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The Whale Warriors: The Battle at the Bottom of the World to Save the Planet's Largest Mammals Audiobook
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(4.23) - 26 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In the tradition of The Perfect Storm, The Whale Warriors takes us on a hair-raising journey aboard a whale-saving pirate ship with a vigilante crew whose mission is to stop illegal Japanese whaling in the stormy remote seas off Antarctica.
For two months, journalist Peter Heller rode aboard the vegan pirate ship Farley Mowat as it stalked its prey—a Japanese whaling fleet—through the storms and ice of Antarctica. The ship is black, flies under a jolly roger, and carries members of the Sea Shepherd Society, a radical environmental group who are willing to die to stop illegal whale hunting.
The Sea Shepherd ship, led by the charismatic Captain Paul Watson—a modern-day anti-Ahab—takes extreme risks in defense of whales and ratchets up the stakes. The ship is almost sunk twice, once in a force gale. Heller re-creates a nail-biting showdown when Watson and the crew attempt to ram an enormous Japanese whaling ship on the high seas, trying to tear open its hull with a steel blade called a "can opener." The crews on board both ships know that there will be no assistance in this desolate part of the ocean. In thirty-five-foot seas, it is a deadly game of Antarctic chicken and a fast-paced, rollicking adventure in which the stakes cannot be higher.
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"To say "I really liked it" about this book isn't quite right because I didn't particularly "like it." I did, however, find it devastatingly informative. So much so, I am not sure I will be able to eat seafood again, or if I do, it will be done with a seriously guilty conscious. "
— Irus (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Shocking and repulsing, Heller’s adventures will inspire many readers to agree that ‘If the oceans are dying in our time, and we kill them … we should have committed a crime so heinous we shall not ever be redeemed.’”
— Publishers Weekly -
Heller's writing is energetic and bold, at times a swashbuckling adventure, at others a portrait of a determined eco-warrior, at others a heart-rending expose on the cruelty of whalers.
— Publishers Weekly -
“The reader rides the rush of adrenaline and understands their dedication and passion.”
— Booklist
The Whale Warriors Listener Reviews
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" I loved this book. I learned so much and want to do more to help the oceans. Great read "
— Katy, 8/5/2010 -
" Una bellissima storia di mare, ma soprattutto la cronaca di un moderno Don Chisciotte che lotta contro i mulini a vento delle multinazionali giapponesi.<br/>La differenza è che mentre il personaggio letterario si è perso nella sua follia, Paul Watson i suoi mulini a vento li abbatte sul serio. "
— Thico, 7/8/2010 -
" A very one sided argument; however, it is an argument that barely gets any recognition in the media, and is often discounted as ‘greenie’ propaganda.<br/><br/>Although I am a bit of greenie sympathiser myself, so I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Enough said. <br/> "
— Karla, 6/1/2010 -
" Fantastic view of what it is like to be on the Sea Shepherd. Deals well with the arguments against whale hunting but also leaves you with some ambiguous feelings about the methods. "
— Lindsay, 5/15/2010 -
" I loved this book. It was part adventure story, part eco-crusade, part tragedy. As a veterinarian who happens to be very passionate about aquatic medicine, this was a must-read for me. It was beautifully-written and poignant. Highly recommended. "
— Sarah, 5/12/2010 -
" am inspired to join the Sea Sheperds. "
— Joe, 1/7/2010 -
" I loved this book. I cried each time they talked about how the whales are killed, how their babies swim around them, how whales who were saved thanked their rescuers. I was amazed, outraged, and invigorated by this book. "
— Alene, 10/20/2009 -
" I have never had a book that made me cry. Yes, cry. You should read this unless descriptive scenarios of whale slaughter is not something you want to read. If I did not have the life I have today, I would join the fight today. "
— Phil, 8/30/2009 -
" Profile of Sea Shepherds, an activist group that combats Japanese whalers in the Antarctic. They're also featured on the Animal Planet show Whale Wars. This book provides an insiders view behind the scenes on one of their campaigns. "
— Michael, 8/29/2009 -
" Exciting account of the efforts of some very determined people to make Japan stop killing whales in the Antarctic. I happened to see the Sea Shepherd in Bermuda before I had heard of the book. A very good book. "
— Miriam, 8/12/2009 -
" You will never eat fish again, but I already knew this. SAVE THE OCEANS "
— Julie, 7/1/2009 -
" A adult book but very exciting,sad,and a over all good read. "
— Trevor, 6/16/2009
About Peter Heller
Peter Heller is the national bestselling author of The River, Celine, The Painter, and The Dog Stars. The Painter was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and won the prestigious Reading the West Book Award, and The Dog Stars has been published in twenty-two languages to date. He is also the author of four nonfiction books, including Kook: What Surfing Taught Me about Love, Life, and Catching the Perfect Wave, which was awarded the National Outdoor Book Award for Literature. He holds an MFA degree from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in poetry and fiction.
About James Boles
James Boles is an accomplished audiobook narrator whose work includes such titles as Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town by Nate Blakeslee and A Disorder Peculiar to the Country by Ken Kalfus. He is also an award-winning stage actor. He lives in Stratford, Connecticut.