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In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

Nathaniel Philbrick

Start date: November 1, 2015

Finish date: December 31, 2015

Discussion: Newsletter

Discussion leader: Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu

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What Members Thought

Oct 05, 2014 Candi rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, adventurers-explorers

This was a fascinating and very readable true account of the whaleship Essex and its crew which left Nantucket in 1820 only to meet with disaster fifteen months later in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean. I have been interested in learning more about this tragedy for some time, but honestly didn't expect to become so absorbed in this book! Having very little knowledge of the whaling industry and maritime travel in general, I was nevertheless easily able to follow the story thanks to the tale This was a fascinating and very readable true account of the whaleship Essex and its crew which left Nantucket in 1820 only to meet with disaster fifteen months later in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean. I have been interested in learning more about this tragedy for some time, but honestly didn't expect to become so absorbed in this book! Having very little knowledge of the whaling industry and maritime travel in general, I was nevertheless easily able to follow the story thanks to the talent of Nathaniel Philbrick. Providing the reader with a wealth of information, Philbrick fills in gaps of knowledge in a way that is compelling rather than mundane. The background of the Nantucketers and Quakerism, the historical details of the whaling ships, the hierarchy of the ship's crewmen, the particulars of sailing, the effects of starvation and dehydration, and even superstition are brought to light as a result of the author's extensive research.

The relationships between the captain, the first mate and the rest of the crew and the characteristics of these whalers seem to reflect an intriguing culture of its own in the world of whaling. I was amazed by some of the poor decisions made by this crew throughout their journey, even prior to their ship being rammed by the massive sperm whale. The level of violence involved in actually killing and processing a whale was astounding considering the extremely pious nature of these men; but as Philbrick notes: "Nantucketers saw no contradiction between their livelihood and their religion. God Himself had granted them dominion over the fishes and the sea." At the same time, this spiritual devotion must also have given these men strength during their days at sea while they struggled to survive thousands of miles from the shores they sought for their salvation. The human survival element of this book makes it a page-turner and is quite gripping and at times even terrifying and disturbing.

This is indeed a well-written and brilliantly researched book which I recommend to anyone interested in tales of survival. After learning that this true story of the Essex and the monstrous whale that caused her demise are the inspirations behind Herman Melville's writing, I have now renewed my desire to re-read that once-formidable book Moby Dick!

4 stars

...more

56 likes · Like · see review

Jan 13, 2019 Celia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-list, 52-2019, books-for-living, 2019-read, ten-year-challenge, non-fiction, national-book-award

Nantucket Island - 1820. The whale ship Essex leaves this, the center of the whaling industry at that time, to make a 2 year journey to the Pacific Ocean looking for the giant sperm whale.

Before the whalers of Nantucket were forced to make such an arduous journey, they fished for whales near their coast.

"Every fall, hundreds of right whales appeared to the south of the island and remained until the early spring. So named because they were “the right whale to kill,” right whales grazed the waters ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Mar 16, 2010 Book Concierge rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-about-books, nature, movie, concierge, library, nonfiction

The true story that inspired Melville's Moby Dick. I was fascinated by the tale of these whalers who managed to survive the loss of their ship. It does bog down a bit in the middle (but then, they were drifting at sea, or on a deserted island), but it's a great story. Almost makes me want to read Moby Dick. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Nov 05, 2015 Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu rated it really liked it

Shelves: themechallenge2015, tbrhchallenge, history-non-fiction

A story of kinship, tragedy, and survival that lend to one of the classic tales in literature, Moby Dick .
I was enthralled by everything that happened in this story and the accounts that were included on starvation, dehydration, cannibalism from outside sources (e.g. W.J. McGee's "Desert Thirst as Disease, the Minnesota Starvation Experiment (1940-45), and the 1972 Andes disaster).
I was also amazed at the hypocrisy of the Quaker kinship, their preachings on acceptance and tolerance, yet there A story of kinship, tragedy, and survival that lend to one of the classic tales in literature, Moby Dick .
I was enthralled by everything that happened in this story and the accounts that were included on starvation, dehydration, cannibalism from outside sources (e.g. W.J. McGee's "Desert Thirst as Disease, the Minnesota Starvation Experiment (1940-45), and the 1972 Andes disaster).
I was also amazed at the hypocrisy of the Quaker kinship, their preachings on acceptance and tolerance, yet there was a great deal of segregation on their ships and not only amongst the African American crew mates.
My heart truly broke at the lack of humanity towards the majestic whales in the whaling industry of the 19th century (and even today!), how the Quakers had such a blood/money thirst for the whale's oil, but preached about doing no harm to other humans.
While reading the book, I kept thinking of the hindsight that could have prevented such a tragedy. If the Nantucket Whalers had utilized sources from other whalers, not from Nantucket, they would have understood the South Pacific culture and recognized their cannibalistic fears were mostly unfounded. Ironic that those fears came to truth amongst their fellow friends, the worst from the drawing of lots. I was also amazed that lots were a standard practice among mariners when stranded at sea and left with no food but that of their crew. Upon further research, I found that whereas this may have been acceptable survivalism behavior among sailors, land lovers would not have the same thought. There have been court cases against such actions, such as The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens. In fact, Philbrick mentions how Captain Pollard's sister in law would have no further contact with him after his actions against her son, having drawn the short lot on his whaling boat.
Such horrors and tragedy, if only the Captain would have been more authoritarian. If only Chase hadn't been so headstrong and ignorant and had taken aim at the hell-bent whale. The tragedy of the Essex may have been avoided, but it wasn't. And, much was to be learned from this tragedy, of survival, redemption, and the utter cruelty of the whaling industry.
I'm not sure I would have read this book if I hadn't been in a bookclub. I'm glad I did read Philbrick's book as I learned a great deal and finally am not intimidated to read Moby Dick .
**** Stars ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 30, 2012 Tasha rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fic, travel-adventure

Wow, what a story. Hard to put down and highly recommended. I've been to Nantucket but wish I had read about the this story before traveling to the island. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 21, 2016 Phair rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-club, non-fiction

I am not fond of whaling so wasn't thrilled when this title was chosen for my f2f discussion group. Happy to report that Philbrick managed to make this a fascinating read with much emphasis on Nantucket history. The stoving of the ship came quickly without a lot of time spent on the actual slaughter of whales and then we had a story of survival at sea. Liked that it had nice short chapters and that it was full of interesting information. This book was one of the titles that introduced the concep ...more

1 like · Like · see review