Book Description
In Listening to Whales, Alexandra Morton shares spellbinding stories about her career in whale and dolphin research and what she has learned from and about these magnificent mammals. In the late 1970s, while working at Marineland in California, Alexandra pioneered the recording of orca sounds by dropping a hydrophone into the tank of two killer whales. She recorded the varied language of mating, childbirth, and even grief after the birth of a stillborn calf. At the same time she made the startling observation that the whales were inventing wonderful synchronized movements, a behavior that was soon recognized as a defining characteristic of orca society.
In 1984, Alexandra moved to a remote bay in British Columbia to continue her research with wild orcas. Her recordings of the whales have led her to a deeper understanding of the mystery of whale echolocation, the vocal communication that enables the mammals to find their way in the dark sea. A fascinating study of the profound communion between humans and whales, this book will open your eyes anew to the wonders of the natural world.
Customer Reviews:
Listening to Whales By: Alexandra Morton.......2005-12-01
'Listening to Whales' was a touching story of how a women's life was enchanted through her passion for marine life. We follow the author, Alexandra Morton, through her life and career- which often go hand in hand- as she evolved as a marine scientist and a woman devoted to her love: the orcas. We are taken from her first job as an acoustics expert in Marineland to her more profound passion which is to examine the killer whales in their natural habitat; the open ocean. This book was not only captivating, but as I read through it I learned so many fun facts about orcas and dolphins and the life of a marine enthusiast.
My favorite aspect of the book was the way she explained how her extreme passion for orcas came to be. I loved learning about how her love for marine life evolved from her love of frogs and grew from there. I find it so fascinating that as a small child something like loving frogs has evolved for decades and turned into her fulltime career. It proved how dedicated she has been to her work for so long and how there is constantly so much more to learn. I loved how she dedicated her young life to follow her dream, and this story showed how far you can come if you are persistent and dedicated.
There wasn't any specific part of the book I didn't like. It was a story of this brilliant woman's dreams and stories, I don't think anyone is to say there was something wrong with it; it's an unedited, unchangeable story of her life. I think she had a good balance of her life-stories and experiences and her knowledge and history of her life with the whales. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in marine life or anyone who has a passion that they want to persue. It's a very inspiring story, which makes the book good for almost anyone.
Listening to Whales.......2005-11-30
The novel "Listening to Whales: What the Orcas Have Taught Us" tells Alexandra Morton's story of how she dedicated her life to studying marine mammals, in particular killer whales, in captivity and in the wild. In addition, it describes the struggles she encountered along the way, such as caring for her young son on her own. After finishing this novel, the reader feels like she is an expert on killer whales, due to the clear descriptions Morton gives on the lifestyle, habits, and traits of the species. I felt that for the parts of the novel when Morton described her life aside from the whales, though, that she skipped over details, making it seem like events occurring over a long period of time were instead occurring over a matter of a few days. I would definitely recommend this book, especially to anyone interested in learning about killer whales and how important it is for people to protect their species.
learning about whales.......2005-11-30
Alexandra Morton's book, "Listening to Whales" is a fantastic story of how she came to study and love dolphins and killer whales. Morton grabs the reader's attention from the beginning by telling of her childhood and how she came to love animals and research. She was first intrerested in frogs, then snakes, then moved onto dolphins and eventually to killer whales. Morton's story of how she started her career was fascinating, and all about meeting the right people at the right times. She started slow but her passion willingness to learn kept her going. After years of tedious work, Morton finally landed a job at Marineland where her first job was to study the sounds that dolphins make. By using a hydrophone, Morton was able to listen to the dolphins, but there were many problems in her studies. One problem was that the dolphins were too fast for her to write cooresponding notes, and also, she wasn't able to figure out which dolphin was making which noise. Two killer whales that also happened to be in Marineland started Morton's true interest on killer whales.
