Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
reflective
sad
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Gorgeously written, well-researched but never remotely dry (hahaha get it), this is how non-fiction's done. You can almost tell James Bradley has written fiction too, just in the way this flows. Anyway, I love the ocean; I'm a little afraid of it; I love boats; I hate fish; I'm scared about climate change and sad about the exploitation and destruction of the oceans and the earth. This book treats a wide range of topics and treats them with wonder and fascination, and I learned a lot. From krill to shipping, whalesong to dying reefs, ecological disasters to the history of capitalism and industrialisation and slavery all the way to the theologian Digby's 1587 treatise, De Arte Natandi (On the art of swimming), this book has it all.
So there's a lot of sadness in it, and just a dash of hope that whatever we have lost, "there's more to save".
So there's a lot of sadness in it, and just a dash of hope that whatever we have lost, "there's more to save".
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
informative
sad
challenging
informative
sad
medium-paced
A difficult discussion that includes history, politics, and first-hand accounts of various oceanic aspects each showing how climate change, pollution, and over-fishing are absolutely destroying our oceans. Humans suck.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
For full disclosure, I did not read the synopsis for this book prior to reading; I expected this book to be a run-of-the-mill oceanographic nonfiction story on the undersea ecosystem, briefly touching upon a few key species before closing upon a few "save the turtles"/"protect our oceans" statements. And, while these notes are sprinkled throughout, "Deep Water" encompasses so much more. This book was such a beautifully deep and nuanced exploration of our oceans and humanity's dark and lurid relationship with the ocean, touching upon elements of science, history, and anthropology.
James Bradley starts off so strong, immediately diving into the many ways in which settler colonialism has had a devastatingly detrimental effect on the ocean ecosystem. I feel like too many nonfiction books on marine biology rarely touch upon the ways science and imperialism are intertwined and even those that do give the briefest afterthought mention in the epilogue chapters. In contrast, it was so nice to see how "Deep Water" came out swinging with a history of how the chattel slave trade and how the subjugation of the African continent directly tied to highly negative effects on oceanic life. Throughout the entire book, Bradley takes the time to continually weave together a highly Leftist and nuanced exploration of the ocean, both from the lens of how different cultures interacted with the ocean as well as touching upon creatures big and small from coral to salmon and beyond.
I appreciated how Bradley applies anti-capitalist viewpoints throughout his writing while also maintaining a level of nuance; acknowledging that a capitalistic world has evolved to become car centric while also criticizing the heavily increased demand for electric cars (tying into the bloody exploitation of cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo). I did feel that there were times when the text was a little too expansive, the the point of feeling mildly directionless at times, but overall, this is one of my favorite nature/science nonfiction books. I will heavily advise against reading this via audiobook as the narrator has a very distracting Australian accent, but I would def recommend the physical book.
James Bradley starts off so strong, immediately diving into the many ways in which settler colonialism has had a devastatingly detrimental effect on the ocean ecosystem. I feel like too many nonfiction books on marine biology rarely touch upon the ways science and imperialism are intertwined and even those that do give the briefest afterthought mention in the epilogue chapters. In contrast, it was so nice to see how "Deep Water" came out swinging with a history of how the chattel slave trade and how the subjugation of the African continent directly tied to highly negative effects on oceanic life. Throughout the entire book, Bradley takes the time to continually weave together a highly Leftist and nuanced exploration of the ocean, both from the lens of how different cultures interacted with the ocean as well as touching upon creatures big and small from coral to salmon and beyond.
I appreciated how Bradley applies anti-capitalist viewpoints throughout his writing while also maintaining a level of nuance; acknowledging that a capitalistic world has evolved to become car centric while also criticizing the heavily increased demand for electric cars (tying into the bloody exploitation of cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo). I did feel that there were times when the text was a little too expansive, the the point of feeling mildly directionless at times, but overall, this is one of my favorite nature/science nonfiction books. I will heavily advise against reading this via audiobook as the narrator has a very distracting Australian accent, but I would def recommend the physical book.
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced