A passionate fisher, Sptizer (writing, U. of Central Arkansas) offers a portrait of the fresh-water fish in the southern US that generalizes from his personal experience to reflect the larger relationship between humans and gar. He is not here to glorify the gar, he says, but to clear up misunderstandings and myths about it. He contends that it does not eat up all the other fish in the lake or river, and actually has an important ecological role. The book includes essays, folklore, articles, photographs, comic relief, flashes of science, recipes, reports of changing policy and regulation, and other elements, but no index. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)