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255 reviews for:
Beneath the Surface: Killer Whales, Seaworld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish
Howard Chua-Eoan, John Hargrove
4.22 AVERAGE
255 reviews for:
Beneath the Surface: Killer Whales, Seaworld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish
Howard Chua-Eoan, John Hargrove
4.22 AVERAGE
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
I read & finished this book while on Holiday. It's an emotional read to be sure, I teared up on some of the descriptions. I really loved learning more about Hargrove's personal journey to become a Seaworld trainer. And how he is still in love & totally disgusted with what he did. I thought the moral ambiguity that this job brings was clearly established and remained a point of discussion throughout the book.
The whales are also given introductions one by one and you get a feel for their characters, which was nice. I really felt for the poor whales. They don't deserve this Life in captivity. Same goes for all the poeple that where harmed only because a company wamted to make money of the back of some of the most intelligent animals on earth.
The whales are also given introductions one by one and you get a feel for their characters, which was nice. I really felt for the poor whales. They don't deserve this Life in captivity. Same goes for all the poeple that where harmed only because a company wamted to make money of the back of some of the most intelligent animals on earth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
If you're going to read one book on SeaWorld and its controversies, this is the one you should read. This is far the most informative and insightful look into the company's practices, and Hargrove's own opinions and emotions on the matter are heartfelt and genuine.
It's an engrossing, captivating read. Def recommended.
It's an engrossing, captivating read. Def recommended.
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Reading about John Hargrove’s dream of becoming an orca trainer in SeaWorld, slowly turning into a nightmare, was really tough. Some parts of the book made me physically sick and I’m glad John was brave enough to get his story published and make his statements about the way these whales are being mistreated by SeaWorld, in the documentary Blackfish.
So many emotions ran through me as I read this.
The story is heartbreaking, but in parts uplifting, full of joy and misery at the same time.
John's love for the animals is obvious from beginning to end. His journey from trainer to activist is eye-opening. I have never been to SeaWorld, but through advertisement I fully bought into what a happy place it is, and I always wanted to see the Orca show. After reading this book, I will never go to SeaWorld. I now understand that how they are kept and made to perform is wrong on every level.
I applaud John for writing this book and helping people like me to see what it's really like.
The story is heartbreaking, but in parts uplifting, full of joy and misery at the same time.
John's love for the animals is obvious from beginning to end. His journey from trainer to activist is eye-opening. I have never been to SeaWorld, but through advertisement I fully bought into what a happy place it is, and I always wanted to see the Orca show. After reading this book, I will never go to SeaWorld. I now understand that how they are kept and made to perform is wrong on every level.
I applaud John for writing this book and helping people like me to see what it's really like.
before i get to the substance of the book i have some general criticisms regarding the writing. as with many memoirs, i think this suffers from narration syndrome--that is, when the subject of the memoir isn't a writer and has someone help them write it, everything starts to sound a little "samey" and sanitized. in that sense i think this might be better as an audiobook than reading. additionally, i felt that the jumps around in time did not necessarily help the narrative--while it makes sense to open the book with a suspenseful scene, the end effect was a muddled timeline and a lot of repetition that would have been better avoided.
as for the subject matter, if you've watched blackfish you basically know what to expect going into this. it was sad, it was heartwrenching, and we should not be keeping these animals in captivity. in particular, the sections on the artificial insemination of the orcas and the effects of calves being taken from their mothers was very difficult to read. as were details of the death of dawn brancheau and subsequent coverup. hargrove's conflicted feelings about his time with the whales--he clearly loved them very much--and his subsequent attempts to "atone" were also well portrayed.
as for the subject matter, if you've watched blackfish you basically know what to expect going into this. it was sad, it was heartwrenching, and we should not be keeping these animals in captivity. in particular, the sections on the artificial insemination of the orcas and the effects of calves being taken from their mothers was very difficult to read. as were details of the death of dawn brancheau and subsequent coverup. hargrove's conflicted feelings about his time with the whales--he clearly loved them very much--and his subsequent attempts to "atone" were also well portrayed.
This book was incredible! My sister and I watched Blackfish together when it first came out, then again while I was reading this. I don’t know if this was the author’s intention at all, but I think you have to watch the documentary after reading this—this book really magnifies the story behind what happens with the whales at SeaWorld. I knew they were smart animals, but never knew or could appreciate really how complex their lives, social interactions, and minds are. Incredible. My sister read it immediately after and loved it as well.
