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| The Whale Warriors: The Battle at the Bottom of the World to Save the Planet's Largest Mammals | 
| Author: Peter Heller
Publisher: Free Press
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $6.19
You Save: $8.81 (59%)
New (41) from $6.19
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 30090
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9
ISBN: 141653248X
Dewey Decimal Number: 333
EAN: 9781416532484
ASIN: 141653248X
Publication Date: October 14, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new; never been read!!
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| Customer Reviews:
This One Will Hook You! (Pun Intended) November 25, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The book's cover convinced me to pick it up, but Peter Heller's writing and the Sea Shepherds' story kept my attention from that point onward. I'm usually not drawn to non-fiction unless I'm researching a subject, and generally never adventure "true life" material. This book, however, has changed that for me.
Heller combines just the right amount of prose with conversation, facts with perspective. He enters into the fray of the Sea Shepherds' world with enough hesitation to cajole the more timid into joining him and with enough enthusiasm and objectivity to keep the attention of those with fixed opinions (for or against) about the subject of whaling. It really isn't a one-sided show. During the course of the book, the author questions his own ideas about the Sea Shepherds' methods, Captain Watson's zeal, and the legality/morality of the two-month venture into the Antarctic seas. While obviously sympathetic toward the whales, he isn't overly sympathetic toward the protagonists who are there to protect the whales by (almost) any means necessary. There is just enough cynicism in his approach to allow you to decide the black and white for yourself.
The reader is swept along for the ride with Heller on this adventure and what a ride! It was very hard to put down the book and I read late into the night. Through Heller, I felt as though I were a mute crew member on the Farley Mowat during that expedition--present to observe the often humorous, occasionally mundane, sometimes terrifying, but always interesting activities and perspectives that the motley crew of the Farley Mowat experience and offer during that two-month period of time. I know it may sound trite, but I was truly inspired by their enthusiasm and resolve.
I know more about the whaling situation and what it really means to fight for their existence on this planet after reading The Whale Warriors than I have after years of getting Greenpeace updates or the occasional news report. It is tangible to me now, this fight for the whales--something that I have a visceral attachment to and not just a subjective ethical opinion about. I sincerely hope that the recent change in leadership in Australia (global warming's supposed to be the top issue now) helps to bring a backbone to the political stage there instead of just popular support for antiwhaling enforcement. After having mentioned Greenpeace, I should note some of the more interesting clashes weren't between the Sea Shepherds and the whalers, but with their fellow environmentalists. It is a subtle and charged situation, but it was eye-opening to see the exchanges between the Sea Shepherds and Greenpeace from the inside.
All of this said, I heartily recommend this book for a wonderful and fluid reading experience. You will definitely come away with an opinion on the subject and you undoubtedly will enjoy yourself during the adventure.
Whale Warriors Has Something for Everyone November 21, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Peter Heller dramatically brings to life the 2006 anti-whaling campaign in the Antarctic by the volunteers and crew of the Sea Shepard Ship, Farley Mowat. Heller is the kind of gifted writer that transports the reader into the scene. You'll feel the roll of the ship, the sting of the cold, dry snow, the icy chill of the spray and you will learn to appreciate why we should all care about what is happening in our oceans. This is an adventure book to be sure but there is a message here for all of us - we all must pay attention to what is happening to our earth. Whale Warriors is a must read and Peter Heller is an author to keep an eye on, he is destined for great things.
Grassroots Heroism - Sea Shepherd Is The Best! October 23, 2007
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
Wow! I've been a lifelong member/supporter of Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd. Heck, I even worked with him back in the founding days of Greenpeace, when Greenpeace was doing what Sea Shepherd does now. I thought I already "knew" all about the 2006 campaign in the Antarctic, but Heller's book really brings to life what it would have been like to be on the ship. Really terrific writing, heartbreaking commentary about whales and Planet Earth that puts it all in perspective, and exciting descriptions of the encounter with the murdering bogus "research" whalers. This book is very credible for its honesty. Life on the ship in the treacherous Antarctic Ocean is not a pleasure cruise; the ice and the weather are impressively difficult to endure. But endure it they did, well enough to find the deceptive, cowardly whalers and to engage them in a confrontation that nobody else in the world - not even any Navy of any country - has the balls to do. The crew of the good ship Farley Mowat are all heroes and heroins. These great folks do everything on a shoestring budget and continue to be pioneers in stopping slaughter and awaking minds around the planet. Thanks to Peter Heller for writing about it so well.
Eye-Opening Trip October 16, 2007
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Read "The Whale Warriors" and you will never, I suspect, skip another story about whale hunting or international whaling conferences or anything in newspapers and magazines about the quality of our oceans and their health. Full disclosure that Peter Heller is a Denver-based friend but I had no idea about the level of detail and eye-opening account he tells in this book. The entire issue of whaling is told with balance and perspective and passion and zeal. The details are worthy of the most attentive reporter, the depth of analysis carries weight and heft. Finally, the big moral question is well probed. Your appetite for fish may drop, but your interest in people who spend their lives making a difference in this world will increase. To boot, the writing is terrific. Many writers have "done" the Antarctic but Heller brings a fresh, cool touch. "The next morning at nine we rounded the high cliffs of Cathedral Rock guarding the eastern cape and turned north into South Bay. Since dawn the south coast had been a ragged rampart of tall fluted cliffs and sharp guard rocks at the mouth of rugged coves. Low scudding clouds and damp air. Fog boiling over the tops of the headlands. As soon as we turned the corner, the wind hit, twenty knots offshore from the northwest, and cold, raking the bay into gray chop." This is a trip well worth taking -- to the Antartic and deep inside your own awarness of government-backed exploitation of natural resources and what committed soldiers can accomplish if they decide to make a difference.
fabulous writing, high adventure September 29, 2007
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
This book has it all -- life threatening confrontations on icy seas, big boats crewed by men who don't mind flouting international law to continue an outdated and murderous hunt, a good guy with the face of a sea otter, nerves of tempered steel, and a heart full of devotion to the world's largest mammals... and Peter Heller's beautiful narrative that can swing from exquisite descriptions of Antarctica's ice coast to Ken Follet-caliber suspense. Once you've digested its message about the imminent collapse of the great whales as well as the other fisheries in our oceans, you'll never be able to order sushi again. Buy this book for the pleasure of the read, or buy it for the disturbing message about the state of our marine ecosystems -- it somehow makes the world feel more beautiful and more fragile than ever before. It made me feel simultaneously blessed to live on earth, and empowered to help it heal or slip away, depending on my actions. Bravo, Peter Heller! I'd give this book six stars if I could.
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Wildlife, nature and the Environment
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