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Big Miracle
Now a major motion picture starring Drew Barrymore, Ted Danson, Kristen Bell, Tim Blake Nelson, John Krasinski, and Vinessa Shaw―an account of the dramatic rescue of three gray whales trapped under the ice in Alaska in 1988.
Set in Cold War–era 1988, Big Miracle tells the real story behind the remarkable, bizarre, and oftentimes uproarious event that mesmerized the world for weeks. On October 7, an Inuit hunter near Barrow, Alaska, found three California Gray whales imprisoned in the Arctic ice. In the past, as was nature's way, trapped whales always died. Not this time.
Tom Rose, who was covering the event for a Japanese TV station, compellingly describes how oil company executives, environmental activists, Inupiat people, small business people, and the U.S. military boldly worked together to rescue the whales. He also tells the stories of some of the more than 150 international journalists who brought the story to the world's attention. The rescue was followed by millions of people around the world as Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev joined the forces of their two nations to help free the whales.
Set in Cold War–era 1988, Big Miracle tells the real story behind the remarkable, bizarre, and oftentimes uproarious event that mesmerized the world for weeks. On October 7, an Inuit hunter near Barrow, Alaska, found three California Gray whales imprisoned in the Arctic ice. In the past, as was nature's way, trapped whales always died. Not this time.
Tom Rose, who was covering the event for a Japanese TV station, compellingly describes how oil company executives, environmental activists, Inupiat people, small business people, and the U.S. military boldly worked together to rescue the whales. He also tells the stories of some of the more than 150 international journalists who brought the story to the world's attention. The rescue was followed by millions of people around the world as Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev joined the forces of their two nations to help free the whales.
336 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1989
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March 5, 2012
This is a review of an advanced copy provided to me through Goodreads' FirstReads program.
Big Miracle is the true story of the rescue of three trapped whales in 1988. The whales started their southern migration too late in the summer season, and soon found themselves trapped in the ice near Barrow, Alaska (the northernmost point of the United States). The story became an international tale, with people all around the world watching the events unfold on TV, and with an international group of people coming together to rescue these animals. Presumably this book was the inspiration for the movie of the same name being released this February, but I'm really skeptical.
I don't know if I've ever read a more frustrating book (hence the delay in its review... I finished the book weeks ago). The first thing that I feel I should mention is that this book was previously published in 1989 under the name Freeing the Whales: How the Media Created the World's Greatest Non-Event. I don't know about you, but to me, that original title doesn't suggest any kind of miracle, big or small. Tom Rose, the book's author, was one of the many journalists who converged on the tiny town of Barrow to cover this hugely popular story, so the book is told through the eyes of a journalist who found himself dumped at the top of the world to cover what was, to him, an inexplicably popular story about nothing.
I guess I'll start with the good things about the book (because they're easier to discuss). The story itself is really interesting... having been born in 1986, I am too young to remember it, so it was all entirely new to me. I enjoyed getting a glimpse of life in one of the harshest climates on the planet, and I enjoyed watching people from all walks of life come together to rescue some really amazing animals. The people were all interesting, and I did truly want to find out what happened to both the whales and their rescuers.
Having said that, the great story wasn't invented by Mr. Rose... he just put it on paper. If any credit is due to someone for the inspirational story, then it goes to the people who actively participated in the whales' rescue. As far as I can tell from the tone of the book, the only thing Mr. Rose did was report to the Japanese TV station that employed him, while mentally showering the whole thing with his scorn and disdain. I almost never got any sense of wonder from Mr. Rose's writing (snide and riddled with typos), and I found myself marking pages with some really amazing example of his ability to ruin something wonderful with his tone. Unfortunately, when I realized that I'd marked ten consecutive pages, I gave up before I ruined my copy of this wonderful book.
Among the examples of Mr. Rose's really inspirational writing are the following passages:
"Cindy didn't consider herself a left-wing anti-everything rabble-rouser; none of them ever do... in many ways, Cindy Lowry was Alaska's version of a limousine liberal." pp 88-89
"... in a very real sense, it was environmental activism that caused the Exxon Valdez disaster... similar points were made following the 2010 deadly blowout of BP's Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Why are companies like BP risking billions of dollars to drill so far out to sea and in waters so deep? Because environmentalists have succeeded in locking up available and accessible oil resources closer to shore not to mention dry land." pp 50-51 (The poor punctuation in that last sentence belongs to the author, not to me.)
Among the examples of Mr. Rose's strong grasp of the English language are such words as "prioritizetze" (pg 27) and the sentence "Did non-Inuit's really think that Eskimo's were so brittle as to be broken by some stupid sentence?" (pg 289), along with countless examples of missing quotation marks or lost commas.
As readers of this blog know, I think it's absolutely unforgivable when a published author has multiple typos or grammar errors in his or her book. If you, the author, don't catch your own mistakes, then you'd better hope you have an editor. It might be that this book was rushed to press in order for it to hit the bookshelves before the movie's release, but the quality of the book suffered for it. For example, when the book's epilogue was updated to cover events between 1989 and 2011, the author couldn't even be bothered to change the tense in some of his sentences. One key person in the story is described as living with his wife in Alaska, "where they can be seen driving in a silver Maserati" (pg 309), while two sentences later it says that the same person was killed in a plane crash in 1992. I highly doubt that we can still find him driving around in his silver car.
Apart from the questionable writing and editing in this book, I was even more bothered by the author's not-so-subtle disdain for everything environmental. He goes out of his way to complain multiple times about how oil drilling isn't allowed in ANWR, and the examples above are only a small sampling of his many digs at environmentalists in general. My own politics and beliefs notwithstanding, I don't feel like every story has to have some moral or political point, and this story could have been both inspiring and analytical without being nasty and snide. The story itself was enough to make most people happy, and there were multiple angles that Mr. Rose could have used to cover some of the more interesting aspects of international cooperation in the midst of a cold war between two superpowers.
I have numerous other small complaints (for example, Rose goes out of his way to acknowledge that while the native people do call themselves Inuit, everyone else calls them Eskimos so that's what he's going to use too), but they aren't as relevant as the complaints listed above. I really wanted to enjoy this book... and I really would have, if the author could have checked his politics and ego at the door.
Big Miracle is the true story of the rescue of three trapped whales in 1988. The whales started their southern migration too late in the summer season, and soon found themselves trapped in the ice near Barrow, Alaska (the northernmost point of the United States). The story became an international tale, with people all around the world watching the events unfold on TV, and with an international group of people coming together to rescue these animals. Presumably this book was the inspiration for the movie of the same name being released this February, but I'm really skeptical.
I don't know if I've ever read a more frustrating book (hence the delay in its review... I finished the book weeks ago). The first thing that I feel I should mention is that this book was previously published in 1989 under the name Freeing the Whales: How the Media Created the World's Greatest Non-Event. I don't know about you, but to me, that original title doesn't suggest any kind of miracle, big or small. Tom Rose, the book's author, was one of the many journalists who converged on the tiny town of Barrow to cover this hugely popular story, so the book is told through the eyes of a journalist who found himself dumped at the top of the world to cover what was, to him, an inexplicably popular story about nothing.
I guess I'll start with the good things about the book (because they're easier to discuss). The story itself is really interesting... having been born in 1986, I am too young to remember it, so it was all entirely new to me. I enjoyed getting a glimpse of life in one of the harshest climates on the planet, and I enjoyed watching people from all walks of life come together to rescue some really amazing animals. The people were all interesting, and I did truly want to find out what happened to both the whales and their rescuers.
Having said that, the great story wasn't invented by Mr. Rose... he just put it on paper. If any credit is due to someone for the inspirational story, then it goes to the people who actively participated in the whales' rescue. As far as I can tell from the tone of the book, the only thing Mr. Rose did was report to the Japanese TV station that employed him, while mentally showering the whole thing with his scorn and disdain. I almost never got any sense of wonder from Mr. Rose's writing (snide and riddled with typos), and I found myself marking pages with some really amazing example of his ability to ruin something wonderful with his tone. Unfortunately, when I realized that I'd marked ten consecutive pages, I gave up before I ruined my copy of this wonderful book.
Among the examples of Mr. Rose's really inspirational writing are the following passages:
"Cindy didn't consider herself a left-wing anti-everything rabble-rouser; none of them ever do... in many ways, Cindy Lowry was Alaska's version of a limousine liberal." pp 88-89
"... in a very real sense, it was environmental activism that caused the Exxon Valdez disaster... similar points were made following the 2010 deadly blowout of BP's Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Why are companies like BP risking billions of dollars to drill so far out to sea and in waters so deep? Because environmentalists have succeeded in locking up available and accessible oil resources closer to shore not to mention dry land." pp 50-51 (The poor punctuation in that last sentence belongs to the author, not to me.)
Among the examples of Mr. Rose's strong grasp of the English language are such words as "prioritizetze" (pg 27) and the sentence "Did non-Inuit's really think that Eskimo's were so brittle as to be broken by some stupid sentence?" (pg 289), along with countless examples of missing quotation marks or lost commas.
As readers of this blog know, I think it's absolutely unforgivable when a published author has multiple typos or grammar errors in his or her book. If you, the author, don't catch your own mistakes, then you'd better hope you have an editor. It might be that this book was rushed to press in order for it to hit the bookshelves before the movie's release, but the quality of the book suffered for it. For example, when the book's epilogue was updated to cover events between 1989 and 2011, the author couldn't even be bothered to change the tense in some of his sentences. One key person in the story is described as living with his wife in Alaska, "where they can be seen driving in a silver Maserati" (pg 309), while two sentences later it says that the same person was killed in a plane crash in 1992. I highly doubt that we can still find him driving around in his silver car.
Apart from the questionable writing and editing in this book, I was even more bothered by the author's not-so-subtle disdain for everything environmental. He goes out of his way to complain multiple times about how oil drilling isn't allowed in ANWR, and the examples above are only a small sampling of his many digs at environmentalists in general. My own politics and beliefs notwithstanding, I don't feel like every story has to have some moral or political point, and this story could have been both inspiring and analytical without being nasty and snide. The story itself was enough to make most people happy, and there were multiple angles that Mr. Rose could have used to cover some of the more interesting aspects of international cooperation in the midst of a cold war between two superpowers.
I have numerous other small complaints (for example, Rose goes out of his way to acknowledge that while the native people do call themselves Inuit, everyone else calls them Eskimos so that's what he's going to use too), but they aren't as relevant as the complaints listed above. I really wanted to enjoy this book... and I really would have, if the author could have checked his politics and ego at the door.
March 30, 2012
Big Miracle is the book that inspired the movie of the same name. I haven't seen the movie yet and couldn't find a release date for the DVD. However, from what I could gather from reading about the movie online, it differs markedly from the book. It would have to - there is no way that Drew Barrymore would star in a movie that was as cynical about environmentalism and animal welfare as author Tom Rose's book is.
This book is a non-fiction account of the 1988 rescue attempt of three California Gray whales who were trapped in the ice near Barrow, Alaska. The author was one of several reporters in Barrow covering the rescue process. What could have been a very nice story about people of all different backgrounds coming together to save the whales was ruined by the author's cynicism and the opinions he inserted as facts that didn't have much to do with the actual story.
When this book was originally published in 1989, the title was Freeing the Whales: How the Media Created the World's Greatest Non-event. Had I known that when this book was pitched to me, I would not have reviewed it. The cover of the new, movie tie-in edition reads, "Inspired by the Incredible True Story That United the World." The author did not feel that this story was incredible - at least not in a good way. He repeats often that the whales didn't need to be saved and that the amount of media coverage they received was ridiculous.
He also uses every opportunity to assert that we should be drilling for oil in Alaska and that the environmentalists have it all wrong. He offers up his opinions as facts with no footnotes or citations to back them up. In a non-fiction book, I expect to see research if opinions are inserted. For example, "Increased wealth leads to increased spending. That applies as much to environmental protection as to anything else...The same process that drives economic growth and wealth creation results in less pollution, not more." First of all, where is the research that backs that up and secondly, what does that have to do with rescuing the whales?
