Customer Reviews

Togetherness is Our Home: An Orca's Journey through Life

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If you love orca whales you will love "Togetherness Is Our Home". The author is a long time researcher who has taken her real life experiences with these wonderful creatures and created a fictional story that is as realistic as true life. I have often been called a "whale nut" because I experience these creatures at least once a year in the wild so I know how accurate the details are. I tell people that this is a text book of orca behavior put into a fictional setting. It is amazing. I have bought a copy for my grandchildren because I want them to know these animals as I do for the civilized and loving family members that they are. There is no better way to get kids interested than a book like this. They won't put it down!

An incredible work by a fine scientist and friend. Astrid has fused over 20 years of Orca Survey (photo identification) experience with hundreds of days of glass observations at marine parks, and thousands of hours of whale talk. Additionally she's a medical doctor, with an amazing understanding of anatomy and physiology, which lends accuracy to her descriptions of movements, nursing, birthing, and more. I met Dr Van Ginneken while working with Gudrun, the orca whom inspired Tuschka's fictional life, at a marine life park in Florida; 1987. I've had the pleasure of spending many hours with her, as a trainer, talking whales; then later in the San Juan Islands, observing the Southern Residents. She's an amazing woman, friend, musician, physician, scientist, and whale lover, and her book is a great accomplishment; a must read fictionalized natural history for whale and dolphin enthusiasts. Thanks Astrid.

Astrid van Ginneken knows her whales inside out. Studying orcas in the wild and in captivity for more than 20 years has provided her with the all the facts about these beautiful and intelligent animals. But in addition to that, Astrid van Ginneken is an amazing storyteller. Read this wonderful book and dive into the world of orcas. Get captivated by their stunning family life that is as complex and intriguing as our own. This novel is a must for all whale and dolphin lovers!

It's absolutely a good book, written by Astrid Van Ginniken after many years working with Ken at the Center for Whale Research. It's all about how orcas live, from their point of view, with the added drama of a dilemma over whether to release a captive orca, from the humans' and the orcas' point of view. I won't give away the plot, but it's entertaining and highly informative. Astrid is a scientist with amazing creative abilities.

The story of Tuschka and her family is a beautiful and moving novel that both educates and entertains at the same time. The author has done an exceptional job of drawing the reader inside the orca's world of loving and lifelong family relationships. I will NEVER AGAIN pay to see a captive orca perform at sea World or any other park. At the end of the book are recommendations for further reading that I appreciated very much. I am purchasing several copies for Christmas presents this year. Thank you Dr. van Ginneken.

Togetherness Is Our Home, An Orca's Journey Through Life, by Dr. Astrid M. Van Ginneken is written with painstaking care, and with such feeling one will learn much while being thoroughly entertained. This novel, based on research, intuition, intellegence and a very palatable touch of antrhopomorpisism is the best I've seen in my more than 40 years experience with orca's both in captivity and in the field. It is so realistic all ages and people with all levels of marine mammal experience will truly enjoy reading it. I encourage all with an interest in or love of animals of all species to read this special book. It says a lot, you'll learn a lot, it'll bring a tear to your eye and a greater appreciation for killer whales. Tuschka's adventures, from Icelandic conception, birth, to a period educating people while on dislplay, and back to Iceland again,are spellbinding. Controversial issues are presented clearly and with respect. I highly recommend it.

I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Astrid when I interned at the Center for Whale Research this past June. Astrid is an amazing person, with some of the most incredible stories. She incorporates some of these stories into the book, and brings the characters (Tuschka, her family, and the people she interacts with along the way) to life. Her years of experience with killer whales help make this book educational as well. I would reccomend this book to anyone with an interest in cetaceans, or animals in general. It shows the love and dedication that killer whales have for their family members, and opens a new insight into the lives of a once misunderstood species. Astrid even adds some romance into the novel for romatics like myself. :D
This story is for all ages, from 8-108! I am sure that it will touch the heart and soul of anyone who reads it.

This book is captivating and will send you on an emotional roller coaster. It is a satisfying read for those who desire captive whales to be free. Written by scientist, Orca observer and co-Principle Investigator at the Center for Whale Research, and friend, Dr. van Ginneken blends her knowledge of 20 plus years of Orca hierarchy and behavior within a fictional story. This story seems to parallel Lolita's current plight in Miami, though she drew much from her past interaction with Gudrun, an Orca sent from Amsterdam, the Netherlands to Sea World, FL. For all people who want to read a terrific animal story, you will put the book down with much more knowledge about Orcas and perhaps a different perception of cetaceans held in captivity. After seeing Orcas in the wild with Dr. van Ginneken in Friday Harbor, WA, I can only hope so.