Whale Song

Whether it’s sign language with apes or counting with horses, humans are fascinated by the possibility of communicating with other species on this planet. And whales occupy one of the highest pedestals when it comes to cross-species contact. From their haunting whale songs to their alien environment, they inspire wonder in all but the most jaded of us.

Whale Song, one of the latest additions to the Object Lessons series, explores not only the history of our attempts to analyze whale song but how we interpret it in the context of our lives. Arguably, Whale Song is less about the songs themselves and more about what we make of them.

With tangents musing on perceived loneliness in whales, the creatures as metaphors for our own isolation, and an extended look at how we’ve impacted whale song through sound pollution, whaling, and other human-caused sources of strife, this book is more about the lens than what it’s examining, which makes for an unexpected but still worthwhile read.

Just don’t expect any easy answers. Grebowicz isn’t interested in those.