Lost Whale

By Michel de Montaigne and William George Waters

Book Overview

The heartbreaking and true story of a lonely orca named Luna who befriended humans in Nootka Sound, off the coast of Vancouver Island by Michael Parfit and Suzanne Chisholm. One summer in Nootka Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, a young killer whale called Luna got separated from his pod. Like humans, orcas are highly social and depend on their families, but Luna found himself desperately alone. So he tried to make contact with people. He begged for attention at boats and docks. He looked soulfully into people's eyes. He wanted to have his tongue rubbed. When someone whistled at him, he squeaked and whistled back. People fell in love with him, but the government decided that being friendly with Luna was bad for him, and tried to keep him away from humans. Policemen arrested people for rubbing Luna's nose. Fines were levied. Undaunted, Luna refused to give up his search for connection and people went out to meet him, like smugglers carrying friendship through the dark. But does friendship work between species? People who loved Luna couldn't agree on how to help him. Conflict came to Nootka Sound. The government built a huge net. The First Nations' members brought out their canoes. Nothing went as planned, and the ensuing events caught everyone by surprise and challenged the very nature of that special and mysterious bond we humans call friendship. The Lost Whale celebrates the life of a smart, friendly, determined, transcendent being from the sea who appeared among us like a promise out of the blue: that the greatest secrets in life are still to be discovered.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312353642
• ISBN13: 9780312353643
• Release Date: June 2013
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

The Ever-Inquisitive Mind

In September 1580, Montaigne set out for Rome by way of Austria and Switzerland for what would end up being a 17-month trip. The same intelligence, objectivity and goodwill that characterize his famous Essays appear in this travel journal as well, making it a joy to read. An excerpt: "On the eve of Easter I saw at Saint John Lateran the heads of Saint Paul and Saint Peter that are shown there, which still have their flesh, color, and beard, as if they were alive: Saint Peter, a white and slightly longish face, his color ruddy and inclined to the sanguine, a forked gray beard, his head covered with a papal miter; Saint Paul, dark, his face broad and stouter, the head bigger, the beard gray, thick. They are up high in a special place. The way of showing them is that they call the people by the sound of bells, and by fits and starts lower a curtain be-hind which are these heads, side by side. They Iet them be seen for the time it takes to say an Ave Maria, and immediately raise the curtain again; after that they lower it again in the same way, and this up to three times. They repeat this exhibition four or five times during the day. The place is about as high as a pike, and then there is a heavy iron grill through which you look. They light several tapers around it on the out-side; but it is hard to discern very clearly all the details. I saw them two or three times. The polish of these faces had some resemblance to our masks." (p. 95) The heads are still in the church; unfortunately they are no longer displayed publicly. North Point Press' books are wonderful examples of the bookmaker's art, but the company went out of business quite a while ago. Be sure to buy their edition if you can find one. The Foreword by Guy Davenport and Introduction by Donald M. Frame are icing on the cake.