Morton's career has let her listen to these killer whales, witness a birth, and uncover habits of these creatures that no one at first believed. Morton then goes into the wild to listen to and observe these beauties in their natural habitats. Morton continues to study killer whales in the wild and learns a lot from listening to these whales communicate.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought it was interesting that Morton gave a lot of information on her personal life and background and told the readers of how she started her career. I thought the way she opened the book got the reader's attention from the start and built up her ethos. The only weakness to the book I'd say is that it is a little slow at the beginning. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about killer whales, or anyone who wants to hear the story of how a young, animal loving girl, grew up to be a wonderful scientist. This is story is one of "following your dreams". Morton did what she loved and knew she wanted to do, even when discouraged by others. Aspiring scientists and whale lovers would love this book.
amazing.......2005-11-29
Listening to Whales is a wonderful story of a woman's life in the wild and the beautiful creatures she has devoted her life to. This auto-biography of the life of Alex Morten follows her journey through studying dolphin noises to captive dolphins to captive orcas and finally spending 25 years in the wilderness off the western coast of Canada studying killer whales in the wild. This story is so powerful and definitely shows us how important and intelligent these creatures are. Aside from retelling the moving story of how the whales thrived in those empty waters to completely leaving the same land with the coming of fish farms, this novel teaches the reader so much about this whale species, their culture and their environment. This is a must read for anyone interested in the preservation of the once pristine waters that are home to the killer whales and other marine animals--such as dolphins, porpoises, salmon, seals and otters--and for anyone who finds these beautiful and smart animals at all intriguing. Morton will make any reader fall in love with orcas as she takes the readers out on the waters in her boat, watching the whales live, play, love, and die. The end of the novel becomes more of a commentary on the industries--fish farming in particular--that destroy natural ecosystems. Morton leaves the touching story of her whales as they leave the once peaceful waters near her home, and throws a lot of political jargon at the reader. Though what she has to say is quite shocking, and definitely will leave the reader understanding the terrible effects of such an industry, the constant barrage of numbers and statistics that Morton uses to get her point across can become quite tiresome. However, it makes the final beautiful pages of this novel all the more emotionally touching. This book is amazing, and will definitely leave any reader feeling the same love that Morton does towards killer whales.
A researcher's life study of the complex marine mammal, the killer whale.......2005-11-29
The book, Listening to Whales: What the Orcas Have Taught Us, is a spellbinding story of a woman's stuggle through life as she relentlessly studies killer whales. She brings us with her through her life's work of note taking and photo identification of the whales as she raises children, survives as a single mom in the wilderness, and falls in love. Alexandra Morton also teaches us of our human errors and our insensitive treatment of nature, as we do whatever is needed to fill our own pockets with more money, acting naive to how it is affecting the world around us. I especially enjoyed the peace and serenity of the novel. The setting and the whales themselves calms the nerves. I think it makes us all somewhat jealous of life outside of busy streets and many people. However, like with all autobiographies, the author can not control what has already happened, which makes the story move slow at the times when not a lot happened in the author's life. I would definitely recommend this novel, especially to anyone wishing to learn about whales and to anyone who loves reading about the serene and complexity of nature.
Amazon.com
Novelist Susan Vreeland has made a career of fictionalizing the lives of artists and of particular paintings, like Artemisia Gentileschi¹s magnificent Judith in The Passion of Artemisia. In her third novel, The Forest Lover, Vreeland's subject is the courageous Canadian painter Emily Carr, who traveled through native villages and wilderness of British Columbia in the early 1900s, often alone, on a quest to paint totem poles and other artifacts before the indigenous traditions died out and the poles were destroyed or sold. Vreeland's Carr is deeply respectful of the people she meets, and is rewarded with their trust and their stories. She brings the same sensitivity with her to Paris to see the new art, is exhibited at the Salon d'Automne, and returns to Vancouver in 1912 with a style so direct, and colors so expressive, that a conservative local reviewer dubs her a wild beast, literally, a Fauve. Vreeland's strength is in the tacks of emotion during dialogue, and in her nimble, exact prose. As she depicts her, Carr is an endearing and believable balance of sensitivity and determination‹an artist of life as well as a remarkable painter. --Regina Marler
Book Description
It was Emily Carr (1871-1945)—not Georgia O'Keeffe or Frida Kahlo—who first blazed a path for modern women artists. Overcoming the confines of late Victorian culture, Carr became a major force in modern art. Her boldly original landscapes are praised today for capturing an untamed British Columbia—and its indigenous peoples—just before industrialization would change it forever.
