Listeners may be familiar with SeaWorld's ad on TV promoting its humane treatment of whales. Here's the opposite point of view--from a voice of experience. Hargrove, formerly a SeaWorld orca trainer, had an "emotional reversal" and now objects to the entertainment organization's treatment of animals, including a breeding program for orcas that he terms cruel. Hargrove's slight Texas accent gives his criticisms extra power. Although much of his writing centers on the "quiet desperation" faced by orcas in captivity, there's also information about orca emotions and social hierarchy, his own lifetime fascination with the whales, and life as an orca trainer. His passion is strong, and listeners will feel the emotions in his argument. Hargrove isn't always critical, and he offers solutions, but his tone can sound bleak.
Pub Date: March 24, 2015
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781101926468
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The author describes her efforts to implement a meaningful sustainability initiative for Wales and the world at large. An educator and minister of the environment, sustainability, and housing in her tiny country, she's a wonderful narrator who sounds at once relaxed and passionate, likable and dignified. Her voice is a perfect vehicle for amplifying her humanitarian intentions as well as the breadth of her methodical thinking. But what makes this audio so inspiring are the personal asides she shares throughout concerning her willingness to be vulnerable and her calm resolve to do something for the world's future generations. Davidson's descriptions of the laborious process of cultural transformation would have been dry listening without her pleasing UK speaking voice.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 6 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
When Captain Salvador Alvarenga and his young assistant, Ezequiel Cordova, set out from Costa Azul, Mexico, on a fishing expedition, the experienced captain could not possibly have expected the type of journey that lay ahead. Narrator George Newbern does an excellent job delivering the story of Alvarenga's struggle to survive at sea in an open boat for 438 days before finally coming ashore on a remote island many miles away in the South Pacific. Newbern’s consistent pace and varied tone keep the compelling story going, communicating the harrowing aspects of the journey as well as Alvarenga's inspirational will to survive his extended ordeal at sea.
Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2015
Duration: 7 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781442396029
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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