Fathoms: the world in the whale
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- Create Date：2021-08-10 08:51:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Rebecca Giggs
- ISBN：1913348806
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Summary
FINALIST FOR THE KIRKUS PRIZE FOR NONFICTION AND THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION
‘There is a kind of hauntedness in wild animals today: a spectre related to environmental change … Our fear is that the unseen spirits that move in them are ours。 Once more， animals are a moral force。’
When Rebecca Giggs encountered a humpback whale stranded on her local beach in Australia， she began to wonder how the lives of whales might shed light on the condition of our seas。 How do whales experience environmental change？ Has our connection to these fabled animals been transformed by technology？ What future awaits us， and them？ And what does it mean to write about nature in the midst of an ecological crisis？
In Fathoms: the world in the whale， Giggs blends natural history， philosophy， and science to explore these questions with clarity and hope。 In lively， inventive prose， she introduces us to whales so rare they have never been named; she tells us of the astonishing variety found in whale sounds， and of whale ‘pop’ songs that sweep across hemispheres。 She takes us into the deeps to discover that one whale’s death can spark a great flourishing of creatures。 We travel to Japan to board whaling ships， examine the uncanny charisma of these magnificent mammals， and confront the plastic pollution now pervading their underwater environment。
In the spirit of Rachel Carson and John Berger， Fathoms is a work of profound insight and wonder。 It marks the arrival of an essential new voice in narrative nonfiction and provides us with a powerful， surprising， and compelling view of some of the most urgent issues of our time。
‘There is a kind of hauntedness in wild animals today: a spectre related to environmental change … Our fear is that the unseen spirits that move in them are ours。 Once more， animals are a moral force。’
When Rebecca Giggs encountered a humpback whale stranded on her local beach in Australia， she began to wonder how the lives of whales might shed light on the condition of our seas。 How do whales experience environmental change？ Has our connection to these fabled animals been transformed by technology？ What future awaits us， and them？ And what does it mean to write about nature in the midst of an ecological crisis？
In Fathoms: the world in the whale， Giggs blends natural history， philosophy， and science to explore these questions with clarity and hope。 In lively， inventive prose， she introduces us to whales so rare they have never been named; she tells us of the astonishing variety found in whale sounds， and of whale ‘pop’ songs that sweep across hemispheres。 She takes us into the deeps to discover that one whale’s death can spark a great flourishing of creatures。 We travel to Japan to board whaling ships， examine the uncanny charisma of these magnificent mammals， and confront the plastic pollution now pervading their underwater environment。
In the spirit of Rachel Carson and John Berger， Fathoms is a work of profound insight and wonder。 It marks the arrival of an essential new voice in narrative nonfiction and provides us with a powerful， surprising， and compelling view of some of the most urgent issues of our time。
Reviews
Mrs。 Danvers
，
I am rounding up because， although I didn't find this as compelling as I had expected， I can't put my finger on why， and I think it reflects on me more than this book。 I am rounding up because， although I didn't find this as compelling as I had expected， I can't put my finger on why， and I think it reflects on me more than this book。 。。。more
Kyle Erickson
，
This is maybe a 3。5 star for me。 I learned a fair amount and certain parts were very interesting， and I love learning about Whales。 The parts about their vision and whalefalls and how whales are impacted and impact the environment and the parts about whale songs were fantastic。 I wanted to give this book 5 stars just for that。 Alas。 Two major problems arise here， both relating to writing style。 The first is just an extreme lack of focus。 The author would take huge tangents away from the central This is maybe a 3。5 star for me。 I learned a fair amount and certain parts were very interesting， and I love learning about Whales。 The parts about their vision and whalefalls and how whales are impacted and impact the environment and the parts about whale songs were fantastic。 I wanted to give this book 5 stars just for that。 Alas。 Two major problems arise here， both relating to writing style。 The first is just an extreme lack of focus。 The author would take huge tangents away from the central subject。 I would zone out on audio for just a second and suddenly she'd be discussing the history of plastic manufacturing or Japanese cuisine history。 