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annemaries_shelves's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
"We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours."
4.5 stars
As a story of how humans have related to whales and what we have done to them, this was so wonderfully written and horrifying to confront.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this book to be honest. I had anticipated more of the science of whales - how they grow and develop, how they live and socialize and communicate. There was some of that but not enough for my liking. What I got instead was a natural history of humanity and whales - past, present, and a little bit of future.
Throughout the book, Giggs explores the history of whaling (in one century we stole 3 million cetaceans from the oceans), the role of plastics and industrialization on oceans and whales (the sheer amount of trash found in their stomachs and pollutants in their blubber is awful), the charisma of whales and why/how we feel such a connection to whales and the deep blue wildness they live within, how whales communicate through sound and the ongoing noise pollution that disrupts their lives. She takes many facets of whale existence and modern human behaviour and pulls apart the details and demonstrates how far reaching and unexpected/unintended our impacts on are on whales and their ecosystems. A lot of the details were hard to read, but important.
Giggs doesn't focus a lot on the future - a mixed blessing since the present was so hard to grapple with. But what the data shows isn't promising. There is some hope though - hope that whales that do survive will adapt, and hope that humans will continue to fight for whales and all the unseen species in the world.
Her writing was a nice balance - mostly focused on the whales' stories with some authorial inserts of her experiences and stories. I appreciated that she's Australian and brought a lot of that context to the data and stories (whale and human) that she shared - it's a refreshing change from the sheer amount of American-centric nonfiction out there.
Overall, I wish she had included more about whales themselves and how they live independent of humanity. Though, considering how intertwined we've made ourselves with our environments, and how much we've integrated whales into our products and cultures, that may be asking for too much.
I recommend pairing this with Voices in the Ocean: A Journey in the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins by Susan Casey for a similar exploration from the dolphin perspective.
4.5 stars
As a story of how humans have related to whales and what we have done to them, this was so wonderfully written and horrifying to confront.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this book to be honest. I had anticipated more of the science of whales - how they grow and develop, how they live and socialize and communicate. There was some of that but not enough for my liking. What I got instead was a natural history of humanity and whales - past, present, and a little bit of future.
Throughout the book, Giggs explores the history of whaling (in one century we stole 3 million cetaceans from the oceans), the role of plastics and industrialization on oceans and whales (the sheer amount of trash found in their stomachs and pollutants in their blubber is awful), the charisma of whales and why/how we feel such a connection to whales and the deep blue wildness they live within, how whales communicate through sound and the ongoing noise pollution that disrupts their lives. She takes many facets of whale existence and modern human behaviour and pulls apart the details and demonstrates how far reaching and unexpected/unintended our impacts on are on whales and their ecosystems. A lot of the details were hard to read, but important.
Giggs doesn't focus a lot on the future - a mixed blessing since the present was so hard to grapple with. But what the data shows isn't promising. There is some hope though - hope that whales that do survive will adapt, and hope that humans will continue to fight for whales and all the unseen species in the world.
Her writing was a nice balance - mostly focused on the whales' stories with some authorial inserts of her experiences and stories. I appreciated that she's Australian and brought a lot of that context to the data and stories (whale and human) that she shared - it's a refreshing change from the sheer amount of American-centric nonfiction out there.
Overall, I wish she had included more about whales themselves and how they live independent of humanity. Though, considering how intertwined we've made ourselves with our environments, and how much we've integrated whales into our products and cultures, that may be asking for too much.
I recommend pairing this with Voices in the Ocean: A Journey in the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins by Susan Casey for a similar exploration from the dolphin perspective.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
bookbrig's review
There's some interesting whale stuff in here, but I found it a slog to get through the writing. It's not my style at all, slow and roundabout, weaving between personal anecdote and science information. I just found myself so bored that my mind kept wandering and I decided to stop.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Blood
ohhellograce's review
challenging
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
reusablecup's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Giggs encompasses the world of the whale in such a deeply poetic manner. Sharing facts and anecdotes not simply as stories but almost like a song, and piece of art.
The perspectives and narratives were confronting, compelling and all the while beautiful.
A stunning book.
The perspectives and narratives were confronting, compelling and all the while beautiful.
A stunning book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Upsetting depictions of human induced trauma to wildlife.charleyroxy's review against another edition
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, and Gore
There is quite a bit about whaling which is gruesome indeed.leeashden's review
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.25
This is a simultaneously soothing and uncomfortable read. While anything to do with whales has a necessary slowness to it seemingly born of their long lifespans and generally large-scale lives, this wandering narrative is punctuated with reminders of how we have negatively affected the environment and the creatures forced to share it with us.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, and Gore
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