He also takes repeated jabs at Cindy Lowry from Greenpeace - "[Carroll's] reaction to the word 'Soviet' was as instinctively visceral as Cindy's reaction to the word 'military.' The only difference was that Carroll's animus was justified while Cindy's was not." Says who? Why does that second sentence need to be there?
Those are just a couple of many, many examples. I found it ironic that the working title of this edition (which was printed on the cover of my ARC) was Everybody Loves Whales because Tom Rose doesn't seem to love them all that much.
I did appreciate learning more about life in rural Alaska but I don't know if slogging through the rest of the book made it worth it. I still plan on seeing the movie and I will report back afterwards.
(All quotes are taken from the Advance Uncorrected Proof - the final copy may differ.)
This book is a non-fiction account of the 1988 rescue attempt of three California Gray whales who were trapped in the ice near Barrow, Alaska. The author was one of several reporters in Barrow covering the rescue process. What could have been a very nice story about people of all different backgrounds coming together to save the whales was ruined by the author's cynicism and the opinions he inserted as facts that didn't have much to do with the actual story.
When this book was originally published in 1989, the title was Freeing the Whales: How the Media Created the World's Greatest Non-event. Had I known that when this book was pitched to me, I would not have reviewed it. The cover of the new, movie tie-in edition reads, "Inspired by the Incredible True Story That United the World." The author did not feel that this story was incredible - at least not in a good way. He repeats often that the whales didn't need to be saved and that the amount of media coverage they received was ridiculous.
He also uses every opportunity to assert that we should be drilling for oil in Alaska and that the environmentalists have it all wrong. He offers up his opinions as facts with no footnotes or citations to back them up. In a non-fiction book, I expect to see research if opinions are inserted. For example, "Increased wealth leads to increased spending. That applies as much to environmental protection as to anything else...The same process that drives economic growth and wealth creation results in less pollution, not more." First of all, where is the research that backs that up and secondly, what does that have to do with rescuing the whales?
He also takes repeated jabs at Cindy Lowry from Greenpeace - "[Carroll's] reaction to the word 'Soviet' was as instinctively visceral as Cindy's reaction to the word 'military.' The only difference was that Carroll's animus was justified while Cindy's was not." Says who? Why does that second sentence need to be there?
Those are just a couple of many, many examples. I found it ironic that the working title of this edition (which was printed on the cover of my ARC) was Everybody Loves Whales because Tom Rose doesn't seem to love them all that much.
I did appreciate learning more about life in rural Alaska but I don't know if slogging through the rest of the book made it worth it. I still plan on seeing the movie and I will report back afterwards.
(All quotes are taken from the Advance Uncorrected Proof - the final copy may differ.)
April 12, 2012
The author's biases are unpleasantly blatant. At first I suffered his insults of environmentalists because it gave me a better sense of why Alaskans hate environmentalists. Then the author goes overboard. First there was the complaint that the government subsidizes clean energy research as if that was a lot of money. He does not mention that government subsidizes oil and gas by more than 1,000 times what is given to clean energy. This is only the beginning of his anger that people should care for whales that die all the time. That the original book title was How the Media Created the World's Greatest Non-Event says much about where the author is coming from.
The author's comment that "the same process that drives economic growth and wealth creation results in less pollution" ONLY APPLIES when there is strong government regulation (EPA) of those who attempt to cheat the system, pollute the environment, and poison citizens. Polluting environments and poisoning our bodies need not be part of economic growth. Civility and stewardship begets civilization not wealth.
I would give this book one star. However, I recommend this book to environmentalists to understand better the anti-regulatory mindset of many Alaskans. Here are the arguments that will be swung at an environmentalist in Alaska. There are also many excellent environmentalists working in Alaska who through conversation will spare you the pain of reading this book.
The author's comment that "the same process that drives economic growth and wealth creation results in less pollution" ONLY APPLIES when there is strong government regulation (EPA) of those who attempt to cheat the system, pollute the environment, and poison citizens. Polluting environments and poisoning our bodies need not be part of economic growth. Civility and stewardship begets civilization not wealth.
I would give this book one star. However, I recommend this book to environmentalists to understand better the anti-regulatory mindset of many Alaskans. Here are the arguments that will be swung at an environmentalist in Alaska. There are also many excellent environmentalists working in Alaska who through conversation will spare you the pain of reading this book.
February 21, 2012
I loved the parallel stories going on throughout this book, not only the rescuing of the 3 gray whales, but also the story on how the media portrayed the event. I enjoyed reading about how the media went about to get the story since its a view that many people don't get to see often. It was a lengthy book and at times I wondered if I would miss something if I just skipped a part but I didn't and I made it through the book.
January 24, 2012
If you're looking for a book that remotely resembles the awesome looking movie trailer that has Drew Barymore starring in it, set to release in February 2012, this is NOT the book for you. I've never seen an author do such a terrible job writing an awesome story. One would think, it would not be terribly hard to portray an inspiring and beautiful story. I'm QUITE sure that this is one of the rare cases that the movie will be FAR better than this book can ever hope to be.
The author is not a main character in the book. Apparently he was a reporter that came to this event in this book. Let me give you a summary of what to expect and prepare you for the shock of your lives if you decide to read this book.
Introduction: has SPOILERS. If you forgot what happened in this news story, back in 1988, as I had, don't read this intro. He just tells a brief summary of how the story ends.
Chapter 1: You will read about an Eskimo character and how he and his ancestors for generations have gone and hunted whales. Not only do you hear about how these beautiful animals are killed by these characters (in gruesome, violent, nauseating detail) you hear how the whale will suffer and how it's butchered. I seriously doubt they will have this part in the movie...if they do, then I can't take my kids to it...
Chapter 2: You get some mild character development on the main characters in Alaska in the small town where this story takes place. The author gets so excited, he keeps jumping ahead of himself and inserting his (annoying) opinion in every few minutes, failing miserably to tell this story in a objective way. It's also quite clear that this author doesn't think much of the reader, as he has a seriously condescending and know-it-all attitude. As if that's not offensive enough, the author clearly does NOT really like whales. WTHeck? This is the WRONG person to write about this amazing story. Instead, you will find forced details that have no bearing effect on the story (like the cost of hotel rooms, how much everything else costs, he goes on and on about this stuff), and his opinions on other organizations (including his clear annoyance with environmentalists) and specific people. If I were any of the main people or politicians in this real-life story, I would want to sue this author for slander.
Chapter 3: As you start to gain some hope that this story may somewhat resemble the amazing movie trailer, you begin to feel completely bewildered as this chapter has NOTHING to do with ANY of the characters in the main story and it's a history lesson on Eskimos. It's also told in a very condescending way (as if the reader is an idiot and has never heard anything about "real" Eskimos). It's a very detailed, long, history with the author's opinion often expressed (feels more like a column in a newspaper) and it literally tells the beginning of time with Eskimo's until present day... not to be rude, but do I really care about this? If I did, I would be taking a class about it, not reading an inspirational story that is based on a true story that is about to have an amazing movie come out.
Chapter 4: As the story begins to unfold, it's very clear this author does not have much (if any) sympathy for the three California Grey Whales that become trapped in the ice. He still often jumps ahead in the story (in his snide way to remind you that he knows everything about this story and you don't and power trips off this amazing knowledge that clearly, only he, could possibly have) and many times referes to the whales as "Lucky Whales" when he keeps jumping ahead to to point out that this becomes international news and millions of dollars are spent on rescuing these whales. This really annoys me. If this author does not like whales, what the heck is he writing a supposedly inspirational story that is supposedly based on a true story for? It goes on to talk about how the main characters are ONLY focused on their career gains or losses of the rising news story of the whales, but not any true concern for the whales. It briefly introduces the main love interest, literally for one second, in a negative way (I thought we were supposed to ::like:: the characters) and then has this person get right back on a plane to leave this small town of Alaska just as fast as she set foot, and makes her sound very superficial.
I just couldn't waste anymore time after this. This author is so negative and condescending and clearly has a serious chip on his shoulder. I can't begin to imagine how this author even tries to describe the romance between the main characters. I truly didn't think a book could be blown this bad. I found numerous spelling errors, ::gasp:: grammatical errors and syntax errors in this book. I need to check and see what else this author has written, but I seriously doubt he's a "real" author. There's no foreshadowing, no building of characters in a way that makes you feel invested to remotely care about this book, and no feeling. It's very sterile. Sort of like being in a hospital getting an unpleasant test.
In the past, if I didn't love a book, it wasn't due to the writing of the author, it just wasn't my cup of tea. This book is sad, because clearly, the wrong person wrote it and didn't do this story justice in ANY way. I'm sure the people who actually experienced this story, feel majorly ripped off from this lame book that didn't come close to doing this inspirational and special story any justice. Also, the cover has an awesome photo on it from the movie, one would think there would be some photos of the whales (we certainly hear detailed lists of equipment and names of who took amazing photos), but no, not ONE photo in this book.
BOTTOM LINE: SKIP THE BOOK, AND LET'S HOPE THE MOVIE IS AS AWESOME AS THE PREVIEW LOOKS.
The author is not a main character in the book. Apparently he was a reporter that came to this event in this book. Let me give you a summary of what to expect and prepare you for the shock of your lives if you decide to read this book.
Introduction: has SPOILERS. If you forgot what happened in this news story, back in 1988, as I had, don't read this intro. He just tells a brief summary of how the story ends.
Chapter 1: You will read about an Eskimo character and how he and his ancestors for generations have gone and hunted whales. Not only do you hear about how these beautiful animals are killed by these characters (in gruesome, violent, nauseating detail) you hear how the whale will suffer and how it's butchered. I seriously doubt they will have this part in the movie...if they do, then I can't take my kids to it...
Chapter 2: You get some mild character development on the main characters in Alaska in the small town where this story takes place. The author gets so excited, he keeps jumping ahead of himself and inserting his (annoying) opinion in every few minutes, failing miserably to tell this story in a objective way. It's also quite clear that this author doesn't think much of the reader, as he has a seriously condescending and know-it-all attitude. As if that's not offensive enough, the author clearly does NOT really like whales. WTHeck? This is the WRONG person to write about this amazing story. Instead, you will find forced details that have no bearing effect on the story (like the cost of hotel rooms, how much everything else costs, he goes on and on about this stuff), and his opinions on other organizations (including his clear annoyance with environmentalists) and specific people. If I were any of the main people or politicians in this real-life story, I would want to sue this author for slander.
Chapter 3: As you start to gain some hope that this story may somewhat resemble the amazing movie trailer, you begin to feel completely bewildered as this chapter has NOTHING to do with ANY of the characters in the main story and it's a history lesson on Eskimos. It's also told in a very condescending way (as if the reader is an idiot and has never heard anything about "real" Eskimos). It's a very detailed, long, history with the author's opinion often expressed (feels more like a column in a newspaper) and it literally tells the beginning of time with Eskimo's until present day... not to be rude, but do I really care about this? If I did, I would be taking a class about it, not reading an inspirational story that is based on a true story that is about to have an amazing movie come out.
Chapter 4: As the story begins to unfold, it's very clear this author does not have much (if any) sympathy for the three California Grey Whales that become trapped in the ice. He still often jumps ahead in the story (in his snide way to remind you that he knows everything about this story and you don't and power trips off this amazing knowledge that clearly, only he, could possibly have) and many times referes to the whales as "Lucky Whales" when he keeps jumping ahead to to point out that this becomes international news and millions of dollars are spent on rescuing these whales. This really annoys me. If this author does not like whales, what the heck is he writing a supposedly inspirational story that is supposedly based on a true story for? It goes on to talk about how the main characters are ONLY focused on their career gains or losses of the rising news story of the whales, but not any true concern for the whales. It briefly introduces the main love interest, literally for one second, in a negative way (I thought we were supposed to ::like:: the characters) and then has this person get right back on a plane to leave this small town of Alaska just as fast as she set foot, and makes her sound very superficial.
