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From Publishers Weekly
Orca researcher Morton describes her more than 20 years studying the movements and sounds of orcas, the mammals, actually dolphins, commonly known as killer whales, or, regionally, blackfish. After getting her ears wet cataloguing the recordings John Lilly (the author of Man and Dolphin) made of his controversial language experiments with dolphins, Morton turned her own hydrophone on the captive orca pair Orky and Corky, at the now closed Marineland of the Pacific in Palos Verde, Calif. Inspired by Jane Goodall as an important but rare model, she soon decided to find wild orcas to record launching her lifelong study of the animals in the coastal waters of British Columbia. She has faced down the inherent difficulty of finding the elusive creatures she studies, the periodic economic uncertainty of life in a remote place and the death of her husband in a diving accident. Throughout her warm, energetic memoir, she relates her work to the strides made by other marine biologists, consistently balancing her open curiosity about the vagaries of mother nature with solid scientific inquiry. In later chapters, her focus turns to the impact of salmon farms on the coastal ecosystem. Morton's rich descriptions of individual orca movements, and how each relates to the species as a whole, course alongside her passionate defense of the ecological balance of the region; she infuses both with just the right amount of personal reflection to make this an engaging tale of a woman's commitment to science and a life well lived.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Morton has spent nearly 20 years studying the language and behavior of the orcas, or killer whales, that roam the waters of British Columbia. The author of two children's books on whales, she is a field scientist in the tradition of Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey. Although she does not possess an academic degree in science, she writes eloquently of the orcas' social groupings, strong mother-child bonds, migration patterns, and interactions with humans. Morton also graphically describes the effects of fish farming, logging, development, and whale-watching expeditions on the environment. Her book is primarily of value as an autobiographical document of a determined and highly self-motivated woman rather than a work of scientific popularization like Serge Dedina's Saving the Gray Whale or Dick Russell's Eye of the Whale. Readers will be impressed by the physical hardships of field work, the moving account of the death of her marine photographer husband in a diving mishap, and her stories of rearing her children on shipboard and in an isolated coastal community. Suitable for all public libraries. Judith B. Barnett, Pell Marine Science Lib., Univ. of Rhode Island, Kingston
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A multifaceted, beautiful account,
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This review is from: Listening to Whales: What the Orcas Have Taught Us (Paperback)
This book is so great because it works on multiple levels at once.i) It is the endearing autobiography of the author's transition from shy, confused teenager who heads West and gradually gets involved in the early scientific research on cetaceans, working with various greats in the field and then eventually finding her own footing on the coast of British Columbia, studying orcas with her underwater photographer husband. ii) You get a fascinating peak behind the scenes at the way life was with some of the early pioneers of cetacean research. Morton worked right in John Lilly's home back in the day, working on understanding dolphin language (assuming they have one), spent months hanging around the first aquariums to bring in cetaceans from the wild for the amusement ('education' maybe...) of the public, and also lived up on Paul Spong's notorious whale 'research' island off the coast of BC. After reading the many books and research articles of these and other people, it is really interesting to get someone's personal account of them. iii) Of course, Morton gives a great overview of the world of cetacean research (and the threats cetaceans are still facing in the form of pollution, environmental degradation, salmon farming, etc.), focusing on her speciatly, the Orcas (or 'killer whale'). There is a huge amount of fascinating information about orca 'dialects', cultures, and behaviors that you can learn from this book. What really makes it wonderful though is that these three themes of autobiography, biography and research review are so seamlessly and beautifully woven together. In terms of literary quality this is probably the best book out there on whales and dolphins, and a captivating look at the lives of the people involved (author included) to boot. Very highly recommended.
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you love the natural world, you'll love this book,
By
This review is from: Listening to Whales: What the Orcas Have Taught Us (Hardcover)
Alexandra Morton writes with both her head and her heart. I read about her in a magazine and checked her book out from the library. I have purchased 5 copies to give at Christmas, knowing without a doubt that each recipient will love her story and appreciate what they will have learned. Well written with scientific knowledge embedded in a wonderful life story.
5.0 out of 5 stars
She taught me a lot!,
By Icha (Townsville, Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Listening to Whales: What the Orcas Have Taught Us (Hardcover)
Being a whale lover, I'm always fascinated with killer whales. Reading this book made me want to explore killer whale pods in my own home country in Indonesia (we also have them!). She's very good in weaving scientific information to popular readings, and I think that's one of Morton's unique strength. Indeed, Morton has taught this silly marine mammal student to understand more of the marine mammal life, and their relations to our life as humans.
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