None of it was TOTALLY unrelated， but I'd be left wondering， "Is this long tangent necessary？"。 The second problem is that the author was determined to write this in the most pretenscious way possible。 I am honestly baffled that she thought it was a good idea。 Why would you overwrite a book about whales this much？ Understand the general public。 I consider myself well read with good reading comprehension and half the time she would say five nonsense sentences that sounded lyrical but didn't mean anything at all。 It was severely off-putting。 If I had read it physically， I probably would have DNF'd。 It was a bit easier to bare as an audiobook; I could just float right past the unnecessary words。 A decent read overall， but I would only recommend if you really enjoy the subject matter。 。。。more
Helen
，
4。5 stars
Tom Ngo
，
Delightful！ Rebecca Giggs weaves illuminating facts with insightful， sensitive metaphor as she offers a profound perspective on the relationship of our race with that of the whale。
Island Lover
，
Seldom is it so easy to rate a book and in this case， putting 5-stars is without question。 Rebecca Giggs has an exceptional ability to wax poetic yet also inform and want the reader to keep flipping pages。 I was actually hesitant to come to the final pages， the feeling as if to see a friend off at an airport。 Supposedly Fathoms took 6 years to write。 I know Rebecca writes for the Atlantic and other publications but I am hopeful another book is well in the works and we do not have to wait years。 Seldom is it so easy to rate a book and in this case， putting 5-stars is without question。 Rebecca Giggs has an exceptional ability to wax poetic yet also inform and want the reader to keep flipping pages。 I was actually hesitant to come to the final pages， the feeling as if to see a friend off at an airport。 Supposedly Fathoms took 6 years to write。 I know Rebecca writes for the Atlantic and other publications but I am hopeful another book is well in the works and we do not have to wait years。 I had so many favorite parts and noted far more than I than I normally do while reading。 A few memorable bits are as follows:~"That night a group of us slept lightly in the dunes arrayed like questions marks and commas on the white sand。"~"Back then， though I， for one， had been hesitant to link the whale's demise to origins that were cosmic in scale or diabolical in character。"~"What a cruel and intimate historical loop: whale bodies provided the base chemistry from which the precursors to PCBs were extracted， and now， so many decades later， the legacy of elements of these substances came to rest and accumulate in the living animals。"~"We struggle to understand the sprawl of our impact， but there it is， within one cavernous stomach: pollution， climate， animal welfare， wildness， commerce， the future， and the past。 Inside the whale， the world。"~"One in six American whalers were recorded as African American。"~"What we stand to lose is more than mystery， more than cuteness or charisma: it is connections。"~"A basketball， sailed all the way across the globe with a resplendent chandelier of goose barnacles growing from its lower hemisphere。 In the bell of a whale， the greenhouse; and an unopened tin of spam found ten kilometers down in the stygian depths of the Mariana Trench （surely the furthest point any swine， dead or alive， has ever travelled to: that pig， an astronaut to its kind。"~"Gary Snyder， laureate of the parasites， would get into this scene， I think。 'Life is not just diurnal and a property of large interesting vertebrates，' Snyder petitioned， 'it is also nocturnal， anaerobic， cannibalistic， microscopic， digestive， fermentative: cooking away in the warm dark。' Who was only， ever themselves？ The whale， not alive， is becoming aliver with micro-biota。""In their breadth of connectedness， do whales not show us how to be conscious of environments we ourselves cannot see， environments beyond our habitation where crisis is being staged？" 。。。more
Liisa
，
Whales， the largest animals on this planet， have charismatic， near mystical qualities to them。 Encountered by few but known to all， they are a fascinating focal point for examining our relationship to the natural world as a whole。 And that’s exactly what Rebecca Giggs uses them for。 Fathoms – The World in the Whale zooms into different aspects of whales from their ecological significance to the shapes they take in our imagination; whales as commodities and food， as sufferers of plastic pollution Whales， the largest animals on this planet， have charismatic， near mystical qualities to them。 Encountered by few but known to all， they are a fascinating focal point for examining our relationship to the natural world as a whole。 And that’s exactly what Rebecca Giggs uses them for。 Fathoms – The World in the Whale zooms into different aspects of whales from their ecological significance to the shapes they take in our imagination; whales as commodities and food， as sufferers of plastic pollution， as tourist attractions。 Fathoms is written with a journalistic touch in prose filled with beautiful expressions， and I can only applaud Giggs for succeeding in her mission of effectively using these animals as a proxy for nature。 She’s patient with her explanations and even as a biologist， I learned a lot！ I was particularly interested in the ways whales can alter the climate and ocean chemistry， and how dramatically noise pollution limits whale communication。 I also appreciated the look into whaling as it takes place today - Fathoms was published last year so the information is current。 But some parts are just too long。 With each chapter there seemed to come a point where everything that needed to be said was said， yet some filler-like text was included。 Without it， I would consider Fathoms very near a perfect environmental nonfiction。 Even as it is， it comes close。 “To protect any wild animal now， the task is not to look for it， but to consider what it might depend on: the abundance of food， of shelter and paths of migration， the preservation of biophony， of oceanic chemistry and temperature within ranges tolerable to species other than our own; freedom from being crowded out by pollution。 We must think about the sensory realities we wish to sustain for animals， and those we wish to protect them from。 Both the suffocating love evoked by charisma， and the project of taxonomy – finding， naming， labeling – must give way before a duty to ecology。 These are responsibilities to one another， as much as to wildlife， for what we lose when we lose animals is a way to imagine the world as larger than we experience it。” 。。。more
Henk
，
Rich， vibrant and thought provoking。 Capturing the intricate and fragile ecosystems surrounding the biggest animals on earth in an intelligent and associative mannerWe had a picture of earth from space before we had a picture of a whale swimming underwaterFathoms: The World in the Whale is an incredibly informative book about whales 🐋Rebecca Giggs starts her story from her observations of a stranded whale， but ranges far and wide in this book。 I for instance never knew it costs AUD 188。000 clear Rich， vibrant and thought provoking。 Capturing the intricate and fragile ecosystems surrounding the biggest animals on earth in an intelligent and associative mannerWe had a picture of earth from space before we had a picture of a whale swimming underwaterFathoms: The World in the Whale is an incredibly informative book about whales 🐋Rebecca Giggs starts her story from her observations of a stranded whale， but ranges far and wide in this book。 I for instance never knew it costs AUD 188。000 clearing up a whale that is stranded。 Or that a whale was found with not only a matras but also a whole greenhouse that was washed into the ocean， in its stomach。These costs are due to the fact that killer whales are for instance the most contaminated animals， with blubber accruing heavy metals and toxins。 During the lifetime of the whale the blubber does not interact with the metabolism as long as the animal is not drawing on its reserves during migration。 But through the placenta and milk the toxins are transferred to calfs。 PCB’s being banned in the rich countries in the seventies having ramifications on killer whale populations nowadays， confining them to the arctic regions。From this point on the main motive of the book， how whales and humans interact， comes more and more into focus。 For instance Inuit women not being able to breastfeed due to whale meat consumption， with toxin level comparable to gold mine dwellers in China。Another topic of interest is how many species depend on whales， with up to 200 species feeding from a whalefall， a phenomenon only seen for the first time by a human in a submarine in 1977。Basque being the basis of modern whaling in the 16th century， the Dutch， Danish and British following soon the profits， with whaling being the 5th industry of the USA in the 19th century。 Like cows， whales were used for everything， from oil for lighting and greasing artillery to the first hoolahoop being from whale baleins。 People “bathing” in dead， steaming whales in Australia against reuma and psychological problems， a dip in a whale similar to a Turkish badThe oil industry advent versus whaling is interesting， from one side reducing demand while increasing the scope of humans to find and kill whales in the still pristine arctic on the other hand。 More than 3 million whales have been killed during the 20th century。Sperm whale oil being used by General Motors till 1973， while more regular whale oil was used for lipstick， margarine and glove coloring after the Second World War。I find it hard to amalgamate the different facts Giggs offers to the reader in a fully smooth narrative。 My recommendation would be to just read the book， if you are in any way interested in whales， ecosystems and capitalism vs ecology。 