Spying on Whales: The Past, Present, and Future of Earth's Most Awesome Creatures by Nick Pyenson

Spying on Whales: The Past, Present, and Future of Earth's Most Awesome Creatures by Nick Pyenson
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Finished Reading: August 16, 2018
Format: Book
Favorite Quote(s):

"We sent whalesong into interstellar space because the creatures that sing these songs are superlative beings that fill us with awe, terror, and affection. We have hunted them for thousands of years and scratched them into our mythologies and iconography. Their bones frame the archways of medieval castles. They’re so compelling that we imagine aliens might find them interesting — or perhaps understand their otherworldly, ethereal song."

Review:
First, I listened to the audio book and didn't realize that the physical book is full of drawings and diagrams. I think this book would have been easier to follow if those diagrams had been provided to audio book listeners. Second, I had a hard time with the author describing hitching a ride with a whaling fleet out of Reykjavik. He gives many justifications that end with something along the lines of "if they're killing them anyway, at least let science benefit." This is bothersome to me especially because in what I think is the very next part he discusses the horrible impact of whaling. Pyenson says he is not a "whale hugger," however, I am a "whale hugger," and I think many of the people who will pick up this book are too. I feel like describing benefitting from the culling of whales was an oversight and miscalculation by Pyenson of who (outside of the science community) was going to be reading his book.

All of that said, I learned a lot about the animals that I go out to see in Stellwagen Bank 4 or 5 times per year. Though this book does tend towards the science-minded (make no mistake, this book is about the paleontology of whales, written by a paleontologist), it was packed full of information about the past, present, and future of whales that was very interesting to me (not a paleontologist... I'm a special ed math teacher). My favorite thing that I learned had to do with how we live in the age of giants now, a time that I thought we were long past. The part about the right whale with the stone harpoon was pretty incredible as well. Overall, it is an well written book if you know what you are getting into.