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143 reviews for:
Death at Seaworld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity
David Kirby
4.22 AVERAGE
143 reviews for:
Death at Seaworld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity
David Kirby
4.22 AVERAGE
I met David Kirby at a talk/book-signing, and found him most friendly and knowledgeable, which is good because I liked his book and was hopeful he wouldn't ruin it for me. Extremely well-researched from every angle, this makes a clear and compelling case that cetaceans should not be in captivity, for the sake of them and the trainers. There were some truly unfortunate metaphors, and possibly too much detail in some parts (Dr. Rose is an impressive woman even without her entire life story), but his thoroughness is at least consistent. I have to appreciate the kind of heavy lifting Kirby did to learn whale biology and delve into buried or un-recorded whale history. All in all, this is THE book to read if you want to know the how, and why, so many deaths have occurred at SeaWorld, human and cetacean both.
Hovering between 4 and 5 stars on this one. I watched the documentary Blackfish around the same time I read this, so each sort of reinforced the other, making my overall intake of information more complete (but perhaps hazily combining both in my mind so that I can't tell where one started and the other stopped, or which one I actually got my information from). I would recommend both together; it provides a fuller picture, to actually see some of the footage Kirby discusses and interviews with people followed throughout the book. The book was gripping, the evidence compelling. I will let everyone draw their own conclusions, but I think anyone with the least concern or affection for whales should read this book.
Wow. Impressive fact-finding and very current. I a curious to see how this argument continues to unfold.
dark
reflective
slow-paced
informative
sad
medium-paced
Enjoyed parts, and found other parts extremely boring. There was a lot of court/law talk at the end
I'm not sure I can say I 'enjoyed' this book as it was heartbreaking. It was informative in an easy to access way and gave a great insight into the issues with keeping killer whales in captivity. I'm now off to watch Blackfish again.
This book takes the deaths of trainers at water parks like Sea World as its starting point, but it becomes clear fairly early on that when the author talks about "dead at Sea World," he's not just talking about human death. Kirby makes a strong case in support of those who feel killer whales should not be kept in captivity, and he supports this case with a litany of deaths and injuries to the whales themselves.
While Kirby makes an effort to be balanced, it's clear where his heart lies. I found his arguments convincing, but others may be frustrated by the lack of perspectives from people who still believe cetaceans can benefit from captivity. The book is also a bit slow and dry at points, and Kirby sometimes offers information that seems unnecessarily detailed. Oftentimes this detail pays off later, but it's hard to tell as one reads what is truly important. Still, I found this book eye-opening and I am glad I read it.
While Kirby makes an effort to be balanced, it's clear where his heart lies. I found his arguments convincing, but others may be frustrated by the lack of perspectives from people who still believe cetaceans can benefit from captivity. The book is also a bit slow and dry at points, and Kirby sometimes offers information that seems unnecessarily detailed. Oftentimes this detail pays off later, but it's hard to tell as one reads what is truly important. Still, I found this book eye-opening and I am glad I read it.
dark
emotional
informative
sad
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I picked this up because we watched the documentary Blackfish, and it was so fascinating I wanted to learn more. This is a really well written book, with plenty of well documented research. It's also a really hard read at points, because it's so heartbreaking. But if you're at all interested in whales, science, or the environment it's definitely worth a read.