This is a book that makes you think hard about our species impact on the world， in the tradition of The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History of Elizabeth Kolbert。 Highly recommended！More fascinating factoids:Whales being worth 1。000 trees in carbon capture due to their moving nutrients up in the sea and transforming this into plankton。 90% of climate warming occurring in the oceans and changing the migratory patterns of whales， and CO2 accruing most in Arctic seas， possibly making it impossible for krill to spawn。Ecological collapse and interconnectedness of ecosystems， with microscopic krill potentially and ironically impacting the largest animals in the world。Ecotourism versus news like: https://www。nationalgeographic。com/an。。。A killer whale in captivity in Japan eating the equivalent of a washing machine in rocks from the soil of its enclosure， potentially as a kind of suicide to escape its conditions。A life size photo of a whale weighing 400 pounds， and all whales see in monochrome as they have hardly any cones in their eyes。Noise pollution in sealanes cutting up the living area and migratory routes of whales， with 1/3 of Mediterean whale stranding being due to naval exercises involving sonar。Humpbacks singing less loud than in the past， and threatened by Chinese navy encrypting information in broadcasts to evade。Cultural whale revolutions occurring periodically， leading to humpback songs becoming less complex in a kind of reset， before growing more intricate again。Till 1973 whale meat was available in Macy’s。 At the same time as the USSR was feeding whale meat to fur farms。Whales brings up 85。000 dollar in South-Korea。Even in Japan only 11% of household buys whale meat yearly， per person consumption being around the same as a few slices of ham。Narwhal and Beluga breeding with the climate change induced breakdown of polar ice borders between living areas。Seagulls attacking whale calfs in Argentina due to neural damage done to the birds from overuse of fertilizers as poured out into the oceanBirds having almost 8% of their weight being plastic。Whales carrying and supporting whole ecosystems， including whale lice， remora and a worm of over 26 feet long nestled in the uterus of sperm whale。Parasite as an evolutionary booster to help the development of the host。Whales that can reach an age of 211 years， and carry around stone and ivory harpoon tips。 。。。more
Randi Salyers
，
3。5 stars
Bruce
，
Giggs’s musings on whales and humans in the Anthropocene Epoch are presented in a thoughtful literary style。 The listener to this audio version is fortunate to hear Arserio read these meditations with a proper Aussie accent， so that it is heard in a way that the author from Perth would surely approve。 It’s a joy to listen to Giggs’s thoughts on all things cetacean and human。 Starting with her viewing of a beached and dying humpback whale in Western Australia， she reflects on the interactions bet Giggs’s musings on whales and humans in the Anthropocene Epoch are presented in a thoughtful literary style。 The listener to this audio version is fortunate to hear Arserio read these meditations with a proper Aussie accent， so that it is heard in a way that the author from Perth would surely approve。 It’s a joy to listen to Giggs’s thoughts on all things cetacean and human。 Starting with her viewing of a beached and dying humpback whale in Western Australia， she reflects on the interactions between whales and whalers from prehistoric times to present day Japanese factory ships， as well as the things that humans have made from their hunting of whales。 More urgently she calls attention to the trash， especially the plastics that humans have disposed of in the oceans and how this has harmed whales， citing the litter that has been found in dead whales， including most dramatically， an entire greenhouse。 This is a twelve-hour plus reading， a size worthy of its subject。 It covers whale myth and lore， scientific fact， the waxing and waning of public opinion， and quandaries of moral philosophy， economics， industry， and diet。 It is a feast of facts and prose。 It’s a whale of a great book。 （I couldn’t resist that last sentence。） 。。。more
Michael Giuliano
，
Shockingly intimate， well-reasoned， and beautiful。 Giggs writes adeptly about a dizzying array of topics while addressing an equally impressive number of themes。 The whale fall chapter contained some of the most gorgeous and captivating writing I have ever encountered。 One of the most spiritually and existentially worthwhile reads I can remember。
Sharon
，
