Did you know that America’s deadliest maritime disaster was not the Titanic? Or that an African-American woman refused to give up her seat on a bus 11 years before Rosa Parks did the same?

Sam Low craves at least two things in life — the strong embrace of an ocean and the presence of a true ohana. He’s found both in two somewhat dissimilar places — Martha’s Vineyard and Hawaii.

Ohana is a Hawaiian word that means extended family. Mr. Low’s father grew up in Hawaii but moved to New England at the age of 17. On the East Coast, he sought a lifestyle similar to his Hawaiian upbringing and found it on Martha’s Vineyard, where “everybody let their hair down and everybody was fishing and clamming,” Mr. Low explained.

It’s no secret. One glance at the shimmering sardine on the cover of Andy Sharpless’s new book The Perfect Protein reveals that the answer is simple: “We need to eat fish and lots of it . . . .”

It’s not a new message. “We all know fish are good for your brain, your heart and your nerves,” said Mr. Sharpless. “If you substitute fish for red meat, you get a reduction in obesity, heart disease, cancer. It’s interesting how our own biology is so tuned up to benefit from fish.”

James Steinberg, a former deputy secretary of state, will present Crafting a Long-term Strategy for the U.S. in the Middle East on July 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center in Vineyard Haven. His talk is part of the Summer Institute.