for themselves.”

All of Tougias’ books can be found on Amazon. For more information, including videos of survivors, visit michaeltougias.com.