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The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea

The Gulf book cover

Unless you’re a boater, or love to fish, or maybe just love fresh seafood, you might not give the Gulf of Mexico all that much thought -- we’re going to try to change that today. We’re joined by the author of The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea, which won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for History. Jack E. Davis’s epic narrative brings readers through the gulf’s history, from its formation in prehistoric times all the way through today -- exploring the countless ways humans have both revered, and exploited the great body of water.

Rachel Iacovone is a reporter and associate producer of Gulf Coast Live for WGCU News. Rachel came to WGCU as an intern in 2016, during the presidential race. She went on to cover Florida Gulf Coast University students at President Donald Trump's inauguration on Capitol Hill and Southwest Floridians in attendance at the following day's Women's March on Washington.Rachel was first contacted by WGCU when she was managing editor of FGCU's student-run media group, Eagle News. She helped take Eagle News from a weekly newspaper to a daily online publication with TV and radio branches within two years, winning the 2016 Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Award for Best Use of Multimedia in a cross-platform series she led for National Coming Out Day. She also won the Mark of Excellence Award for Feature Writing for her five-month coverage of an FGCU student's transition from male to female.As a WGCU reporter, she produced the first radio story in WGCU's Curious Gulf Coast project, which answered the question: Does SWFL Have More Cases of Pediatric Cancer?Rachel graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with a bachelor's degree in journalism.