Sex, Salvage & Secrets: (Must Be Pr...

Book excerpt: Since the year 1620, when the Mayflower washed up on the beach at Plymouth Rock, there has been a Perkins on the loose in this country. This is the story of one such Perkins. Born when he was very young Perkins came to fruition in the rural cow pastures and swollen swamps of southern Michigan. From volunteering to be buried in the mud on the bottom of the Potomac River to casually leaping out of helicopters and into the slippery Tongue of the Ocean, Perkins takes the reader through a life of adventure, bad licks, bold naiveté and random happenings. Time spent in Vietnam destroying other people's property, life as an experimental diver, smuggler, prisoner, Key West salvage captain and several marriages have only served to further confuse the young Perkins. Driven by series of absurd experiences to the strangest calling of all, an author, Perkins now makes that sincere confusion available to the public in this mildew-resistant, soft-bound, edible edition. Written by ear, Sex, Salvage and Secrets (sub-titled Must Be Present to Win) is the rapid-fire journey of a young man thrust into premature adulthood and forced to pretend he understands what is happening and, even more befuddling—why. Colorful characters and dubious language mix with unanswered questions and cutting edge punctuation to bring to life the tropical meanderings of a man, who with great enthusiasm and limited intellect, ended up being here and-Present to Win.