In her latest novel, Susan Vreeland brings to life this fiercely independent and underappreciated figure. From illegal potlatches in tribal communities to prewar Paris, where her art was exhibited in the famed Salon d'Automne, Carr's story is as arresting as it is vibrant. Vreeland tells it with gusto and suspense, giving vivid portraits of Carr and the unconventional people to whom she was inevitably drawn: Sophie, a native basket maker; Harold, the son of missionaries, who embraces indigenous cultures; Fanny, a New Zealand artist who spends a summer with Carr painting in the French countryside; and Claude, a French fur trader who steals her heart. The result is a glorious novel that will appeal to lovers of art, native cultures, and lush historical fiction.
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating.......2007-10-22
Beautifully written book about a fascinating person. I had never heard of Emilie Carr until I read this book and was totally captivated by the story. My husband is currently reading it and can't seem to put it down.
Ms. Vreeland is definitely on my "recommended authors" list.
Wonderful book!.......2007-09-29
This was a very beautifully written book that every American and Canadian ought to read. Based on historical records, Susan Vreeland paints a troubling account of how Christian missionaries encouraged and practiced genocide and a small scale holocaust against the natives of this continent. It's not always comforting, but good for one seeking truth. It left me in a state of repentance and confession, ever renewed in my vow to honor and respect the traditions of the natives around me.
A splendidly vigorous read .......2007-08-04
Everyone else has gone into detail, so I won't take up space except to mention that Vreeland's prose is lively, readable, and at the same time beautiful. I enjoyed this book a great deal.
Vreeland's Labor of Love.......2007-08-03
In her author's note for The Forest Lover, Vreeland notes that seventeen years' worth of thought, research, and writing went into the novel. It shows. The author's respect and love for the visionary artist Emily Carr shine in every word of this story. Most evocative are Vreeland's descriptions of the landscape of British Columbia; I've never been there, but after reading this book, I felt like I had. While Luncheon of the Boating Party remains my favorite of Vreeland's books because of my penchant for Impressionism, The Forest Lover might be her best in terms of the storytelling and especially its descriptive power.
An aspect of Vreeland's work that I appreciate in all her books is her seamless blending of fact and fiction. Her extensive research is always apparent but never gets in the way of the story she wishes to tell. (In other words, no extraneous bits simply to show off her research!) She is always careful in her author's notes to delineate what's "real" and what isn't (she doesn't try to deceive anyone on these points), and while she isn't afraid to use her imagination in crafting aspects of a story, she remains true to the essence of the person. As Vreeland herself writes in her author's note, "This book is not a life; it is a story." And what a story it is.
"Person with spirit power in the hands.".......2007-06-30
This fictional book is based on the struggles the real life Canadian painter, Emily Carr, encountered in creating and receiving recognition for her work. She went against the conventions of her times (the early 20th Century), and lived life on her own terms. Fiercly independent and brave, Emily traveled alone to the Western Coast of Canada to paint Native American totem poles. She felt strongly that these poles were a "memorial of her country's first greatness", and a record of these poles needed to be made before they were all gone. Eventually, her paintings became more than just a record, as she looked to express in her work the spirit of the subject she was painting.
This book is beautifully written, and the characters are very well developed. Particularly, I really enjoyed the way that Susan Vreeland described the paint colors Emily applied to her canvas. These very visual descriptions really help to emphasize the value and importance Emily placed on color in her work. I also really loved the way that Emily was always looking for the spirit or meaning in her work.
