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Rating: 
Summary: An Incredible Jouney
Review: I decided to read Dr. Eaton's book after showing interest in becoming a volunteer whale watcher in his August, 2003, expedition to Johnstone Strait, B.C. Eaton's book took me through a passage I didn't expect in that the author draws on his vast and diverse studies and experiences, and successfully relates them to a comprehensive understanding of the orca. Anyone interested in an in-depth anthology of this wondrous cetacean should read "The Orca Project: A Meeting of Nations".
To call this book "bunk" is a statement that it wasn't read, or the reviewer is not in touch with his or her potential. Eaton's book is a highly pleasureable read!
Rating:
Summary: Informative, entertaining, and insightful.
Review: This book is put out by a small publisher, perhaps owned by the author, and thus I recommend ordering it from a bookdealer rather than direct (I met one person quite upset about the mess she had trying to get it directly from the publisher, though I myself had no problem).Nevertheless, it is an excellent piece of writing. The author is a longtime whale and dolphin observer, who literally swims with them and studies them closely. This book contains short chapters, a good size for digesting one or two chapters (and subjects) at a sitting. My favorite thing about this work is the nice mix of information with personal reflection and even mysticism. It is no textbook! While it contains very interesting observations (some I still wonder about, maybe stretching things a bit...), but the very act of stretching is pleasant, because as personal reflections, the author has the right to do that. Many truths can hit us not entirely from the brain, but from the heart or imagination. Randall Eaton is stretching these scientific boundaries a bit with some mystical ideas, touching occasionally on the idea that cetaceans may have ESP or similar communication abilities. But that is part of the charm of the book. It is also not preachy in pushing an animal rights agenda. Two of the best chapters of the book are a presentation of reasons why cetaceans should not be kept in captivity; which he presents better than any other such argument I have seen. The analogy is simple: cetaceans go from life in the endless seas to life in an oversize, boring bathtub. This sudden reduction of social contact and roaming space leads to many health and psychological problems in the creatures. I am not sure where I stand on this, but he makes a persuasive argument here. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Total Bunk
Review: This book was one man's trip on how much the orcas adored him. He presented no scientific evidence to his claims, and thinks the orcas talk to him and he talks to them. It was completely ludricrous. The only reason I gave it two stars was because I liked some of the photographs.
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