An intellectual， philosophical approach to the topic of whales， opinion seems to be divided on goodreads between the love or loath， personally I loved this book。 Perhaps Giggs' style does not sit comfortably with some readers， perhaps too interrogatory about our attitudes， beliefs and intentions， perhaps too bleak in the portrayal of the whales environmental reality， the history of hunting and the current issues with pollution which can be quiet confronting。 Loved it， an excellent read and highl An intellectual， philosophical approach to the topic of whales， opinion seems to be divided on goodreads between the love or loath， personally I loved this book。 Perhaps Giggs' style does not sit comfortably with some readers， perhaps too interrogatory about our attitudes， beliefs and intentions， perhaps too bleak in the portrayal of the whales environmental reality， the history of hunting and the current issues with pollution which can be quiet confronting。 Loved it， an excellent read and highly recommend！ At the very least it is an easy 4 stars if not 5。 。。。more
Ann
，
occasionally interesting。 way too ramble and weird
NSchmi
，
I don't usually write reviews， but I decided this must be done because I felt I was going crazy。。。am I truly the only one that couldn't stand this book？ My husband joked that I broke out the 'whale book' whenever I needed a nap。。。and it became a running joke that it was a massive success if I read more than 1 page in a sitting。 Thankfully， I delved a little further into reviews and found others who felt as I did。I wanted - expected - a book about whales。 I expected good research from an award-wi I don't usually write reviews， but I decided this must be done because I felt I was going crazy。。。am I truly the only one that couldn't stand this book？ My husband joked that I broke out the 'whale book' whenever I needed a nap。。。and it became a running joke that it was a massive success if I read more than 1 page in a sitting。 Thankfully， I delved a little further into reviews and found others who felt as I did。I wanted - expected - a book about whales。 I expected good research from an award-winning science writer。 At least that second part was on point。 What I did not expect was for the science of whales to be diced up， shaken in a yahtzee cup with moral philosophizing， and haphazardly scattered all over the pages。 The word that kept coming to mind as I read this was 'self-aggrandizement'。 A little bit of whale fact with a lotta bit of often VERY tenuously related other facts/stories/musings。And， as a little snippet of what I mean， there is a part toward the end of the book where the author spends a couple of pages talking about how she goes on a date to a Japanese restaurant in Sydney， and the waiter gives them the restaurant's last bottle of plum wine from Fukushima pre-nuclear disaster。 The waiter goes on to say they will likely never buy wine from that region again because the terrior has been irrevocably altered by post-disaster cleanup。 And then the author shares how it felt to kiss her date with the taste of this last bottle of plum wine from Fukushima still in his mouth。 I still don't quite understand what this has to do with the price of tea in China。 （And， if you're asking why I'm talking about tea and not whales - welcome to my experience throughout this book。）This is not truly about whales。 This is using the facade of whales to hide a foray into overbearing literary pomposity。 I believe the author is an excellent science writer。。。but just as runners or swimmers have a distance at which they excel。。。the author's writing style is perhaps better suited for editorial-length。 Or， reformat and bill the book as a collection of essays - not a cohesive tale。 。。。more
Kathy Piselli
，
Many had trouble with Giggs' language， and so did I， but when it worked， it worked so well。 It was also language that did not shy from graphic description of death， decay， onboard whale processing， and eating of whales。 Scattered around were terrific details - who knew that preserving whale bones in churches was a thing？ I'd say the positives of this interesting book far outweighed the negatives。 Many had trouble with Giggs' language， and so did I， but when it worked， it worked so well。 It was also language that did not shy from graphic description of death， decay， onboard whale processing， and eating of whales。 Scattered around were terrific details - who knew that preserving whale bones in churches was a thing？ I'd say the positives of this interesting book far outweighed the negatives。 。。。more
Alex
，
The introduction/prologue， where Giggs discusses the process of "whale fall，" of how a dying whale descends to the bottom of the ocean and impacts other organisms that feed off of it， was the best part of this book， and set a high bar to start。 Sadly， the rest of the book paled in comparison to this and presented a real struggle for me to get through。 Giggs is without a doubt an extremely talented writer， but I felt that sections could have been better edited。 The introduction/prologue， where Giggs discusses the process of "whale fall，" of how a dying whale descends to the bottom of the ocean and impacts other organisms that feed off of it， was the best part of this book， and set a high bar to start。 Sadly， the rest of the book paled in comparison to this and presented a real struggle for me to get through。 Giggs is without a doubt an extremely talented writer， but I felt that sections could have been better edited。 。。。more
