Re: SH Book Club #7 (May)
Pretty much cleared it last night except for the end notes. Briefly, it was interesting to learn about Nantucket, and Quakers, whales and the various influences on society and vice versa. I have always been fascinated by wooden sailing ships and the ocean, not to mention the classic by Herman Mellville, which was directly attributable to this story.
I like the fact that he draws the story together from mostly primary sources. I would have liked more detail in the chase and harpooning phase, and perhaps more information about the process on the other end....the processing of the oil and it's movement to the biggest consumer(s). I did not like the mistake he makes in the cannabilism discussion, attributing a more recent case to a soccer team in the Andes. Heck, those people are afraid to pick the ball up and run with it and everyone knows it is ruggers that eat their dead.
This is a very good book, and part of American history that would keep any reader interested. I recommend that if you pick it up, keep a very large container of cool water nearby as you work through it. You are going to get thirsty. If you want a real challenge. Skip meals for 2 days before getting to the second half, and then keep a warm chicken leg beside you as you get toward the end. There are a lot of things a man might say he would never do, and then he does them in order to stay alive. It might not ever happen to you but it is still a good lesson to be stored back there somewhere in your cranial hard drive.