I found this book to be very inspiring, and I am very grateful to Susan Vreeland for introducing me to the world of Emily Carr. I fully intend to do more reading and research on her life and work. This book is highly recommended!!
Book Description
Environmental activism in rural places frequently pits residents whose livelihood depends on resource extraction against those who seek to protect natural spaces and species. While many studies have focused on women who seek to protect the natural environment, few have explored the perspectives of women who seek to maintain resource use.
This book goes beyond the dichotomies of "pro" and "anti" environmentalism to tell the stories of these women. Maureen Reed uses participatory action research to explain the experiences of women who seek to protect forestry as an industry, a livelihood, a community, and a culture. She links their experiences to policy making by considering the effects of environmental policy changes on the social dynamics of workplaces, households, and communities in forestry towns of British Columbia's temperate rainforest. The result is a critical commentary about the social dimensions of sustainability in rural communities.
A powerful and challenging book, Taking Stands provides a crucial understanding of community change in resource-dependent regions, and helps us to better tackle the complexities of gender and activism as they relate to rural sustainability. Social and environmental geographers, feminist scholars, and those engaged in rural studies, environmental sustainability, community planning, and policy making will find it invaluable.
Book Description
However their stories differ in the details, all of the women in this book speak about their time in prison with eloquence and admirable candor. Some have spent most of their lives behind bars; for others, prison was a one-time experience. Most were incarcerated for offences related to drugs and theft. Several were involved in violent crimes. Three — Betty Krawczyk, Ann Hansen, and Christine Lamont — did time for political activities that received international media attention. Their stories belie any stereotype about the type of woman who ends up in jail. Each account is a parable of life’s fragility, a cautionary tale of how easily anyone can meet with harm or be led astray. While relaying stories of courage, resiliency, and hope, the editors raise provocative questions about personal accountability, the meaning of justice, the state’s uses and abuses of power, and the broad social challenges women face.
Book Description
In the late 1980s, Chris Czajkowski left her truck at the end of a logging road 300 kilometres north of Vancouver and hiked for two days on unmarked wilderness trails to the site of what would become her home. This is her account of building three log cabins, an eco-tourism business and a life beside an unnamed lake 5,000 feet high in the Coast Range mountains. This new trade paper edition of Diary of a Wilderness Dweller shares Czajkowski's adventures from the beginning as she wields chainsaw and axe to forge a different kind of life.
Customer Reviews:
A fascinating wilderness diary.......2005-11-29
In Chris Czajkowski's first book, Cabin at Singing River, she wrote about building a cabin and living the wilderness life in British Columbia. In this book, she moves away from her first cabin in southern Tweedsmuir Park and sets up camp on the shores of a high-elevation lake, about a day's walk east from her old location.
This book is written in the form of a diary, covering the period from June 1988 to July 1990. She writes about the mounds of paperwork and red tape she must get through since she is living on Crown Land. She also writes about the difficulties of building the two cabins that will be the base for her new "Nuk Tessli Apline Experience" business, finding the best route out to the road, run-ins with bears, violent storms, the complexities of getting supplies flown in, and the beauty and peace of her wilderness life.
My one complaint about this book is the lack of a good map. There is a large-scale map showing SW British Columbia, but I would have appreciated a more detailed map of her immediate area, especially when she talks about her explorations of the many surrounding lakes and mountains. More than once I trekked down to the library to take a look at the topographical map of that area.
As with the first book, this one is a fascinating tale of life in British Columbia's Coast Mountains. Even if such a lifestyle holds no appeal for you, you have to admire Chris for her tenacity and courage. She tells a great story here.
What a woman!.......2000-01-02
This woman has done things I have always dreamed of doing - building my own log cabin out in the wilderness. Her descriptions of her life during that time is wonderful and I just wish I could have been there too - to help her and learn from her. I loved the book.
