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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
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Though the content of this book was quite interesting, I found the author's pretentiousness and constantly shifting biases to be almost too much to bear. Unfortunately, he lets the drama overshadow and undermine the real issues.
John Hargrove gives insight into the behavioral psychology and the environmental differences between wild and captive Orcas. An eye-opening tale on the repercussions of containing the sea's apex predator for entertainment and profit. A must read.
Wow! This book really made me think. I remember going to Sea World as a kid and loving the shows, especially the Orca’s. To now know the dark side, too see how poorly these magnificent creatures are treated makes me sad to have ever gone!
We humans do not have the right to treat these animals that way!!!
We humans do not have the right to treat these animals that way!!!
What a tangled web of shit SeaWorld has gotten itself into. Hargrove isn’t off the hook either: shortly after the release of this book, SeaWorld provided startup funding to a website designed to attack Hargrove (a former SeaWorld trainer) and also released a video of Hargrove saying some massively racist and fucked up things. I read about the video after finishing the book and it makes it hard now to review or discuss without that context in mind. If we look at the book purely as an indictment on SeaWorld and as an addendum to Blackfish, it’s wildly successful on those fronts. It covers many of the events in Blackfish, yes, but Hargrove is able to expand on the comments he made in the documentary and provide more inside color and commentary about the best known incidents that happened at the park. Where the book really shines, though, is in Hargrove’s breakdown of training, care, and the behavioral issues that occurred frequently. (Hargrove and other trainers called these orca-trainer issues “aggressions,” and Hargrove was on the receiving end on more than one occasion.) It’s clear Hargrove is torn about how to talk about this issue. He loved his job. He loved the whales. He was stimulated and excited by his work with SeaWorld–until he wasn’t, obviously. It’s obvious he was trying to de-glamorize the job while also…glamorizing it a little bit. Perhaps there’s no way to talk about SeaWorld orca trainers without glamorizing their jobs, simply because they’re so mysterious, weird, alluring. Swimming with whales! Isn’t that neat? The trainers think so and even Hargrove, a former trainer with a big bone to pick with SeaWorld, is clearly proud of his accomplishments. He tempers this by acknowledging the things he saw and didn’t like and the things he saw and tried to stop. As Hargrove’s eyes open to the corporate greed, safety issues, and risked health and well-being of the whales owned by SeaWorld, the book becomes more surgical, touching on things Blackfish didn’t and expanding the dark of side of SeaWorld in more detail. But, as I pointed out earlier, there’s a lot to this book and to Hargrove happening behind the scenes. Last night I was watching TV and two SeaWorld ads appeared within a 20 minute span of time. I was in Orlando for work last week and the airport was plastered–absolutely covered–in SeaWorld ads. I think this book is worth reading, especially if you’re passionate or curious about the subject. But, of course, there’s still this and it sums it up pretty well.
I am very glad I read this book!! I knew orca captivity wasn't in the whales' best interest, but I appreciated the high degree of detail about exactly what the issues are at Sea World. It was a very eye opening book!
My only complaint was that I felt that too much time was spent talking about the lengths he had to go to get his job as an orca trainer and how honored he was to be part of the "very exclusive club," which was emphasized a ton and was hard for the listener to relate to and be patient with.
I still definitely recommend reading though!
My only complaint was that I felt that too much time was spent talking about the lengths he had to go to get his job as an orca trainer and how honored he was to be part of the "very exclusive club," which was emphasized a ton and was hard for the listener to relate to and be patient with.
I still definitely recommend reading though!
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
This book really opened my eyes. I listened to the audio book, and hearing John Hargrove's voice and tone throughout his book made me tune in even more.
The exploitation and degradation of the killer whales at Seaworld exposed by Hargrove and the documentary Blackfish changed the way I looked at captive animals in zoos in general, nonetheless how abusive and disgusting the practices of using animals for entertainment. This is pure journalism and a perfect example that one person is capable of making a change. Boycott the abuse.
10/10
The exploitation and degradation of the killer whales at Seaworld exposed by Hargrove and the documentary Blackfish changed the way I looked at captive animals in zoos in general, nonetheless how abusive and disgusting the practices of using animals for entertainment. This is pure journalism and a perfect example that one person is capable of making a change. Boycott the abuse.
10/10
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I really enjoyed (maybe not the right word) this! It felt pretty objective for a memoir. The AI chapter was particularly heartbreaking..
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced