'The epic true story that inspired Moby Dick', the cover tells you. This book is non-fiction but reads like a novel. If you ever read Moby Dick you may not know that the story of a whale ramming a whaleship in the 1800s was less fantasy and fiction than you thought. Reading this book you are made aware of how long human beings have been hunting creatures far larger and stronger than themselves using a combination of intelligence and cruelty no other species exhibits. But In the Heart of the Sea is also a story of human survival in the face of terrifying circumstances. 

So what happened? A whaleship set sail from Nantucket, USA in 1819. Nantucket was a wealthy community that lived off hunting and selling products of whales. The Essex, one such ship, was a ship that had seen many such hunts and was crewed by a new captain and an experienced mate, and a mixed crew of experienced sailors and 'greenhands'. They sailed a long long way from home to find their prey the sperm whale.

There is a graphic description of how such a whale was caught, killed and slaughtered, with the use of three smaller boats and the large ship. A whale is a mammal, that needs to breathe. The capture and killing of it was difficult and bloody. A harpoon was launched from a whale boat to attach it to the whale. Then a sailor would puncture the lungs of the giant so it would fill up with blood. The mammal, capable of living in the sea, drowned. And was then processed, sliced and diced, into bite-size chunks. It's not a pleasant passage to read.

But one whale at one point decided to attack the Essex, twice. Why it did so we'll never really know, but it sank the ship as it was as far away fron land as it could ever be. The crew had to survive in 3 small boats with little provisions. Imagine the morale of the crew. What follows is a description of how the men tried to survive and what it took to make their way back to Nantucket.

Reading this book, again, made me realise that I have a big problem with the hunting and killing of animals. I'm not saying I'll give up eating meat or wearing leather shoes, but there is absolutely no way anyone can justify the cruelty we as humans inflict on other species sometimes. It's no wonder that sometimes the animals strike back, or seem to do so anyway. Then again the story also shows that the human survival instinct is huge. Whether that is a good thing or not, I don't know. To save out own skin there is nothing we don't seem capable of. Now wouldt it be nice if we could show that same determination to save other species...?

Anyway, this book is a great read. If you're interested in harsh survival tales, history and economics or just want some background on Moby Dick, go and read it. Oh and do try to read Moby Dick as well, while you're at it. It helps redeem human nature to read great literature.

4 out of 5 mice: