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    Big Miracle
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    Big Miracle
    Unavailable
    Big Miracle
    Audiobook12 hours

    Big Miracle

    Written by Tom Rose

    Narrated by Peter Berkrot

    3/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Set in Cold-War-era 1988, Big Miracle is the real story behind the remarkable, bizarre and often times uproarious event that mesmerized the world for weeks. On October 7, an Inuit hunter found three California Gray Whales imprisoned in the Arctic ice. In the past, as was nature's way, trapped whales always died. Not this time. Rose compellingly describes how oil company executives, Greenpeace activists, Eskimos, businessmen, and military officers heroically worked together to save the whales. The book also features some of the more than 150 international journalists who brought the story to the world's attention. The rescue was followed by millions of people around the world and brought President Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the General Secretary of the Soviet Union, to join forces.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamscape Media Audio
    Release dateDec 20, 2011
    ISBN9781611204537
    Unavailable
    Big Miracle
    Author

    Tom Rose

    Tom Rose, who covered the story of the whales in 1988, went on to become publisher and CEO of the Jerusalem Post. Today he is a talk show host and lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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    Reviews for Big Miracle

    3/5

    18 ratings18 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I seem to be running into a lot of books that I skid out of recently. This is yet another where the cover blurb is great, but the rest is thin and not enough to sustain interest - at least not as an audiobook where it is hard to skim ahead. I got fed up around CD3 and switched to light fiction instead.
    • 2/5
      I seem to be running into a lot of books that I skid out of recently. This is yet another where the cover blurb is great, but the rest is thin and not enough to sustain interest - at least not as an audiobook where it is hard to skim ahead. I got fed up around CD3 and switched to light fiction instead.
    • 4/5
      I almost gave up on this one. The first third of the book was very annoying. It’s an ARC and in much, much need of editing and correction. In the process of setting the scene there was way too much information that seemed frivolous and opinionated. The story seemed to constantly veer off from the whale rescue and get political. Then it dawned on me. The whales themselves were not really the story. They were the “non-event”. The real story and focus of this book was the unbelievable media frenzy, public interest, world politics, conservation issues, Arctic and Eskimo culture, and the heroic efforts of normally non-cooperative entities. For three weeks, reporters from all over the world descended on the tiny town of Barrow, Alaska, which is the northernmost American town and lies within the Arctic Circle. This was the biggest story ever in Alaska up to the October 1988 event. It was a huge strain on limited resources and human capabilities. This arctic environment was unlike anything most had ever experienced. Author Tom Rose was one of the reporters. He writes about the cold which daily hit -25 to -50 Fahrenheit: “Then, standing on the edge of the ice hole, I was struck with an unexplained, stinging pain, first in my left eye, and then, seconds later, in my right. It felt like a sharp object was cutting through my closed eyes. I knew it must have had something to do with my contact lenses but I couldn’t get at them. My eyelids were frozen. In the instant it took to blink, the tiny droplets of condensation at the edge of my lashes froze my eyelids together, closing my eyes. My contact lenses had frozen to my eyeballs, my eyelids were stuck together, and I hadn’t been out on the ice for five minutes.”The last third of this book was the best… tense, faster paced, better written and more interesting. When all was over, it is estimated that oil company executives, the US government, Greenpeace, businesses, foreign countries, and misc others spent almost $6M trying to save three gray whales… which if their freedom was secured, it was unlikely they would be strong enough to overcome the dangers in the open water while completing their migration. It was outrageous. And yet, it was indeed a miracle that so many unlikely participants discovered how to work together and problem solve against all odds.
    • 4/5
      I almost gave up on this one. The first third of the book was very annoying. It’s an ARC and in much, much need of editing and correction. In the process of setting the scene there was way too much information that seemed frivolous and opinionated. The story seemed to constantly veer off from the whale rescue and get political. Then it dawned on me. The whales themselves were not really the story. They were the “non-event”. The real story and focus of this book was the unbelievable media frenzy, public interest, world politics, conservation issues, Arctic and Eskimo culture, and the heroic efforts of normally non-cooperative entities. For three weeks, reporters from all over the world descended on the tiny town of Barrow, Alaska, which is the northernmost American town and lies within the Arctic Circle. This was the biggest story ever in Alaska up to the October 1988 event. It was a huge strain on limited resources and human capabilities. This arctic environment was unlike anything most had ever experienced. Author Tom Rose was one of the reporters. He writes about the cold which daily hit -25 to -50 Fahrenheit: “Then, standing on the edge of the ice hole, I was struck with an unexplained, stinging pain, first in my left eye, and then, seconds later, in my right. It felt like a sharp object was cutting through my closed eyes. I knew it must have had something to do with my contact lenses but I couldn’t get at them. My eyelids were frozen. In the instant it took to blink, the tiny droplets of condensation at the edge of my lashes froze my eyelids together, closing my eyes. My contact lenses had frozen to my eyeballs, my eyelids were stuck together, and I hadn’t been out on the ice for five minutes.”The last third of this book was the best… tense, faster paced, better written and more interesting. When all was over, it is estimated that oil company executives, the US government, Greenpeace, businesses, foreign countries, and misc others spent almost $6M trying to save three gray whales… which if their freedom was secured, it was unlikely they would be strong enough to overcome the dangers in the open water while completing their migration. It was outrageous. And yet, it was indeed a miracle that so many unlikely participants discovered how to work together and problem solve against all odds.
    • 4/5
      This was an early review book I received with the title "Everybody Loves Whales". I'm told that "Big Miracle" differs only in updated information on people and events. I received this about the same time that the movie came out and I haven't seen the movie so I don't know how it differed. This is a fairly well written story about the rescue attempt of three gray whales imprisoned in Arctic ice. The author, Tom Rose covered the 1988 whale rescue as a reporter and producer for Japanese TV. This book tells the real story behind the event that mesmerized the world. I remember watching it on television but then never thinking much more about it once the two whales left the ice.for weeks. "Big Miracle" describes how many organizations came together to save the whales but even more amazing the great number of media that showed up in the small town of Barrow, Alaska. At times I think that Rose was somewhat cynical of all that was happening. I got bogged down a bit with all of the details and opinions and would have liked more just straight information on the rescue. Rose describes it as a media event and he is probably right in that. Whales have been stuck in the ice before but with the impetus of Cindy Lowry and others it became a world-wide effort to get these whales moving, even if it might not have been the best thing for the whales or Barrow. Besides the rescue of the whales (2) which later proved to be a better event than first imagined, the book showed what the media can do with a subject and how it is possible to get world involvement when the event captures the hearts of everyone.
    • 3/5
      I really enjoyed this book once I got past the over ambitious description of Alaska. I understand that it was necessary to know about it to understand the workings of the town and its relation to the rest of the world, but this part of the book really slowed down the narrative for me. I, however, did enjoy the whole story overall, and put off seeing the movie so I wouldn't spoil the reading experience.
    • 2/5
      Big Miracle is the book that inspired the movie of the same name. I haven't seen the movie yet and couldn't find a release date for the DVD. However, from what I could gather from reading about the movie online, it differs markedly from the book. It would have to - there is no way that Drew Barrymore would star in a movie that was as cynical about environmentalism and animal welfare as author Tom Rose's book is.This book is a non-fiction account of the 1988 rescue attempt of three California Gray whales who were trapped in the ice near Barrow, Alaska. The author was one of several reporters in Barrow covering the rescue process. What could have been a very nice story about people of all different backgrounds coming together to save the whales was ruined by the author's cynicism and the opinions he inserted as facts that didn't have much to do with the actual story.When this book was originally published in 1989, the title was Freeing the Whales: How the Media Created the World's Greatest Non-Event. Had I known that when this book was pitched to me, I would not have reviewed it. The cover of the new, movie tie-in edition reads, "Inspired by the Incredible True Story That United the World." The author did not feel that this story was incredible - at least not in a good way. He repeats often that the whales didn't need to be saved and that the amount of media coverage they received was ridiculous.He also uses every opportunity to assert that we