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Of Orcas and Men: What Killer Whales Can Teach Us 1st Edition

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ISBN-13: 978-1468308655
ISBN-10: 1468308653
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Of Orcas and Men: What Killer Whales Can Teach Us + Beneath the Surface: Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish
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Editorial Reviews

Review

It is tragic and unforgivable that humanity, in its arrogance, continues to assert that other animals are mere 'things.' In this powerful and beautifully written book, David Neiwert explores the extraordinary intelligence, rich social life, and obvious consciousness of orcas. He points out the psychological cruelty inflicted when an individual is stolen from the wide ocean and incarcerated in a concrete prison for our 'entertainment.' Of Orcas and Menhighlights the need to rethink our relationship with other animals. (Jane Goodall, New York Times bestselling author of Seeds of Hope)

Human beings need to learn from and understand the cooperative nature of orca society. Everyone who is interested in both animal and human behavior should read this remarkable book. (Temple Grandin, New York Times bestselling author of Animals in Translation and Animals Make Us Human)

One of the most comprehensive works to date for anyone who has become enthralled by this magnificent animal. (Gabriela Cowperthwaite, Director of Blackfish)

Humans and killer whales have a long and complicated history, one that David Neiwert describes forcefully and eloquently in this fascinating and highly readable book. (David Kirby, New York Times bestselling author of Death at SeaWorld)

A wide-ranging, interesting book that should be required reading for school-aged environmentalists. (Kirkus)

A triumph of far-ranging research and vivid storytelling. Eloquent, astute, and compassionate. (Brenda Peterson, author of Build Me an Ark: A Life With Animals)

Many of the stories are incredible and heartwarming, other shocking. This book is a great read for any nature lover. (Jeffrey Ventre, Blackfish cast member)

About the Author

David Neiwert is an investigative journalist based in Seattle. He is the author of many books, including And Hell Followed With Her: Crossing the Dark Side of the American Border and Strawberry Days: How Internment Destroyed a Japanese American Community. His reportage for MSNBC.com on domestic terrorism won the National Press Club Award for Distinguished Online Journalism in 2000. He is also a contributing writer for hte Southern Poverty Law Center.
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: The Overlook Press; 1 edition (June 16, 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1468308653
  • ISBN-13: 978-1468308655
  • Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful By Joshua N. Wiley on July 2, 2015
Format: Hardcover
Of Orcas and Men is a beautiful, very readable account of the Killer Whale, Orcinus orca, its natural history and ecology, and its human history and interaction.

Neiwert is a journalist and writes this full book as a labor of love. He is an amateur, in the best sense, not a professional scientist. He tends to quote the key researchers at length from personal interviews after summarizing their work. There are no close references, although there are some notes. (My biggest lead is to read Lori Marino's papers.) Some reviewers have noted that the book is somewhat repetitive, which is true. Some of the factual underpinnings of the account are scattered and hard to find for reference. Chapter subheadings would have been helpful, IMHO, although they would break up the flow a little.

What I probably learned most from Neiwert's book is that Killer Whales limit the range of their abilities and instinctive responses by social intelligence and "ethnic" culture. The males don't fight--at least not to the degree seen in other dolphins (or Sperm Whales). Everyone shares food. Everyone eats a particular kind of food, according to the specialization of the ecotype. Orcas don't eat human beings, at all--although they certainly could. (Bears, sharks, and crocs all do. Lions do.)

Neiwert is clearly on the path to show that Orcas are exceptional vis-a-vis other dolphins and all whales. This contrasts with the account given in the more scientific but nonetheless complementary text of the past year, _The Cultural Lives of Whales and Dolphins_ (Whitehead and Rendell, 2014). Whitehead and Rendell focussed on some smaller dolphins as especially matrilineal odontocetes—Orcas, Sperm Whales, and Pilot Whales—as possessing culture and being dependent on culture.
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Format: Kindle Edition
I remember reading about Namu when I was a child. Namu was the first documented killer whale (orca) captured and displayed for the public. During his short lifespan, Namu helped change public opinion of orcas from that of “the most vicious and intelligent killer in the sea” to “cuddly intelligent beast that only kills when needed to live”. However, neither view truly captures the complexity of this amazing animal, nor was Namu’s tale the beginning of the story of interactions between mankind and orca, nor was it to be the ending …
 
In his book “Of Orcas and Men: What Killer Whales Can Teach Us”, David Neiwert covers the historical and cultural gamut of encounters between humans and orcas (although heavily weighted towards those in and from Washington and British Columbia). These go back to look at the historic record of the native peoples of those areas, through to the local residents and tourists today – as well as the companies who own aquatic-based theme parks displaying orcas and the employees who work at and tourists who visit those attractions. He also looks at individuals – humans who research the whales, humans who captured and displayed them, and even individual orcas in captivity and in the wild.
 
The author succeeds in writing a non-fiction narrative that does not have the dry feel of a textbook, drawing the reader in with narratives and anecdotes while also referencing studies and findings based both on wild whales and those in captivity.
 
Mr. Neiwert strives to write a balanced report, although he makes no effort to disguise his preference that orcas should not be held in captivity, whether captured in the wild or captive-bred.
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