A book for armchair adventurers- or adventuers on vacation........1999-11-19
This book came out of nowhere to me, and consequently enthralled me. Chris Czajkowski is a thoughtful, detailed writer (and artist) writing about an amazing place. She, also, is amazing to any society-dweller, living alone in the far wilderness (although she is no hermit). Fortunetely she chose to share what happened to her over the course of building her two cabins in the wilderness, as otherwise this book would never have come to be. Although this book is not for everyone, there are lucky people who will enjoy it. For them, it is superb.
An inspiring, warm story by a modern day pioneer!.......1998-08-19
If you have ever dreampt of walking away from the frantic pace of modern day living, you must read the story of Chris Czajkowski (pronounced Tchaikovsky). My wife and I had the priveledge of spending three glorious and unforgetable days with Chris in the cabin featured in this story. Three years might have been enough to begin absorbing the depth of this womans wilderness challenges. You must read this book!!!
Book Description
Based on native legends of killer whales and wolves, this haunting tale of change and choice sensitively explores issues of the right to die, integrating the optimistic spiritualism of native myth and the hard realities of modern-day life. This beautiful story, told in flashback, straddles the genres of mystery and family drama, as the only witness to a tragedy loses her memory and an innocent person may be in prison for the crime, posing the difficult question Which is the higher morality—love or law? This special edition includes new scenes from the author's screenplay.
Customer Reviews:
Great story of love, loss, friendship and spiritual faith.......2007-10-12
Cheryl Tardif captured what it feels like to lose someone you love and so many of the different emotions you go through. She also captured an accurate portrayal of a girls adolescence--like the first kiss of an 11-year-old; that was very cute. It was very easy for me to relate to the spiritual faith after a loved one dies. This was a short, quick read that kept me entertained throughout.
Wonderful and touching.......2007-10-05
Simply sublime. I agree with other reviewers that Whale Song is a touching and heartfelt story. The best possible kudos I can give this book are these: I will share this story with my own daughters when they come of age and will enjoy revisiting the story in years to come.
A Heart Felt Read.......2007-09-12
The Whale Song was the first in many I hope to read by the author Cheryl Kaye Tardif. The book pulled me in and kept me there until the end. I am still thinking about it. Beyond Enjoyable!
Fabulous Book!.......2007-09-06
"Whale Song" is a fabulous book! I could not put it down. The descriptions of the characters and the setting are so well written you feel like you are in the book too. Have a tissue ready.... this book is a real tear jerker.
I look forward to reading more books by Cheryl Kaye Tardif!
Extremely interesting book!.......2007-08-29
Ok... I am generally not one to read this type of novel, but once in awhile, I like to pick this type of novel up. So I picked up Whale Song by Cheryl Tardif. It was a VERRRRY late night, because I could NOT put the book down! Fantastic book! I would defenitely recommend this book!
Happy reading!
Michael.
Book Description
The Unnatural and Accidental Women is a surrealist dramatization of a thirty-year murder case involving many mysterious deaths in the "Skid Row" area of Vancouver. All the victims were found dead with a blood-alcohol reading far beyond safe levels, and all were last seen in the company of Gilbert Paul Jordan, who frequented the city's bars preying on primarily middle-aged Native women. The coroner's reports listed the cause of death of many of these women as "unnatural and accidental." Marie Clements reconstructs the lives of these women as shaped by lost connections--to loved ones, to the land, to a way of life.
Book Description
The title of artist, writer, and rebel Emily Carr's first book means "Laughing One," the nickname given her by the Native people of Canada's west coast. She returned the favor with Klee Wyck, a collection of 21 "word portraits" of their lives and ways. The memoir describes in witty, vivid detail Carr's visits and travels as she painted their totem poles and villages and got to know a people whose "quiet strength healed my heart." The book is reissued here with restored text and features the original introduction by Ira Dilworth and a new introduction by Carr scholar Kathryn Bridge.