should be drilling for oil in Alaska and that the environmentalists have it all wrong. He offers up his opinions as facts with no footnotes or citations to back them up. In a non-fiction book, I expect to see research if opinions are inserted. For example, "Increased wealth leads to increased spending. That applies as much to environmental protection as to anything else...The same process that drives economic growth and wealth creation results in less pollution, not more." First of all, where is the research that backs that up and secondly, what does that have to do with rescuing the whales?He also takes repeated jabs at Cindy Lowry from Greenpeace - "[Carroll's] reaction to the word 'Soviet' was as instinctively visceral as Cindy's reaction to the word 'military.' The only difference was that Carroll's animus was justified while Cindy's was not." Says who? Why does that second sentence need to be there?Those are just a couple of many, many examples. I found it ironic that the working title of this edition (which was printed on the cover of my ARC) was Everybody Loves Whales because Tom Rose doesn't seem to love them all that much.I did appreciate learning more about life in rural Alaska but I don't know if slogging through the rest of the book made it worth it.(All quotes are taken from the Advance Uncorrected Proof - the final copy may differ.)
    • 2/5
      Short version: an uneven and digressing narrative, and pretty obviously biased in an off-putting way. I came for the story of a remarkable event that brought eco-consciousness to the forefront of many peoples' minds and helped bridge the Cold War in a small way for a few days, and left with what felt like a long, rambling blog post including many digressions onto barely related topics. Stream-of-consciousness doesn't work well in nonfic for me. It's unfortunate because as a marine biologist who's worked in Alaska, I was really hoping for something featuring two things that I love. To be honest, seeing the "Big Miracle" movie, which is only "based on" the true story, looks like it might still be more engaging and coherent than this book.
    • 1/5
      Quite possibly the worst book I have ever read. It took me over three months just to make myself get through it. Now, to be fair, I received an advanced, uncorrected proof. But I cannot imagine that even when corrected, this book will be any good.One of the first of many complaints I have is that the author is obviously biased. He has his "heroes" and his "bad guys" and his obvious political leanings and he makes no bones about adding his personal opinion about these characters. This would be fine if his focus was more autobiographical - which leads to the second problem in that his focus can't be found. At one time you think he is commenting on what this media frenzy did to the town of Barrow, Alaska. But then he shifts focus to the media themselves, then to the whales, then to the political implications of the event. I understand that overall, he is trying to say that this "nonevent" turned event by the media and the American public was bigger than just what was seen on television, but he just never gets there. His story has a lot of little pieces that don't seem to fit together. The third issue I have with the book is that the writing is just not very good.I imagine the producers of this film took a ton of artistic liberties to make a compelling story out of this book. Because the book itself, is not worth reading.
    • 1/5
      I find it difficult to understand why a feel-good story about a global effort to save three whales trapped in the ice would open with an extremely graphic and quite disturbing account of a whale hunt. Honestly, every time I got even the slightest bit captured by the narrative, it would abruptly break off into dry and confusing discussions of the economic plight of the Inuit, or mind-numbing details about elements of history that seemed to have no bearing on the central story that made me pick this book in the first place.I have to say I abandoned it about 100 pages in because I just couldn't keep reading. This is one book where I bet the movie is much better because it will focus on saving the whales! After spending years interviewing and researching, the author was apparently unwilling to prune out all the extraneous details to focus on the heart-warming story I assume is buried somewhere in this book.All in all, a disappointing and frustrating read.
    • 4/5
      My copy of this book is an ARC, so I won't comment on any editing issues. This is a very heart warming tale of people caring about hapless and helpless creatures, but the real story is about how the media went into a frenzy over this so called "non-event" inspiring an explosion of activity in one of the most remote places on earth. I learned a lot about the difficulties of living in such a harsh climate, of whale hunting, the native people of the region and found myself wondering why anyone DOES live there. (Note: For many centuries, outsiders have called Inuit “Eskimos.” This term is no longer considered acceptable to these people. Inuit means “the people” in their native language of Inuktitut.) The story of three trapped California grey whales, although blown way out of proportion by the media, makes you care about these gentle giants and hope for their safe release from the ice packed waters. Over 150 journalists travelled to an area very sparse on accomadations and what was available was very expensive. Millions of dollars were spent, legal, political and social issues are examined. Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev even joined the forces of their two nations to help. It truly is an amazing story, and well worth reading, especially if you love animals. I gave it 4 stars.
