Of Orcas and Men, David Neiwert
Of Orcas and Men, David Neiwert
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Of Orcas and Men
What Killer Whales Can Teach Us

Author: David Neiwert

Narrator: Gabriel Vaughan

Unabridged: 10 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 12/19/2023

Categories: Nonfiction, Nature, Animals

Synopsis

The orca—otherwise known as the killer whale—is one of earth's most intelligent animals. Remarkably sophisticated, orcas have languages and cultures and even long-term memories, and their capacity for echolocation is nothing short of a sixth sense. They are also benign and gentle, which makes the story of the captive-orca industry—and the endangerment of their population in Puget Sound—that much more damning.

In Of Orcas and Men, a marvelously compelling mix of cultural history, environmental reporting, and scientific research, David Neiwert explores an extraordinary species and its occasionally fraught relationship with human beings. Beginning with their role in myth and contemporary culture, Neiwert shows how killer whales came to capture our imaginations and brings to life the often-catastrophic environmental consequences of that appeal.

In the tradition of Barry Lopez's classic Of Wolves and Men, David Neiwert's book is a triumph of reporting, observation, and research, and a powerful tribute to one of the animal kingdom's most remarkable members.

About David Neiwert

David Neiwert is a journalist and author and an acknowledged expert in American right-wing extremism. He has appeared on Anderson Cooper 360, CNN Newsroom, and The Rachel Maddow Show. His work has also appeared in the American Prospect, the Washington Post, MSNBC, Salon, and other publications. His previous books include The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right, Strawberry Days: How Internment Destroyed a Japanese-American Community, as well as And Hell Followed With Her: Crossing the Dark Side of the American Border, which won the 2014 International Latino Book Award.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Persephone's Pomegranate on December 27, 2023

Of Orcas and Men is a lovely book about the ocean's most intelligent and successful predator. Orcas have the most gyrified brain on the planet (the more wrinkled the brain, the more information it can handle). It is often said that orcas are our oceanic counterparts. These magnificent mammals live i......more

Goodreads review by Bonnie on August 09, 2015

This is the best nonfiction book I have read this year, and one of the best I have read in quite some time. The author obviously has a great appreciation and love for orcas, and his personal anecdotes of various encounters he has had with them add a great deal to his book. There are also fascinating......more

Goodreads review by Monica on February 28, 2016

Neiwert provides a clear, well researched overview of these beautiful creatures we call orcas. His book examines the changing societal views towards these creatures, and presents the traditional and sacred place the orcas hold in many Aboriginal cultures. This book also tackles the issue of captivit......more

Goodreads review by Brian on January 08, 2016

This is a must read for denizens of the Pacific Northwest! The Southern Residents most likely depend on Columbia River Chinook salmon runs, so these are also Oregon's whales along with Washington and BC. "Then, one of the few universal behaviors that they have is that they do not harm humans. They a......more

Goodreads review by Tom on June 03, 2017

Your rating of this book probably varies pretty significantly based on what you're expecting from it. I guess that's true of every book, but what I mean is, looking at the reviews here, some people seem pretty content just to have some orca content, others really connected to the more activist porti......more

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List