i_have_no_process's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional informative sad tense

4.5

Never has a book so inflamed my passions -- then urged me to cast away my familiar life in order to join a crusade much greater than myself. In another world, I took to the arduous and futile seas. In this world, I grew old, and merely wondered...

bailo2's review against another edition

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5.0

Whales, eco pirates, depictions of life at sea, and debate over direct action? I enjoyed this book so much that I couldn’t hope to objectively rate it. An epic account of an anti-whaling campaign with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Heller’s slow approach and his conflicted depiction of the Farley Mowat crew poignantly mirror the environmental challenges and debates we currently face and the pace of progress.

itsgs's review against another edition

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dark informative medium-paced

3.5


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arielamandah's review against another edition

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3.0

For pity’s sake... this book took me a whole damn summer to read. It wasn’t BAD, it was just slow. I think I mostly wanted to read it because I saw the boat it was about, The Farley Mowat, docked in San Diego two summers ago. It was interesting! It was funny! It was a good character study and certainly readable... but boy howdy was it a slow read for me.

lizaroo71's review against another edition

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3.0

I think as humans, we know the damage we do to the planet. Or, I would like to think most people are aware, and take steps to be proactive in protecting the fragile balance between us and nature.

Heller journeys on the Farley Mowat - a ship piloted by Paul Watson. Watson has founded a group of vigilantes of sorts that protects the endangered cetaceans of the ocean. Watson's mission is to stop the illegal slaughter of whales by the nations that still practice this barbaric ritual. On this particular run, Watson is after a fleet of vessels out of Japan.

Heller captures many moments of life out at sea for two months. Watson is definitely a man that stands by his beliefs and is willing to lose his life for the sake of his convictions. He may be the reason many endangered whales have lived to see another day.

Watson's crew is often made up of novices of the sea; people driven only by their passion for the whales. One person jumps on board at the last minute with only the clothes on her back and flip flops. When you are traveling along the shores of Antarctica, flip flops don't cut it. These people may seem fool-hardy to some. And while I would never dedicate two months of my life sailing the treacherous waters at the bottom of the world, I am in awe of those that do.

I read this book, because I really love Heller's fiction. Writing non-fiction and making it engaging isn't easy. Heller does a good job of remaining objective here, but there aren't enough opportunities for him to really engage the reader. This ship he is on sails around for two months with little happening other than seasickness or listening to Watson as he delivers a jeremiad on different subjects. There were moments where Heller is reflective or gives context to the environmental catastrophe taking place in regard to our oceans, but it doesn't happen enough. Nonetheless, this is an important book for what it does tell us: the whales are in trouble, our oceans are in trouble and we must act now.

christiebk's review

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4.0

At the bottom of the globe near Antarctica, there is a battle going on between Japanese whalers and activists (eco-pirates) who are trying to save the wales. The Farley, captained by Paul Watson who runs the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, is out to stop whaling for good, by any means necessary. While whaling is mostly illegal, the Japanese get around the laws by saying they are doing it for research.

Fighting to stop whaling is part waiting (it can take weeks to find the ships), and part high action. Watson has previously sunk eight whaling ships and the Farley is outfitted with a seven-foot blade on the bow, bottles of smelly acid to throw aboard whaling vessels, and water cannons.

Peter Heller joined the crew on season and experienced first hand the joyous and dangerous parts of being part of Sea Shepherd. He does a great job at presenting the story without strongly taking sides. It's a great book if you are interested in what's happening with whaling without someone preaching to you.

I originally head about the Sea Shepherd on Animal Planet's reality show, Whale Wars, which has been following them now for five seasons. It's a fascinating show, and while I may not agree with all of their tactics I find their tenacity and idealism fascinating to watch.

(review originally posted on http://daydreamsandrainydays.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-whale-warriors-by-peter-heller-book_16.html)

kfrig's review against another edition

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5.0

Is this a 5 star book compared to literary giants? No. Do I hope a 5 star rating will get just one more person to read about this incredibly important topic and be inspired to act? Absolutely. Peter Heller - I like your fiction but I love this important book even more. You’ve packaged this critical issue in a compelling read which really drives home the important elements of the slaughter of whales and other mischievous over fishing. It has stood the test of time. If you love the Earth and her creatures - read this book.

johnnymoonlight's review against another edition

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5.0

I often found myself shaking my head at the disturbing and emotion-provoking details of whaling and how this industry is allowed to function. Heller’s detail of Captain Watson and his mission to end whaling was enough to make an anti-vegan stand and fight for marine life. Later in the book, Heller writes about a personal encounter with a seal pup which seemingly depicts his new view on whaling since being aboard the ship. Although written in the mid-2000s, the fight to protect marine life must continue. Watch Seaspiracy, protect our seas, and sail on Sea Shepard

grazanne's review against another edition

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3.0

I am working my way through Peter Heller’s backlist. If you have seen Whale Wars, then you have a preview of this book. It is well written and can be a proverbial page turner, I listened to this on audio. Enjoyable read that gives you a heartbreaking look at Japan’s whaling industry. The disregard of rules by Japan and the indifference by countries to do anything about it is startling. This was written 15 years ago but has so many Global Warming warnings, which seem both dated and prescient all this time later.

crafalsk264's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

I have read several of Heller’s fictional works and been enthralled with them all. This is the first of his nonfiction works. In 2007, Heller spent two months aboard an environmental pirate ship Farley Mowatas it stalked its prey—the Japanese whaling fleet—through the ice and stormy weather of the Antarctic. The ship is crewed by members of the Sea Shepherd Society, a radical environmental group whose crew is willing to do anyone to stop the illegal whale hunting.

Captain Paul Watson is something of a pirate himself—willing to break the law, be incarcerated and takes unacceptable risks to his ship and crew to stop attacks on in endangered whales. While on board, Heller witnesses the Farley Mowat’s attempt to ram a huge Japanese factory whaling ship.

This book and the whole environmental catastrophe is a contradiction. The volunteers are dedicated but there are differences in degrees of political/social convictions (freegans, vegans, vegetarians). They are committed and willing but woefully untrained and inexperienced which hampers their ability to act as a coordinated crew. Heller looks at the issue as a journalist so he couches the issues of whaling in terms of political, societal, scientific and ethical concerns. He presents information on the history and economics of the industry. He has also endeavored to present the nonfiction material in as entertaining way as a fiction offering. He succeeds to an extent but not as well as some others. However I suggest that readers concerned with environmental convention read this thought provoking work.