    • 1/5
      I bet you didn't know that the Industrial Revolution actually helped the environment. It honestly says in this book, "The benefits of industrialization far outweighed its costs and not just to humans but also to the environment." To the environment! After reading that, how could I take anything else the author said in this book seriously?I thought this would be the story of people trying to help three trapped whales, but in the 45 pages I read before setting this book down for good I read instead about the author's political biases. Big Miracle was more like a Big Waste of My Time.
    • 2/5
      Sadly, I did not enjoy this book nearly as much as I had hoped. Granted, this was an uncorrected proof, but I found the story to be long-winded, poorly written, and unfocused, particularly when the author lapsed into his environmentalist criticisms and personal digs. There was much (probably too much) extraneous detail, and while I found the chapters on the history of Barrow, Alaska and the whaling industry to be interesting, they didn't contribute much to the overall story. Tom Rose may be an accomplished journalist, but I don't think his talents extend well to full-length books.
    • 3/5
      BIG MIRACLE by Tom Rose is the nonfiction story of a nonevent (Rose’s word) in 1988 that became so huge it captured the attention of the world and just about preempted a presidential election in the United States. In Barrow, Alaska, “the tip of the world,” three whales were trapped beneath ice and couldn’t migrate south to warmer waters as they did every year at that time. They would die when a hole in the ice froze over and they were unable to breathe.This was a nonevent, says Rose, because it was not uncommon; whales became trapped under ice and died every year for thousands of years. This was wildlife. But it still became an event because the media made it an event.Rose initially makes the mistake of subjecting readers, who probably expect the story of the whale rescue, to many long descriptions of whaling and the whaling industry and many long paragraphs of historical detail about whaling. While that interests some of us, it isn’t the animal story readers expect. Although Rose could argue that these details are necessary to understanding the story of the three trapped whales, I still insist that he overdid it. He could and should have stated simply that a long-time whaler in Barrow, Alaska discovered, just by chance, three whales trapped under the ice. Rose is a successful journalist. But he wrote this book like he didn’t study journalism in college. Keep it brief, simple.Although Rose continues with stories that were less dull, stories of life at the top of the world and how the media, the rescuers, and the players in the rescue did their jobs there, BIG MIRACLE is still easy to put down. Background information about most participants in the rescue, and even some of the reporters, added context to the story, but much of the historical detail was unnecessary. And so was the repetition. Sometimes I wanted to scream, too much information, Tom!So, if you think this book is strictly about three trapped whales and the efforts to save them, think again. Rose also has a valid point to make: real news stories were ignored in favor of this nonevent. Rose was one of those reporters.
    • 2/5
      This was a very informative book for animal lovers, those interested in news reporting and Barrow, Alaska. The book had much about the different politics surrounding this event. I mainly wanted to read about the whales, and some of the information dragged a bit, but I especially enjoyed hearing about Alaska, as a former Alaskan.
    • 5/5
      Very enjoyable and informative book. Although I was in middle school at the time and remember following the 1988 presidential election rather closely, I did not remember that 3 whales trapped under ice in Barrow, Alaska held the country's attention for 2 weeks in October. This book was written by one of the reporters who covered the story and it is filled with detailed descriptions of the key players and events in the rescue.
    • 5/5
      You wouldn't think a few whales stuck under the ice would create such a sensation around the world; yet Rose takes us into the time of the Cold War and ties different areas of the world into a small area of the Arctic focusing on two stuck creatures. Amazing.
    • 4/5
      Written by a reporter who was on-site at the 1988 rescue of whales trapped in arctic ice, this is an amazing story. Not only the incredible rescue, but the story of how it was media-generated & bonded cold-war nations in a common effort. Very enjoyable, especially if you're of an age to remember the actual event.