Listening to Whales - by Alexandra Morton (Paperback)

About the Book

This extraordinary, insightful exploration of the language and behavior of orcas is based on the author's 25 years of first-hand observation.

Book Synopsis

A "warm, energetic memoir" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) and an impassioned study of the profound connection between humans and whales, from an award-winning marine researcher

"[Morton's] descriptions of [the whales'] lives and their haunting underwater communications are so vivid that they will remain with you long after you have read the last eloquent page."--JANE GOODALL

ONE OF THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR'S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR

For over three decades, Alexandra Morton has been at the forefront of whale and dolphin research, dedicating her life to the study of orcas (also known as killer whales). In Listening to Whales, she shares spellbinding stories about her career and what she has learned from and about these magnificent mammals.

While working at Marineland in California in the late 1970s, 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.

Affecting and surprising, Listening to Whales will open your eyes anew to the wonders of the natural world.

Review Quotes

"[A] warm, energetic memoir . . . An engaging tale of a woman's commitment to science and a life well lived."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"An extraordinary book about an extraordinary woman. . . . This is a species that has learned to live in tolerance with each other, and to share the resources of their world so that all can survive. Would that our species could learn to do the same."--Hamilton Spectator

"A passionate memoir by a true field biologist."--Natural History

"Fascinating . . . [Morton's] writing reflects a deep respect for whales in general and killer whales in particular. The reader will find her regard contagious."--Richmond Times-Dispatch

"This book will immerse you in a magical underwater world. It will bring you face to face with some of the most intelligent and mysterious creatures on earth. Alexandra Morton is a meticulous scientist, but she is not afraid to let her love for the whales illuminate her writing, nor her distress and anger at the harm we are inflicting on their world."--Jane Goodall

"One of the world's premier orca researchers . . . Morton has emerged as a champion for the welfare of whales and the preservation of their habitat. Listening to Whales is an unusual and involving tale of a life committed to interspecies communication."--The Olympian

"[Morton] is field scientist in the tradition of Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey. . . . 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." --Library Journal

"Moments of quiet triumph illuminate this absorbing tale."--Christian Science Monitor

"Absorbing, moving . . . [Morton's] book gives us invaluable insight into complex, wonderful creatures. It's an eloquent testament to one woman's efforts at interspecies communication."--The Calgary Sun

"Lyrical . . . hopeful . . . Listening to Whales is a fascinating journey into the heart of a research scientist captivated by these magnificent creatures."--Miami Herald

"Leaves one questioning what we have done to our water-based, spy-hopping, family-loving cohabitants of this planet--and if we have not in the process diminished ourselves."--The Georgia Straight magazine

"Remarkable . . . An extraordinary tale . . . Fascinating reading . . . Full of both poignant and distressing moments . . . One of the chief pleasures of her book is the straightforward quality of her prose; one finds oneself halfway through the book in the blink of an eye."--The Grand Rapids Press

"As she wisely points out, what the whales need to survive--clean water, clean air, forests, and salmon--happen to be what we need as well."--Sierra magazine

"Remarkably diverting . . . In plainspoken prose, Morton relates her work afield. . . . She writes of her personal life with unembroidered ease as well, which is extremely powerful."--Kirkus Reviews

"This is biographical natural history at its best."--Booklist

About the Author

Born and raised in Connecticut, Alexandra Morton began her career in marine mammal research in 1976, when she moved to California to work for noted dolphin researcher, Dr. John C. Lilly. Since 1984 she has lived on the isolated central British Columbia coast, where she studies and records the language and habits of the various pods of orcas that swim the waters there.