I just couldn't waste anymore time after this. This author is so negative and condescending and clearly has a serious chip on his shoulder. I can't begin to imagine how this author even tries to describe the romance between the main characters. I truly didn't think a book could be blown this bad. I found numerous spelling errors, ::gasp:: grammatical errors and syntax errors in this book. I need to check and see what else this author has written, but I seriously doubt he's a "real" author. There's no foreshadowing, no building of characters in a way that makes you feel invested to remotely care about this book, and no feeling. It's very sterile. Sort of like being in a hospital getting an unpleasant test.
In the past, if I didn't love a book, it wasn't due to the writing of the author, it just wasn't my cup of tea. This book is sad, because clearly, the wrong person wrote it and didn't do this story justice in ANY way. I'm sure the people who actually experienced this story, feel majorly ripped off from this lame book that didn't come close to doing this inspirational and special story any justice. Also, the cover has an awesome photo on it from the movie, one would think there would be some photos of the whales (we certainly hear detailed lists of equipment and names of who took amazing photos), but no, not ONE photo in this book.
BOTTOM LINE: SKIP THE BOOK, AND LET'S HOPE THE MOVIE IS AS AWESOME AS THE PREVIEW LOOKS.
February 12, 2012
What a depressing reading experience. I am a sucker for inspiring animal stories, and I love love love whales and dolphins, so I've been enthralled by the trailers for this movie for some time. To give me my whale fix until the February release date, my boyfriend got me this book for Christmas. I was so looking forward to a light read with a happy ending. Yes, (spoilers!) some whales do get rescued, the result of some truly inspiring efforts. Unfortunately, all the joy is sucked out of these events by the author's frequent cynical asides, disdain for the subject matter, and atrocious writing. Tom Rose repeatedly refers to the whale rescue as a "nonevent" - I'd love to know how many times this word appears in the book - to the point where one starts to wonder why the hell he's bothering to write about it. He seems to be calling attention to the way the media calls attention to things that otherwise wouldn't merit attention, imbuing them with some kind of meaning through the mere act of media coverage...I guess...how meta of him.
My standards for this type of book are admittedly low; I'm not in it for the scintillating prose. But I'm certainly not expecting embarrassing typos and grammatical disasters on nearly every page. By all appearances, this is a first draft that was not even TOUCHED by an editor before it hit the shelves. How else do you explain the following:
"prioritizetze" (27)
"Once ignited, the wall's combusted like dry tinder." (79)
"How could the United Stated military only have two icebreakers? Plowden asked himself?"
"...would he peak in to catch the master of rage in action." (298)
"the grizzly case of executed American hostage Rich Higgins" (301)
For anyone who cares about the English language and who simply canNOT ignore errors like those, the fact that the book is riddled with them means 300+ pages of sheer frustration and distraction. And as far as tone goes, it doesn't get much snarkier than this: "The ultimate irony, of course, was that it was the 'evil' oil industry, not purehearted environmentalists, who saved the whales, by providing a better, cheaper, more abundant, and safer source of fuel than whale oil." Yes, Tom. Of course. It's as if he know that a fair number of those who will pick up this book are the type of people who regularly donate to organizations like Greenpeace, and he's in the mood to pick a fight.
I don't even want to comment on the epilogue, which reads like a twisted choose-your-own adventure book. One paragraph describes the happily-ever-after existence of a couple you've come to care about through the course of the book, using the present tense, and the next paragraph tells of how one died tragically four years after the whale rescue brought them together. Ick.
While I will, without hesitation, class this among the worst books I've ever read, I will grant that it wasn't a complete waste of time. The book covered minutiae about life in Barrow, AK that you probably won't learn from the movie, and I suppose it doesn't hurt that Rose pulls back the veil and exposes some of the ironies and darker global consequences of the rescue. It's probably worthwhile - some might even find it refreshing - to see a non-sugarcoated take on the tired old animal rescue story. But for me, and most of the (nonjaded) target audience for a book like this, the movie will be much more satisfying.
My standards for this type of book are admittedly low; I'm not in it for the scintillating prose. But I'm certainly not expecting embarrassing typos and grammatical disasters on nearly every page. By all appearances, this is a first draft that was not even TOUCHED by an editor before it hit the shelves. How else do you explain the following:
"prioritizetze" (27)
"Once ignited, the wall's combusted like dry tinder." (79)
"How could the United Stated military only have two icebreakers? Plowden asked himself?"
"...would he peak in to catch the master of rage in action." (298)
"the grizzly case of executed American hostage Rich Higgins" (301)
For anyone who cares about the English language and who simply canNOT ignore errors like those, the fact that the book is riddled with them means 300+ pages of sheer frustration and distraction. And as far as tone goes, it doesn't get much snarkier than this: "The ultimate irony, of course, was that it was the 'evil' oil industry, not purehearted environmentalists, who saved the whales, by providing a better, cheaper, more abundant, and safer source of fuel than whale oil." Yes, Tom. Of course. It's as if he know that a fair number of those who will pick up this book are the type of people who regularly donate to organizations like Greenpeace, and he's in the mood to pick a fight.
I don't even want to comment on the epilogue, which reads like a twisted choose-your-own adventure book. One paragraph describes the happily-ever-after existence of a couple you've come to care about through the course of the book, using the present tense, and the next paragraph tells of how one died tragically four years after the whale rescue brought them together. Ick.
While I will, without hesitation, class this among the worst books I've ever read, I will grant that it wasn't a complete waste of time. The book covered minutiae about life in Barrow, AK that you probably won't learn from the movie, and I suppose it doesn't hurt that Rose pulls back the veil and exposes some of the ironies and darker global consequences of the rescue. It's probably worthwhile - some might even find it refreshing - to see a non-sugarcoated take on the tired old animal rescue story. But for me, and most of the (nonjaded) target audience for a book like this, the movie will be much more satisfying.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2017
A news reporter covers the story of the media frenzy which arose after three California grey whales were trapped by ice off Barrow, Alaska, at the onset of 1988's winter. We start with an account of a hunt of a bowhead whale, which the native people find much tastier. If these three juvenile whales had been bowheads they would have been eaten. Subsistence whaling is no longer needed for the townspeople who can spend a million dollars on a school, and using explosive harpoons can hardly be called a fair game. Yet the advisability of getting public opinion Outside on their side meant that the whale hunters helped these trapped whales by cutting ice holes for them to breathe.