Customer Reviews:
Spirit of Place.......2001-02-17
If you are interested in the environment which generated the powerful West Coast Native art, the artist, Emily Carr, conjures it up in this original book. Her travels to their coastal villages are translated into these atmospheric essays.
Beautifully written and visualized.......1999-06-15
this book by Emily Carr gives a very wonderful and descriptive account of the Pacific Northwest along British Columbia's shores. Emily Carr was a very unique woman who defied her times in her interactions with Native Peoples and her adventurous independance. This book details her explorations among the Queen Charlotte Islands. It is so descriptive it makes one feel that they are actually on the west coast.
Average customer rating:
|
Snowshoes and Spotted Dick: Letters from a Wilderness Dweller
Chris Czajkowski
Manufacturer: Harbour Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Women
| Specific Groups
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Canadian
| Historical
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Maritime Provinces
| Regional Canada
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Memoirs
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
True Accounts
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Espionage
| Murder & Mayhem
| Organized Crime
| Serial Killers
| True Crime
Mountains
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Alaska
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Diary of a Wilderness Dweller
ASIN: 1550172794 |
Book Description
Chris Czajkowski chose to build her life and small ecotourism business on the shore of a high-altitude lake near the southern tip of Tweedsmuir Provincial Park. It is a formidable landscape of lake-dotted alpine plateaus abutting the glacier-swathed backbone of the central Coast Range.
Snowshoes and Spotted Dick describes Czajkowski's experiences as she builds her fourth cabin in the wilderness with hand tools, two chainsaws, an Alaskan Mill and some helpful friends. One of her helpers is Nick Berwain, a quiet but literary young German who corresponds with Czajkowski long after his return home.
In these fascinating letters to Berwain, Czajkowski details her often solitary life: how she breaks trails by snowshoe with her two pack dogs, encounters grizzly bears, builds a custom stone oven and learns how to use it to bake bread -and spotted dick, a traditional English steamed pudding. The letters also chronicle Czajkowski's challenges and triumphs as she tries to finish her cabin. Food and building supplies must be flown in and Czajkowski must hike more than 30 kilometres to the nearest road to lead guiding trips and to attend craft fairs and book promotions to supplement her income.
Lyrically written, Snowshoes and Spotted Dick provides a close look at a simpler way of life that most of us only dream about, one that cleaves to nature with beauty, resilience and independence.
Books:
- Lone Star Lawmen: The Second Century of the Texas Rangers
- Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a Shoestring (Lonely Planet Shoestring Guides)
- Lost In Place: Growing Up Absurd in Suburbia
- Lost Splendor: The Amazing Memoirs of the Man Who Killed Rasputin
- Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever
- Memories Are Made of This: Dean Martin Through His Daughter's Eyes
- Memories of My Melancholy Whores
- Northern Flight of Dreams: Flying Adventures in British Columbia, Yukon, Nw Territories, and Alaska
- Novel & Short Story Writer's Market 2007 (Novel and Short Story Writer's Market)
- Novel & Short Story Writer's Market 2007 (Novel and Short Story Writer's Market)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Retailing Management
- History: Fiction or Science
- Trapped at Pearl Harbor: Escape from Battleship Oklahoma
- Alien Agenda: Investigating the Extraterrestrial Presence Among Us
- Candide: Scottish Opera Version Vocal Score
- HOW TO WALK IN HIGH HEELS: THE GIRL'S GUIDE TO EVERYTHING
- Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life
- The Reproduction of Social Control: A Study of Prison Workers at San Quentin
- 2000 Licensing, Countersigning and Surplus Line Law
- Beauty and Sadness
Orca: The Whale Called Killer
Orca: Visions of the Killer Whale
Transients: Mammal-Hunting Killer Whales of British Columbia, Washington, and Southeastern Alaska
Field Guide to the Orca (Sasquatch Field Guide Series)
Killer Whales of the World (Worldlife Discovery Guides.)
