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frenchfrybri's review against another edition
4.0
interspecies neuroscience is cool and i want to party with the minoans.
normally i like science/memoir books, but this was a little too heavy on the personal side. there was a fair bit of science but i would’ve read a lot more, and i wish that the minoan archaeology chapter made up a lot more of the book
normally i like science/memoir books, but this was a little too heavy on the personal side. there was a fair bit of science but i would’ve read a lot more, and i wish that the minoan archaeology chapter made up a lot more of the book
chloj_805's review against another edition
2.5
Some parts were fascinating, but took me forever to finish.
apbookout's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
chloekg's review against another edition
4.0
Breezy and enjoyable read, it is apparent that the author had a great time in writing this, despite the many emotional hardships that come with giving voice to this gregarious mammal. From bizarre tales of New Age Hawaiians and sordid Navy research, to the modern day crises of politics and capitalism, Casey provides a surprising breadth of content around this deeply relatable theme.
amberderuyt's review against another edition
5.0
A FASCINATING read, I knew close to nothing about dolphins in or out of captivity before I started this book and I now am desperate to call myself an expert. Brilliantly written and structured too
livres_de_bloss's review against another edition
DNF. This is terrible.
Everything about this book is misleading. This is not about dolphins, but people. We learn nothing about dolphins. This is written by some wacky journalist with no scientific knowledge and even less credibility back up her wild pontifications.
It was a pretty big mistake to start the book with a chapter plugging some nutter woman’s new age nonsense about dolphins. I reckon quite a few people gave up after that. I soldiered on but when I got to the point where the author was rambling on about performing mutilations on live dolphins and dropping one sweet creature on the floor so hard that it killed her, I had to stop.
I will not pass this on. This isn’t even going to the charity bin. This is garbage.
Everything about this book is misleading. This is not about dolphins, but people. We learn nothing about dolphins. This is written by some wacky journalist with no scientific knowledge and even less credibility back up her wild pontifications.
It was a pretty big mistake to start the book with a chapter plugging some nutter woman’s new age nonsense about dolphins. I reckon quite a few people gave up after that. I soldiered on but when I got to the point where the author was rambling on about performing mutilations on live dolphins and dropping one sweet creature on the floor so hard that it killed her, I had to stop.
I will not pass this on. This isn’t even going to the charity bin. This is garbage.
bethany_demott's review against another edition
5.0
I loved reading this book. I usually don’t read non-fiction, but Susan Casey is an excellent storyteller. There’s so much to learn about dolphins themselves, beliefs around them (some of them are shocking), and the horrors of how they’re brought into captivity.
I found myself talking about this book all the time. So fascinating.
I found myself talking about this book all the time. So fascinating.
lizaroo71's review against another edition
5.0
Ever since I can recall, I have loved dolphins. This is something my friends and family know about me (just recently my mother gave me a ring with a dolphin on it). Casey has sealed the deal with why dolphins are our elders. Their brains are intricate webs of understanding. They stay in pods and develop elaborate relationships within their families. Dolphins use tools, they grieve, they frolic, they are curious. Dolphins engage with their world in ways we can't even begin to fathom.
Man's hubris has taken a toll on our friends in the ocean. These effects may be beyond repair. This truly breaks my heart. I want the world to be a better place for my girls and I fear we have ravaged the ocean to the point of no return. There are chapters that highlight man's brutality and ignorance in ways that are difficult for me to take in.
But Casey gives us the other side of humanity as well. The cultures that celebrate the dolphin; the men and women that put themselves in the line of fire for all cetaceans' welfare; the scientists that are working to unravel the ways dolphins (and other cetaceans) interact with the world. This gives me hope.
Man's hubris has taken a toll on our friends in the ocean. These effects may be beyond repair. This truly breaks my heart. I want the world to be a better place for my girls and I fear we have ravaged the ocean to the point of no return. There are chapters that highlight man's brutality and ignorance in ways that are difficult for me to take in.
But Casey gives us the other side of humanity as well. The cultures that celebrate the dolphin; the men and women that put themselves in the line of fire for all cetaceans' welfare; the scientists that are working to unravel the ways dolphins (and other cetaceans) interact with the world. This gives me hope.
ryanjjames's review
2.0
This was a dark look at our troubled relationship with dolphins and told from a generalist/emotional perspective. Casey is a writer and not a scientist. Much of the book involved the author travelling to places were dolphins are captured, slaughtered or the marine parks where they are held. Dolphins have advanced intelligence and she talks about lawyers arguing to extend habius corpus status so that humans stop trapping these sentient beings for entertainment purposes. The author also looked at the high degree of pollution that man has put into the ocean. It’s all factual, but the story was told without much in the way of a silver lining. I picked up this book wanting to learn more about how dolphins communicate. Instead I found myself hate-reading this book in the hopes that it would offer some positive message at some point. Unfortunately, it didn’t. It was a depressing look at all that is bad in our relationship with the planet (in general) and dolphins (in particular).
Thanks,
Brian
Thanks,
Brian