The fun part is the local TV station, satellite link, National Guard, oil company and reporters from media around the world, culminating even with two Russian icebreakers, all trying to record, help and ultimately save the whales. Mainly because it's good PR. The only ones doing it because they should do it were really the Greenpeace worker and two inventors who had created a water fountain to stop ice closing a hole.
Rose shows many sides and histories to round out his story. He's quite cynical, talking about oil having stopped the whale hunting on an industrial scale, but never mentions the immense subsidies given to oil extraction and refining companies. If oil had been more costly to produce than whale oil, believe me there would be no whales left in the sea. The Iceland capitulation into ending whaling is explained as an outcome of this story, while the Japanese are described as hunting them for 'science' but Rose doesn't know what study is carried out. Actually, the whales have an ear bone which grows as the whale ages and the science done is looking at the ear bone and seeing how old whales were when they were butchered for meat, baby whales and all. That would not have been hard to research. And the Russians are described as killing grey whales and feeding them to mink.
I had never heard any of this Alaskan story, though I did hear at the time of the Exxon Valdez oil spill - and the Amoco Cadiz - and of the earthquake in Armenia referenced.
The writing is not great. Rose is clearly used to having an editor and writing shorter pieces. There are many spelling errors and personally I dislike Rose's inveterate way of saying, "Tuesday we went to Alaska," never inserting the preposition that would make this a sentence.
I'm glad to have read this book as it provides a lot of background, describing the Alaskan winter well, and gives a good look into the hardships of journalism and the preoccupation with media image which has grown to the present day.
The fun part is the local TV station, satellite link, National Guard, oil company and reporters from media around the world, culminating even with two Russian icebreakers, all trying to record, help and ultimately save the whales. Mainly because it's good PR. The only ones doing it because they should do it were really the Greenpeace worker and two inventors who had created a water fountain to stop ice closing a hole.
Rose shows many sides and histories to round out his story. He's quite cynical, talking about oil having stopped the whale hunting on an industrial scale, but never mentions the immense subsidies given to oil extraction and refining companies. If oil had been more costly to produce than whale oil, believe me there would be no whales left in the sea. The Iceland capitulation into ending whaling is explained as an outcome of this story, while the Japanese are described as hunting them for 'science' but Rose doesn't know what study is carried out. Actually, the whales have an ear bone which grows as the whale ages and the science done is looking at the ear bone and seeing how old whales were when they were butchered for meat, baby whales and all. That would not have been hard to research. And the Russians are described as killing grey whales and feeding them to mink.
I had never heard any of this Alaskan story, though I did hear at the time of the Exxon Valdez oil spill - and the Amoco Cadiz - and of the earthquake in Armenia referenced.
The writing is not great. Rose is clearly used to having an editor and writing shorter pieces. There are many spelling errors and personally I dislike Rose's inveterate way of saying, "Tuesday we went to Alaska," never inserting the preposition that would make this a sentence.
I'm glad to have read this book as it provides a lot of background, describing the Alaskan winter well, and gives a good look into the hardships of journalism and the preoccupation with media image which has grown to the present day.
January 17, 2012
BIG MIRACLE by Tom Rose is the nonfiction story of a nonevent (Rose’s word) in 1988 that became so huge it captured the attention of the world and just about preempted a presidential election in the United States. In Barrow, Alaska, “the tip of the world,” three whales were trapped beneath ice and couldn’t migrate south to warmer waters as they did every year at that time. They would die when a hole in the ice froze over and they were unable to breathe.
This was a nonevent, says Rose, because it was not uncommon; whales became trapped under ice and died every year for thousands of years. This was wildlife. But it still became an event because the media made it an event.
Rose initially makes the mistake of subjecting readers, who probably expect the story of the whale rescue, to many long descriptions of whaling and the whaling industry and many long paragraphs of historical detail about whaling. While that interests some of us, it isn’t the animal story readers expect. Although Rose could argue that these details are necessary to understanding the story of the three trapped whales, I still insist that he overdid it. He could and should have stated simply that a long-time whaler in Barrow, Alaska discovered, just by chance, three whales trapped under the ice.
Rose is a successful journalist. But he wrote this book like he didn’t study journalism in college. Keep it brief, simple.
Although Rose continues with stories that were less dull, stories of life at the top of the world and how the media, the rescuers, and the players in the rescue did their jobs there, BIG MIRACLE is still easy to put down. Background information about most participants in the rescue, and even some of the reporters, added context to the story, but much of the historical detail was unnecessary. And so was the repetition. Sometimes I wanted to scream, too much information, Tom!
So, if you think this book is strictly about three trapped whales and the efforts to save them, think again. Rose also has a valid point to make: real news stories were ignored in favor of this nonevent. Rose was one of those reporters.
This was a nonevent, says Rose, because it was not uncommon; whales became trapped under ice and died every year for thousands of years. This was wildlife. But it still became an event because the media made it an event.
Rose initially makes the mistake of subjecting readers, who probably expect the story of the whale rescue, to many long descriptions of whaling and the whaling industry and many long paragraphs of historical detail about whaling. While that interests some of us, it isn’t the animal story readers expect. Although Rose could argue that these details are necessary to understanding the story of the three trapped whales, I still insist that he overdid it. He could and should have stated simply that a long-time whaler in Barrow, Alaska discovered, just by chance, three whales trapped under the ice.
Rose is a successful journalist. But he wrote this book like he didn’t study journalism in college. Keep it brief, simple.
Although Rose continues with stories that were less dull, stories of life at the top of the world and how the media, the rescuers, and the players in the rescue did their jobs there, BIG MIRACLE is still easy to put down. Background information about most participants in the rescue, and even some of the reporters, added context to the story, but much of the historical detail was unnecessary. And so was the repetition. Sometimes I wanted to scream, too much information, Tom!
So, if you think this book is strictly about three trapped whales and the efforts to save them, think again. Rose also has a valid point to make: real news stories were ignored in favor of this nonevent. Rose was one of those reporters.
