The Secret Life of Whales

by Micheline Jenner

Marine biologist Micheline Jenner discovered humpback breeding grounds off the Kimberley coast, has swum through orange golfball-sized pygmy blue whale poo to uncover a feeding spot, and is one of very few people to witness a humpback whale giving birth. In The Secret Life of Whales she reveals the unknown world of these giants of the deep and shares insights from her work with humpback, blue and pygmy blue whales, taking us from Australia to Antarctica and beyond. Enlightening and eye-opening, The Secret Life of Whales reveals fascinating information about how whales live, tapping into Jenner’s world-leading research and infectious enthusiasm for these magnificent creatures. 'Australia’s whales are lucky to have had observers, admirers and protectors like Micheline Jenner. But so are the citizens of this island nation, for the Jenners have not only advanced our scientific knowledge, they’ve enriched our culture.' –Tim Winton

Genres: Nonfiction

328 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2017

Reviews

[Deborah Mills · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have always been very interested in whales but found it was hard work to read this book. Heard the author on the Science show with Robyn Williams and author and book sounded interesting on radio.
Sadly I found the book was not so much.
Personally I was not interested in hearing the author constantly saying how marvellous it all was, how lucky she was - which she seemed to do a great deal. Good for her I say, but I wanted to hear about the Whales. It was a bit confusing hearing about anatomy of whales when one does not know but I googled this - it would have helped to have a drawing of the anatomy of whales. The few whale pictures were nice.
The book seemed to have stories of various ways of coming close to whales but just lots of questions about what it meant - which I did not need asked, I needed answered. I found it was more padding and name dropping and non-whale tales of author and her family, so would not recommend.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every moment of this wonderful read and considering that Micheline Jenner has dedicated her life to the research of whales and spent countless hours with them means no matter how much or how little knowledge you have of whales you are guaranteed to learn something new. Her passion and dedication resonates through this book and it is truly wonderful to read about her experiences and absorb some of her immense knowledge of the cetaceans of Australia. We could certainly learn much from our whales and how they do not live their lives with vindictiveness or bitterness, I am so pleased that Micheline has written about experiences we could only dream of and I have my fingers crossed for another award winning book soon!

[Phuong Ha Pham · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book tells a story of two marine biologists who spend their professional lives doing whales research. Readers are introduced to humpback whales, minke whales, blue whales, sperm whales, killer whales, dolphins, ect. Not only is the secret life of the sea giants brought to light, but also message to protect their habitats is sent out too.

Readers would be amazed at the expeditions that the Jenner family have made to learn more about the whales and to protect them. The book could have been better if it had been organised chronologically. I often got confused as to how the book was organised in terms of time. Having said that, the book was enjoyable to read.

[Nikki Balzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved the entjusiasiam this lady feels even after 30 + years in the field. its true the author tells you how lucky she is to be witnessing and seeing the amazing sights she has throughout her adult life quite often in this book, but i felt it was all justified. she and her family have worked toward their goals step by step and they deserve every amazing sight they see and experience. they have done a lot for whale conservation and answered so many questions about the secret life of whales. will be passing the book to many of my friends to also enjoy

[Maggies_lens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Infectious! That's the only word I have for Jenner's love of whales :D If you want to read some seriously good expert information of whales, read this book. If you want to experience the absolute obsession and delight of a person for their passion, read this book! Seriously good read.

[Jacinta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very readable science of whales, with fact boxes, that makes the hard work of research glamorous and desirable.

[Ben Sones · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not what I expected. It is mostly anecdotes of a whale researcher’s encounters with various cetaceans. If you are looking to learn more about whale biology this isn’t the book for you.

[Mary Pennington · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can appreciate how much work goes into studying whales, but this book was so difficult to stay engaged with. I kinda wanted to learn about whales, and I felt like every other sentence was just about how amazing, lucky, rare, and incredible the author’s life was!