The Fragile Edge - by Julia Whitty (Paperback)

About the Book

Whitty paints a mesmerizing, scientifically rich portrait of teeming coral reefs off Rangiroa in French Polynesia--the underwater equivalent of an African big game safari--where hammerhead sharks rule a cascading chain of extraordinary underwater creatures.

Book Synopsis

In The Fragile Edge, the documentary filmmaker and deep-sea diver Julia Whitty paints a mesmerizing, scientifically rich portrait of teeming coral reefs and sea life in the South Pacific. She takes us literally beneath the surface of the usual travel narrative, in an underwater equivalent of an African big-game safari. Hammerhead sharks rule a cascading chain of extraordinary creatures, from eagle rays to reef sharks, as the sound of courting humpback whales reverberates through the deep.
Inspiring for both armchair and expert divers, The Fragile Edge reveals how science can extend our understanding of unfathomable waters, opening our eyes to the threats facing coral reefs and explaining why these fragile oases are vital to human survival. In this passionate, spiritual narrative of her adventures in the big blue, Julia Whitty emerges as one of our finest writers on the mystery, beauty, and fragility of the undersea world.

Review Quotes

'The Fragile Edge' is at once a natural history, a call to action, a love song, and a prayer.

O, The Oprah Magazine

For those of us who can't visit the South Pacific ... writer and producer Whitty gives us the next best thing.

Library Journal

This is a moving and illuminating love story about one woman and the fathomless deep.

Elle

"This important book makes clear the absolute urgency of saving the coral reefs of the world." - actor/activist Ted Danson

"Whitty is emerging as one of the must-read voices about the wet three-quarters of the planet." -- Bill McKibben

"Whitty's prose is supple and scientifically informed (a rare and graceful mix) ... her intimacies with the ocean's curiosities captivate." The New York Times

"Extraordinarily absorbing." - Santa Rosa Press Democrat