December 30, 2011
I am so glad I won a prerelease copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads! I really enjoyed it. I found the story of the whale rescue very interesting--but for all the reasons Rose chose to emphasize through his analysis. Especially coming from a journalism background, I was fascinated by how the media event transpired. It was also intriguing to read it while living in today's economy. People would have reacted in a much different way had this happened today, rather than during the 80s.
A few other thoughts:
a) I appreciated Rose's willingness to share data and opinions that are not necessarily considered "PC" today, but in a tactful way.
b) It needed better editing, with some of the mistakes actually leading to confusion, rather than merely being typos.
c) I think this book provides a unique opportunity to understand the media's influence. I frequently envisioned working through this in a classroom or book club setting.
c) I look forward to seeing what the filmmakers will choose to emphasize as they retell this story in their own way.
A few other thoughts:
a) I appreciated Rose's willingness to share data and opinions that are not necessarily considered "PC" today, but in a tactful way.
b) It needed better editing, with some of the mistakes actually leading to confusion, rather than merely being typos.
c) I think this book provides a unique opportunity to understand the media's influence. I frequently envisioned working through this in a classroom or book club setting.
c) I look forward to seeing what the filmmakers will choose to emphasize as they retell this story in their own way.
July 9, 2012
Big Miracle is an excellent book - but maybe not for the reasons most people pick it up. This is a bizarre but remarkable story of how oil company executives, Green peace activists, Eskimos, businessmen, and military officers heroically worked together to save three Gray Whales trapped in the Arctic ice. It is also the story of a political liaison between the American and Russian governments during the Cold War and how millions of dollars were spent on what the Inuit people considered an ordinary event. Why did they do it and what were the outcomes good and bad makes an interesting, exciting, and amazing read.
April 18, 2012
I found 'Big Miracle' a fascinating story about how one non-event turned into the event of the Century. 3 whales trapped under the ice in Alaska create a snowball effect on the world, capturing the help and attention of media, Green Peace, Oil companies, the National Guard, the President of the USA, Inuits, the Soviets and more.... 3 Wales trapped under the ice is just the beginning of the story.
I give 'Big Miracle' 4 and a half stars.
I give 'Big Miracle' 4 and a half stars.
June 19, 2012
I seem to be running into a lot of books that I skid out of recently. This is yet another where the cover blurb is great, but the rest is thin and not enough to sustain interest - at least not as an audiobook where it is hard to skim ahead. I got fed up around CD3 and switched to light fiction instead.
August 9, 2012
A good read, but personally I thought "Big Miracle" was a catchier and more positive title. I appreciate the fact that the author dosen't gloss over the sometimes less than admirable qualities of some of the parties involved, it doesn't take away from the good that all the groups accomplished but it made them more interesting, warts and all.
September 17, 2022
Terrible. One of the few books I had to quit reading despite my best efforts to get past the author 's judgmental and almost childlike ego and human- centric views, which he throws in regularly. For example he states at certain points that oil leaks are environmentalist's fault. Definitely is not seeing the bigger picture and his narrow view of the world gets in the way of sharing the story.
March 21, 2023
Quite possibly the worst book I have ever read. It took me over three months just to make myself get through it. Now, to be fair, I received an advanced, uncorrected proof. But I cannot imagine that even when corrected, this book will be any good.
One of the first of many complaints I have is that the author is obviously biased. He has his "heroes" and his "bad guys" and his obvious political leanings and he makes no bones about adding his personal opinion about these characters. This would be fine if his focus was more autobiographical - which leads to the second problem in that his focus can't be found. At one time you think he is commenting on what this media frenzy did to the town of Barrow, Alaska. But then he shifts focus to the media themselves, then to the whales, then to the political implications of the event. I understand that overall, he is trying to say that this "nonevent" turned event by the media and the American public was bigger than just what was seen on television, but he just never gets there. His story has a lot of little pieces that don't seem to fit together.
The third issue I have with the book is that the writing is just not very good.
I imagine the producers of this film took a ton of artistic liberties to make a compelling story out of this book. Because the book itself, is not worth reading.
One of the first of many complaints I have is that the author is obviously biased. He has his "heroes" and his "bad guys" and his obvious political leanings and he makes no bones about adding his personal opinion about these characters. This would be fine if his focus was more autobiographical - which leads to the second problem in that his focus can't be found. At one time you think he is commenting on what this media frenzy did to the town of Barrow, Alaska. But then he shifts focus to the media themselves, then to the whales, then to the political implications of the event. I understand that overall, he is trying to say that this "nonevent" turned event by the media and the American public was bigger than just what was seen on television, but he just never gets there. His story has a lot of little pieces that don't seem to fit together.
The third issue I have with the book is that the writing is just not very good.
I imagine the producers of this film took a ton of artistic liberties to make a compelling story out of this book. Because the book itself, is not worth reading.
December 4, 2020
The book is aptly named - Big Miracle. The world has it's ways in presenting miracle and this aspect can be seen throughout the book. You can see how things, even seemingly impossible ones, just happens and work miraculously well with each other to make the impossible possible. In a way, the story also depicted something that is quite true in life. That something seemingly insignificant has the potential to influence more people than them themselves will ever imagine.
In terms of writing/storytelling, I'm not too big of a fan.
With the book showcasing multiple perspectives across the chapters, it was able to provide a holistic view on the whole whale rescue operation. A plus point when trying to understand a situation. However, ironically enough, it's strength is also one of the part I'm least satisfied about. With each chapter of the book focusing on the perspective of a certain character, coupled with the fact that there are a gazillion people involved and that the time line jumps around quite a fair bit, it makes out to be quite confusing as a whole.
How did it fair as a telling of an actual event? Pretty well. But how did it fair as a story? Barely passable.
In terms of writing/storytelling, I'm not too big of a fan.
With the book showcasing multiple perspectives across the chapters, it was able to provide a holistic view on the whole whale rescue operation. A plus point when trying to understand a situation. However, ironically enough, it's strength is also one of the part I'm least satisfied about. With each chapter of the book focusing on the perspective of a certain character, coupled with the fact that there are a gazillion people involved and that the time line jumps around quite a fair bit, it makes out to be quite confusing as a whole.
