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northship 's review for:
Beneath the Surface: Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish
by Howard Chua-Eoan, John Hargrove
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.