Nick Chanko
，
Really liked the philosophical insights and wandering nature of the narratives， but the vocabulary was very advanced， and use of arcane and uncommon words made it challenging to understand （even accounting for the scientific terms） -- I think makes it less accessible and， for me， a less enjoyable read。
Mike Tuholski
，
Fascinating read。 Complaining that the author wrote it with a thesaurus open in her lap and used unnecessarily and overly flowery language is a legitimate criticism but I actually found her poetic narrative style to be distinctive and interesting。
Samantha
，
The most amazing use of language， metaphor and simile I have encountered in a work of non-fiction in some time。 The way Giggs engages with scientific ephemera and chance encounters with whales is thought provoking， saddening， maddening but always graceful and finely observed， just like the creatures themselves。
Benjamin Williams
，
The best book I will read this year。 This is philosophy， memoir， nature writing， history， culture commentary and more all told through the largest mammals on earth。 If that isn’t beautiful enough， the prose by this author will take you over the edge。 A brilliant， standard-setting work for the genre。 Incredible。
Johnett
，
I almost gave up on this one。 There are just so many better books on whales and on our relationship with animals in general （e。g。: The Soul of an Octopus， H is for Hawk…）。 2。5 rounded up to 3。
Caitlin
，
Well written and an interesting blend of history， politics， culture， and science。 I did get tired of it。 I think I may not be as interested in whales as I thought I was。
Amy Casey
，
This book is so beautifully written， researched， and organized。 Like the whale， it is heavy。 Like the whale， it has many different functions and territories within a single body。 Part memoir， part natural history， part catalog， part philosophy， Rebecca Giggs takes on the massive task of exploring how whales and human beings will never be free of each other's influence。 She presents a connection between humans and whales across species that has enlightened， destroyed， moved， fed， thrilled， and po This book is so beautifully written， researched， and organized。 Like the whale， it is heavy。 Like the whale， it has many different functions and territories within a single body。 Part memoir， part natural history， part catalog， part philosophy， Rebecca Giggs takes on the massive task of exploring how whales and human beings will never be free of each other's influence。 She presents a connection between humans and whales across species that has enlightened， destroyed， moved， fed， thrilled， and poisoned bodies， cultures， and our own vision of ourselves。 An urgent and unflinching piece of environmental writing， and a true， poetic love at its core。 。。。more
Megan S
，
I am obsessed with whales and I love nature non-fiction。 Robert Macfarlane is one of my favourite modern authors and the style between him and Giggs was said to be similar so I thought I'd enjoy it。 But damn， this book was written by someone with the thesaurus on speed dial after tossing grammar out the window。 It was impossible to read and enjoy。 Where Macfarlane adds depth with his prose， Giggs' was muddy and incomprehensable。 It was at points impossible to understand what she was actually try I am obsessed with whales and I love nature non-fiction。 Robert Macfarlane is one of my favourite modern authors and the style between him and Giggs was said to be similar so I thought I'd enjoy it。 But damn， this book was written by someone with the thesaurus on speed dial after tossing grammar out the window。 It was impossible to read and enjoy。 Where Macfarlane adds depth with his prose， Giggs' was muddy and incomprehensable。 It was at points impossible to understand what she was actually trying to say - like reading Old English or something。 It saddens me because the subject of this book deserves a whole library。 We have so much to learn about and from our whale cousins， and quickly， before we kill them with negligence and greed。 This book just seemed like an author desperate to prove herself。 She could have let the subject matter shine through and written a brilliant book， I am sure of it， there's no doubt she knows the subject， but she veiled it behind her incomprehensible prose。 I hope someone， who is working less hard to prove themselves， writes this book and instead works hard to prove the value inherent in the subject。 The life forms we call whales deserve better。 。。。more
Charlotte
，
I was totally engrossed in parts of this book。 The content was fascinating and （despite having read a number of other books about whales） I felt like I learnt a lot。 Fathoms covers whale biology and behaviour， the history of the whaling industry and the negative consequences of ecotourism， pollution and climate change on various species of whale。 It also considers our interest in whales at a more philosophical level - and the psychology behind our need to ‘connect’ with animals - integrating the I was totally engrossed in parts of this book。 The content was fascinating and （despite having read a number of other books about whales） I felt like I learnt a lot。 Fathoms covers whale biology and behaviour， the history of the whaling industry and the negative consequences of ecotourism， pollution and climate change on various species of whale。 It also considers our interest in whales at a more philosophical level - and the psychology behind our need to ‘connect’ with animals - integrating the author’s own personal experiences throughout。It loses a star because in a few places analogies were drawn that just didn't make sense / were factually incorrect， and I felt like the author was trying too hard to be "poetic" at times。 。。。more
Amy Ashworth
，
I was reading a library copy and stopped part-way in to purchase my own so I could underline passages and reread。 Do eyes need to be opened to ecological harm that we do or ignore？ Yes， a million times。 Yes Is it a hopeful book？ It’s not a self-help book， so don’t look for tips on how to be a better steward。
Violet
，
An incredibly rambling， animal-cruelty-apologist's guide on how to be semi-committed to the animal rights movement。 I enjoyed the first few chapters， and from there the writing really went downhill for me。 At one point， Giggs actually eats whale after going on and on about how sacred they are。 Her continuous use of "it" instead of actual pronouns for the whales dehumanizes them further into the very object she complains the human race views these incredible animals as。 An incredibly rambling， animal-cruelty-apologist's guide on how to be semi-committed to the animal rights movement。 I enjoyed the first few chapters， and from there the writing really went downhill for me。 At one point， Giggs actually eats whale after going on and on about how sacred they are。 Her continuous use of "it" instead of actual pronouns for the whales dehumanizes them further into the very object she complains the human race views these incredible animals as。 。。。more
Maureen Caupp
，
An interesting read。 About Whales， but more so about the authors journey to understand what whales and their ecosystems mean to her。 The impacts whales have on people throughout history through to today and the impacts of human activities on whales and the environment they depend on。 Sad and haunting with loss， yet hopeful that action for change can be inspired。
Erin
，
I found the pacing uneven， the language incredibly flowery， and the topic deeply depressing。 All that being said， this book had some kind of way about it: I found myself distressed and horrified into self-reflection。 You know those books or documentaries people tell you not to watch if you want to keep eating meat？ I would say don't read this if you want to keep using plastic， at least in the volumes you currently make use of。But for all that， I enjoyed reading this。 I learned a lot， and I reall I found the pacing uneven， the language incredibly flowery， and the topic deeply depressing。 All that being said， this book had some kind of way about it: I found myself distressed and horrified into self-reflection。 You know those books or documentaries people tell you not to watch if you want to keep eating meat？ I would say don't read this if you want to keep using plastic， at least in the volumes you currently make use of。But for all that， I enjoyed reading this。 I learned a lot， and I really appreciated the way Gibbs draws connections between whales and humans， throughout history。 She brought a depth and nuance to the topic， and a respect for the creatures of the world that reminded me of Sy Montgomery or Aimee Nezhukumatathil。 This was simply full of interesting and thoughtful tidbits and had a fascinating way of looking at the world。Honestly， my biggest irritation is the lack of footnotes -- there are abundant resources listed， but no real way to figure out which fact comes from which resource。 If I was curious about a particular point （and I was）， I could not go back to its source。 I found this incredibly unfortunate， and this is what knocked a star off the review。 The uneven pacing was manageable， the flowery language somewhat compensated for the tragedy and horror within， and the depressing topic reflects reality and so would never merit a poor review。Took me right back to fifth grade and our Voyage of the Mimi days。 Whales continue to fascinate， and Gibbs fully examines why they are so intriguing， and how humans have both helped and hurt the global whale populations （sometimes at the same time）。 A satisfying read。 。。。more
Gabriel Thomas
，
A book about the beauty and our fascination with whales from a more scientific， less new age hippie， perspective。
Chelsea R。H。
，