Doug Bock Clark's Books

The Last Whalers

Three Years in the Far Pacific with a Courageous Tribe and a Vanishing Way of Life

By: Doug Bock Clark

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The Last Whalers

Three Years in the Far Pacific with a Courageous Tribe and a Vanishing Way of Life

By: Doug Bock Clark

In this "immersive, densely reported, and altogether remarkable first book [with] the texture and color of a first-rate novel" (New York Times), journalist Doug Bock Clark tells the epic story of the world's last subsistence whalers and the threats posed to a tribe on the brink. A New York Times Notable Book A New York Times Editors' Choice Winner of Lowell Thomas Travel Book Award Silver Medal Finalist for William Saroyan International Writing Prize Longlisted for Mountbatten Award for Best Book Telegraph Best Travel Books of the Year Hampshire Gazette Best Books of 2019 One of the favorite books of Yuval Noah Harari, author of the classic bestseller Sapiens, "on the subject of humanity's place in the world." (via Airmail) On a volcanic island in the Savu Sea so remote that other Indonesians call it "The Land Left Behind" live the Lamalerans: a tribe of 1,500 hunter-gatherers who are the world's last subsistence whalers. They have survived for half a millennium by hunting whales with bamboo harpoons and handmade wooden boats powered by sails of woven palm fronds. But now, under assault from the rapacious forces of the modern era and a global economy, their way of life teeters on the brink of collapse. Award-winning journalist Doug Bock Clark, one of a handful of Westerners who speak the Lamaleran language, lived with the tribe across three years, and he brings their world and their people to vivid life in this gripping story of a vanishing culture. Jon, an orphaned apprentice whaler, toils to earn his harpoon and provide for his ailing grandparents, while Ika, his indomitable younger sister, is eager to forge a life unconstrained by tradition, and to realize a star-crossed love. Frans, an aging shaman, tries to unite the tribe in order to undo a deadly curse. And Ignatius, a legendary harpooner entering retirement, labors to hand down the Ways of the Ancestors to his son, Ben, who would secretly rather become a DJ in the distant tourist mecca of Bali. Deeply empathetic and richly reported, The Last Whalers is a riveting, powerful chronicle of the collision between one of the planet's dwindling indigenous peoples and the irresistible enticements and upheavals of a rapidly transforming world.

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Page Count

397

Publisher

Little, Brown

Published Date

ISBN 10

0316390631

ISBN 13

9780316390637

The Last Whalers

The Life of an Endangered Tribe in a Land Left Behind

By: Doug Bock Clark

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The Last Whalers

The Life of an Endangered Tribe in a Land Left Behind

By: Doug Bock Clark

Remarkable... a rich, novelistic account based on diligent reporting ... An empathetic, even intimate account, but not a dewy-eyed one ... Wonderful' Daily Telegraph 'I absolutely loved this magnificent book' Sebastian Junger 'A monumental achievement' Mitchell Zuckoff '[An] immersive, densely reported and altogether remarkable first book ... The Last Whalers has the texture and colouring of a first-rate novel' New York Times At a time when global change has eradicated thousands of unique cultures, The Last Whalers tells the stunning inside story of the Lamalerans, an ancient tribe of 1,500 hunter-gatherers who live on a volcanic island so remote it is known by other Indonesians as "The Land Left Behind." They have survived for centuries by taking whales with bamboo harpoons, but now are being pushed toward collapse by the encroachment of the modern world. Award-winning journalist Doug Bock Clark, who lived with the Lamalerans across three years, weaves together their stories with novelistic flair to usher us inside this hidden drama. Jon, an orphaned apprentice whaler, strives to earn his harpoon and feed his ailing grandparents. Ika, Jon's indomitable younger sister, struggles to forge a modern life in a tradition-bound culture and realize a star-crossed love. Ignatius, a legendary harpooner entering retirement, labors to hand down the Ways of the Ancestors to his son, Ben, who would rather become a DJ in the distant tourist mecca of Bali. With brilliant, breathtaking prose and empathetic, fast-paced storytelling, Clark details how the fragile dreams of one of the world's dwindling indigenous peoples are colliding with the irresistible upheavals of our rapidly transforming world, and delivers to us a group of families we will never forget.

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Page Count

359

Publisher

Hachette UK

Published Date

ISBN 10

1529374146

ISBN 13

9781529374148

The Last Whalers

Three Years in the Far Pacific with a Courageous Tribe and a Vanishing Way of Life

By: Doug Bock Clark

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Last Whalers

Three Years in the Far Pacific with a Courageous Tribe and a Vanishing Way of Life

By: Doug Bock Clark

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

397

Publisher

Little, Brown

Published Date

ISBN 10

0316390631

ISBN 13

9780316390637

Book's by Doug Bock Clark

The Last Whalers

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