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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Grandest of Lives Indeed!, August 4, 2006
This review is from: The Grandest of Lives: Eye to Eye with Whales (Hardcover)
When I was very young (about five years old) in addition to insects I was in love with sea monsters- squid, octopi, manta rays, sharks and of course whales. What fascinating creatures! After I became a biologist, specializing in arthropods, I sill found sea life of major interest and so it was that I joined a whale-watching cruise to the Coronados Island off Tijuana, Baja California, that was offered as a side trip after a scientific meeting in San Diego. It was a great experience (we saw about 2 dozen gray whales, including one pod that swam right by us in the late afternoon). Until now I have been generally disappointed with books on the subject of whales as they somehow did not seem to capture the real experience of seeing a whale in real life and in the process express the actual atmosphere of it all.
Douglas Chadwick has changed all that. His book "The Grandest of Lives: Eye to Eye With Whales" is a labor of love and it shows. His descriptions of experiences with, and the biology of, five examples of the Cetacea- the blue whale, the humpbacked whale, the orca, the minke whale and the northern bottlenose whale are golden! He captures the whales, their environment, and the people who study whales, so that you can almost catch the smell of the sea and the cries of sea birds. Most importantly he explores the mysterious lives of his subjects in a way I have seldom seen in any book. This is the next best thing to actually going out on a whale watch and a excellent read in preparation for going out to sea or after you have returned.
Chadwick also investigates the "scientific whaling" industry in which whales are "harvested" for "scientific research" by some of the countries who are members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The meat usually ends up on store shelves, sometimes including meat from species that are not even allowed to be taken for "science." He is pretty accurate in his observations and presents the views of the people who are involved in whaling as well as the reasons against such practices. This activity, along with overfishing of other marine organisms, and pollution and bycatch problems, is rapidly leading to the depletion of ocean life in some areas. However, whales are increasing in numbers along the Pacific coast of the United States and Mexico and a few other places where the whales are better protected.
Whales are wonderful creatures and if, after you have read this book, you are not impressed by them and the need to protect them I would be very surprised. These are indeed, the grandest of lives!
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chadwick does it again., February 16, 2007
This review is from: The Grandest of Lives: Eye to Eye with Whales (Hardcover)
Once again, scientist/author Doug Chadwick has written a book that charms with its prose and intrigues with its message. One of the finest nature writers of our time, Chadwick has outdone himself with this book on whales and other cetacea. It provides a wealth of information on these animals that was previously hidden away in scientfic journals. Beyond that, it provides a very personal glimpse of how whale research is being conducted and of the researchers themselves -- how they relate to whales in ways that never make it into technical articles. Yet, best of all is Chadwick's exploration into the nature of whale societies or cultures. Careful not to slip into anthropomorphism, Chadwick deftly graples with some of the most compelling issues of our time, concerning conservation of highly intelligent wildlife. Conventional wildlife management focues on numbers of animals, thinking of each member of a species as being equal to every other member of that age-sex class, then striving to maintain optimal numbers in each class to maximize harvstable yield. Only recently, with in depth studies of known individuals, have scientists begun to glimpse how much chimpanzees, gorillas, bears, and yes whales differ as individuals and groups, and how this affects overall welfare of populations and species. There is no book on non-primate animals to equal this one in trying to look beyond humanity to understand 'minds within the skins of other kinds.'
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Stephen F. Stringham, PhD, Wildlife Biologist
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
5 Species, 5 Stars, January 26, 2010
I thoroughly enjoyed this brief book with chapters on 5 whale species: humpback, blue, orca, minke, and northern bottlenose. Each chapter is filled with a good mix of what is known about the species, anecdotes about time spent at sea with whale researchers (and whales), and reflections on subjects such as whaling and interspecies communications.
I've been on quite a few whale watches off the coast of Massachusetts and have seen the excitement of people described in this book. Although it's not as exciting as watching the whales, it's a pleasure to people watch on a whale watch also.
Perhaps because most of the whales I've seen were humpbacks and minkes, those were my favorite chapters in the book. Anyone with an interest in nature and oceans will enjoy this book, and gain some basic knowledge about whales as well. The book also includes several pages of info on groups involved with whale research including opportunities to volunteer.
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