Ho sempre pensato che le orche fossero praticamente degli squali iperpotenziati, e perciò, animali piuttosto semplici e pericolosi: una creatura, per di più soprannominata "assassina", capace di uccidere una balena, non esiterebbe certamente a fare a pezzi un essere umano. Ma così com'è infondata la nomea sugli squali, lo è quella sulle orche assassine.
Le orche sono animali con una psicologia quasi paragonabile a quella umana, che vivono in strutture gerarchiche complesse; il libro fa un buon lavoro a mostrare come questi giganti "buoni" ragionano e si comportano in natura e in cattività, paragonando e sottolineando i processi cognitivi che hanno portato Tilikum, una delle orche possedute da SeaWorld, un parco acquatico famosissimo in America, ad uccidere la sua trainer preferita, Dawn Brancheau.
Tutto questo per portare alla luce il marcio che si trova in una compagnia che proclama di avere a cuore solamente il bene delle orche e dei suoi impiegati.
Non mi sono mai definita animalista. Rispetto gli animali, ma non sono d'accordo con alcune questioni che il movimento porta avanti, e non mi è mai sembrato di essere talmente investita nella causa da "meritarmi" l'etichetta. Ma per ragionare seriamente su cosa succede in questi parchi non c'è bisogno di esserlo.
Denaturare un'orca a tal punto da farle aggredire un essere umano, considerando che questi animali tendono ad ignorarci in natura, è sintomo di qualcosa di più grande, è sintomo di pratiche che hanno ridotto uno dei cetacei più intelligenti dei nostri mari a sapersi rapportare coi propri simili solo attraverso la violenza, comportamento impensabile per un'orca nel suo stato naturale.
Questo libro fa riflettere su come siamo abituati a pensare che questi parchi funzionino, a come ci piace pensare che gli animali si divertano a fare gli spettacoli, ma purtroppo non è così.
La verità è che anche noi, se fossimo chiusi in una cella per anni, accoglieremmo con gioia la possibilità di fare qualcosa di diverso dal normale, una volta ogni tanto, in cambio di cibo migliore o il nostro passatempo preferito; ma nessuno si stupirebbe se cogliessimo l'occasione di uccidere uno dei nostri carcerieri, per vendicarci. Quindi perché ci stupiamo se succede proprio questo?
Le orche sono animali con una psicologia quasi paragonabile a quella umana, che vivono in strutture gerarchiche complesse; il libro fa un buon lavoro a mostrare come questi giganti "buoni" ragionano e si comportano in natura e in cattività, paragonando e sottolineando i processi cognitivi che hanno portato Tilikum, una delle orche possedute da SeaWorld, un parco acquatico famosissimo in America, ad uccidere la sua trainer preferita, Dawn Brancheau.
Tutto questo per portare alla luce il marcio che si trova in una compagnia che proclama di avere a cuore solamente il bene delle orche e dei suoi impiegati.
Non mi sono mai definita animalista. Rispetto gli animali, ma non sono d'accordo con alcune questioni che il movimento porta avanti, e non mi è mai sembrato di essere talmente investita nella causa da "meritarmi" l'etichetta. Ma per ragionare seriamente su cosa succede in questi parchi non c'è bisogno di esserlo.
Denaturare un'orca a tal punto da farle aggredire un essere umano, considerando che questi animali tendono ad ignorarci in natura, è sintomo di qualcosa di più grande, è sintomo di pratiche che hanno ridotto uno dei cetacei più intelligenti dei nostri mari a sapersi rapportare coi propri simili solo attraverso la violenza, comportamento impensabile per un'orca nel suo stato naturale.
Questo libro fa riflettere su come siamo abituati a pensare che questi parchi funzionino, a come ci piace pensare che gli animali si divertano a fare gli spettacoli, ma purtroppo non è così.
La verità è che anche noi, se fossimo chiusi in una cella per anni, accoglieremmo con gioia la possibilità di fare qualcosa di diverso dal normale, una volta ogni tanto, in cambio di cibo migliore o il nostro passatempo preferito; ma nessuno si stupirebbe se cogliessimo l'occasione di uccidere uno dei nostri carcerieri, per vendicarci. Quindi perché ci stupiamo se succede proprio questo?
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced