Reviews tagging 'Cannibalism'

In the Heart of the Sea: The Incredible True Story that Inspired Moby-Dick by Nathaniel Philbrick

38 reviews

secondhandreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

Excellently told, amazing how the author was able to get together so many accounts and weave them into the best understanding of this event were likely to have. Secondarily, I think maybe we should stop thinking of Nantucket and America's whaling history as a heartwarming story of human triumph, and more like a dark stain on human history. These men should not be respected or hailed as heroes for the work they were doing when tragedy struck them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Cannibalism

jamiejanae_6's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Blood, Cannibalism, and Classism

christinelangill's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, and Colonisation

ska1224's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

informative read on the crew of the Essex as well as Nantucket life in the early 1800s, whaling life, and other events pertaining to what happened to the crew

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

nicolecoyle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative sad tense slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Slavery and Fire/Fire injury

amarnareads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Cannibalism

maya_moksha's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Racism, Blood, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail

bookbelle5_17's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad slow-paced

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

By: Nathaniel Philbrick

            Herman Melville’s famous novel Moby Dick is considered a must-read classic, and one that was inspired by the real-life tragedy of the whaleship Essex. Philbrick’s book tells of that event.  Just like Melville, Philbrick got a lot of his information from First Mate Owen Chase’s account of the events, though Chase’s account is limited as he, along with cabin boy Thomas Nickerson (the other source of information for Philbrick’s book), and a few other members of the crew were separated from the captain. It was a shock for Owen Chase when one of the Sperm Whale they would normally hunt attacks the Essex sinking it.  They experience the horrors of dehydration and starvation eventually resorting to cannibalisms.  Owen Chase comes off as ambitious and he along with the second mate didn’t always agree with Captain Pollard, who came off as passive and not a very good Captain.  We do get a bit of Nickerson and his thoughts on the situation, but most of the book focuses on Owen Chase.  Philbrick goes into detail on how they catch and remove the blubber from the whales and at one point crew ends up on an island where they try to hunt try tropical birds.  There is also a discussion of the African American’s being the first to died and are the ones that die first and are eaten by the survivors.  The author also talks other ships that have similar circumstances and how they responded.  This good deep dive into an event that people don’t know about.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Blood, and Cannibalism

nimeneth's review against another edition

informative tense slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, and Cannibalism

brookealleger's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Cannibalism