How did it fair as a telling of an actual event? Pretty well. But how did it fair as a story? Barely passable.
March 5, 2023
The story of three gray whales, trapped in rapidly decreasing area of the Arctic sea in Alaska, took place on many fronts at the same time. In telling the story, Tom Rose chose to tell each thread of the rescue separate from the others. I frequently found myself paging back to try to figure out when each person or event in the sequence took place in relationship to the other events. Yet all the threads come together to weave the story of how two of the whales eventually made it back into the open sea, to continue their journey from the frozen north, south to the California coast.
His depiction of the extreme cold the rescuers had to deal with was physically chilling. Cars and helicopters have to keep their motors running all the time to keep the motor block from being destroyed by sub-zero temperatures. Although the native Inuit people walked around on the rare 0 (zero) degree F day without hats or gloves, the journalists and workers from warmer climates couldn't manage that feat. The single restaurant and the sole hotel became information central for all the activity. The story gave me insight into what it takes to live in the extreme conditions on edge of civilization
His depiction of the extreme cold the rescuers had to deal with was physically chilling. Cars and helicopters have to keep their motors running all the time to keep the motor block from being destroyed by sub-zero temperatures. Although the native Inuit people walked around on the rare 0 (zero) degree F day without hats or gloves, the journalists and workers from warmer climates couldn't manage that feat. The single restaurant and the sole hotel became information central for all the activity. The story gave me insight into what it takes to live in the extreme conditions on edge of civilization
December 21, 2022
I found this book intriguing; a truly detailed account of an all out effort to free 3 California Gray Whales from the ice closing in around and above them. With no open water to the sea and ocean, they could not migrate back to California. The many attempts by man and machine finally succeeded in creating a path to open water. However, without the Eskimo whalers' knowledge of whales, physical ability to saw breathing holes in the ice for weeks on end, and their bodies' adaptation to the unforgiving climate, the victory clearly would not have occurred. There is much to be learned about the climate at the top of the world in Barrow, Alaska and the people who live there. Parts of the story move slowly as details are revealed. Other parts are action packed and emotional, if you care about whales and the passion of the rescuers. There is much to be learned in this account of true events.
September 4, 2024
Never heard of Barrow , Alaska ( Utqiagvik ) before, but this book did open my horizon!
It’s a story of whale rescue in 1988. 36 years ago in the northern most part of USA. The 49th state.
Where sun sleeps for 67 days during its cold and harsh winter.
The author seemed a bit biased and threw hundreds of names, it was pretty hard to remember who was who at times. on each names there’s piece of history, political view, character, upbringing etc which added depths as to what was going on in the world at that time.
Trully at the age of telegram, media remains the most powerful force to make a change.
It’s a story of whale rescue in 1988. 36 years ago in the northern most part of USA. The 49th state.
Where sun sleeps for 67 days during its cold and harsh winter.
The author seemed a bit biased and threw hundreds of names, it was pretty hard to remember who was who at times. on each names there’s piece of history, political view, character, upbringing etc which added depths as to what was going on in the world at that time.
Trully at the age of telegram, media remains the most powerful force to make a change.
April 25, 2018
Good, detailed account of the Save the Whales story. It included many detailed tangents into the backstories of everyone involved, some of which started back when people were born, which might've been a bit excessive. The reporterish hyperbole got annoying after a while (the "This was totally astounding because a, b, and c, I'd never seen anything like it, it was absolutely incredible" combined with spoilers of what lay ahead in the story), there was one at least once per chapter. The narrator for the audiobook has a voice of inconsistent volume, which works terribly in a car.
February 3, 2020
This was a good read in the end however it did have a slow start. I enjoyed the ending and the information given throughout the book.
If you’ve watched the movie adaptation and wanted to read this after, its not as fun as the movie. I enjoyed knowing the real story and what happened as the movie did change a few things.
I would recommend it if you are interested in how the media created such a big story about the trapped whales and how it spread around the world. But maybe not if you think it’s the same as the movie as is much more informative rather than just a fun story
:)
If you’ve watched the movie adaptation and wanted to read this after, its not as fun as the movie. I enjoyed knowing the real story and what happened as the movie did change a few things.
I would recommend it if you are interested in how the media created such a big story about the trapped whales and how it spread around the world. But maybe not if you think it’s the same as the movie as is much more informative rather than just a fun story
:)
July 18, 2018
Great story, so-so writing. This book was the basis for the movie starring Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski (LOVE him) which was very touching and heartwarming. The book is much more cynical, calling the whale rescue a "non-event" that became a media frenzy. I liked it, but the typos and poor editing became annoying after a while.
April 14, 2021
This book was quiet interesting to me. This is the story of the rescue of three whales and the problems encountered in the rescue. The story made international news. I found myself so caught up in the story that I was frustrated when problems developed. The combined efforts were fascinating. This book is based on actual events that occurred.
April 12, 2025
Have no idea who recommended this book to me, but it’s been on my to-read list for over a decade. I finally read it. It was fine. The whole point is to show how the media turned a non-story into an event, something that the author repeatedly writes in chapter after chapter. Stop telling me and just tell the story. There were also a lot of typos in this book.
May 11, 2018
I really enjoyed hearing the many stories that were brought together. This reminds me that the world isn’t totally lost, we need more opportunities to bring our talents together to make life a little brighter and less cold.
October 29, 2017
in 1988 , 3 whales got stranded by ice , and the world care to save them.
fascinating story .
fascinating story .
February 26, 2018
A feel good story told by a complete crank, which at first was a welcome break from all the warm fuzzies, but soon wore thin. Whatever happened to the reporter not becoming part of the story?
March 29, 2018
3.5
Really interesting about native cultures & how the whaling laws work.
Really interesting about native cultures & how the whaling laws work.
January 3, 2020
I ended up abandoning this book due to poor writing/editing. The movie cannot help but be far greater than the book.
August 17, 2020
قصة حقيقية عن انقاذ حيتان عالقة في منطقة متجمده من القطب الشمالي .. رائعة
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