Reading 1001 discussion

The Day of the Dolphin is a 1967 novel, 1001 Book, written by the French author, Robert Merle. It is set in Florida during the period of time referred to as the cold war (1970 to 1973). The book itself is not that engaging and certainly dated as a sixties book and the treatment of women (often referred to as girls) is certainly grating. This is a work of science fiction and in this book the SF part is that man is teaching dolphins to talk and learning to talk in dolphinese and dolphins. As often is the case with science fiction, this is a political statement against war, against government, politics and government involvement in research science.

I found it interesting to read a novel written by a French author that was set in the US. I found it interesting to compare this book to another book I read this month, Libra by DeLillo, also a book espionage in the US. Both books question the assassination of JFK along the same points of logic. Both books also discussed the Bay of Pigs and how the CIA may have been manipulating the president. This book talks about a fictional election of a man that in all descriptions sounds like a Hollywood star. At this time Ronald Reagan had been elected as governor of California and the book mentions that. The US is engaged in fighting in Vietnam. A US ship is sunk and the US blames China and gives China an ultimatum. This is a story of how the agencies that are around the president can manipulate that position by what information is given, distorted, and withheld. There is mention of the sinking of the Maine by unknown etiology in the harbor of Havana that led US to declaring war on Spain in the Spanish American War.

Quotes:
"Freedom of the press is quite real, but it is ineffectual. In a country where all the new media are in the hands of money, the still small voice of truth is quickly drowned out by the powerful organs of falsehood and confusion."

"...issue of Le Monde (French newspaper) expressed this view with a clarity that would have impressed even the Americans if they had attached any importance to either the information or the opinions given in the European press. But American newspapers quoted only other American newspapers or, at the most, the British newspapers, in their columns."

"If there's one thing a President can neither reform nor control it's his own political police force, they are the real rulers, since it's they who give him information..."

"I am sure the CIA knew that the Bay of Pigs would be a failure. I'm sure the plan was to confront John (JFK) with a setback so serious, a loss of face so terrible that John would send the marines to Cuba, and John came close to doing it, such a disaster at the beginning of his Presidency, he was so mortified, so humiliated, so upset, but he pulled himself together, he said no, he knew how to say no, no to war against Cuba, no to war against China, no to segregation, they killed him because he knew how to say no, send him to Dallas and we'll take car of the rest, in Dallas we have policemen who can slice a cigar in two at thirty yards..."

I found it so interesting that I ended up reading two books so similar in themes. One written in 1967 by a foriegn author and the other in 1988 by an American author.

The book was set on the work of scientist John Lilly, a Minnesotan scientist who worked on dolphin language. Rating 3.3

WTF was this? was my honest review after stepping away from the book. I do agree with Kristel that the message of how political/military interests can corrupt the process of research science and create serious ethical issues, and that is why this book got 2 stars from me instead of just 1.

It does read like a dated bad pulp movie from the 60s-80s (and it was one in the 70s!) and there are so many other better SF books that could have been included on the list in its place. I asked my mom if she had read it because she has read a lot of those 60-80s pollical-vaguely-sci-fi-thriller paperbacks and she said she thinks she's seen the movie and had the same reaction to it that I had to the book XD.