Reaction to Beneath the Surface
In a matter of two days I have finished the book written by the former killer whale trainer John Hargrove. I have a lot of thoughts about this one, but I feel that I should address the weaker part of the book and then justify for their mistakes.
One element that I have major problems with was some of the grammar and sentence structure. At times it was very difficult to read because a sentence was phrased in a weird way and I had to reread it multiple times. I also found it odd that many things were repeated throughout the book and sometimes scattered. BUT I also found the repetition effective because then I actually would remember what I was reading and I would take something away from the book. Now I know about social dynamics of killer whales and how the females are the more dominant figures. Not to mention its matriarch. Although grammar mistakes are unacceptable, I have seen far worse in other books.
With that aside, let me point out the things I really liked. For example, I like how there is a conversational tone to the book. Rather than read a book dense with facts and information with no voice, I felt that I was in the room listening to his expertise. What I also enjoyed along with the conversational tone was hearing his side. His story. From his childhood to his journey of becoming a trainer and then becoming an advocate. Everyone's path is different, and everyone has different challenges. Hearing what he had to go through to get where he is today was very moving. The most important thing that this book did was provide more pieces to the Seaworld controversy. Ever since Blackfish came out Seaworld has fought back, calling out every point made and for saying that this was a propaganda film etc. Now I have a clearer idea what kind of corporation Seaworld is and what is really going on with the captivity problems. I do hope that more trainers step up and share their story. when they do i am looking forward to it.
Should I put complete trust this book? Not exactly. There are more books about Seaworld and Orcas out their. Once I read more of those books then the issue will become more clear to me. I’m excited to learn more about Seaworld and I am glad that I started with this book.
If you are interested with the controversies at Seaworld then I highly recommend this book.
What are your thoughts about Beneath the Surface? What Environmental book should I read next? Let me know and just keep swimming!