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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2021)
BOOKMONGER More than a whale tale Book’s author is a whale enthusiast and professor in Seattle Judging by its title and front cover illustra- tion, you might think “Touching This Levia- than” is a book about whales. Its author, Peter Wayne Moe, is an assis- tant professor of English at Seattle Pacifi c University. As you can imagine, an American English professor is going to know “Moby Dick” — so rest assured that you’ll get a dose of Ishmael, Ahab and the rest. But that isn’t all. Moe became enthralled with whales when, as a kid growing up in eastern Washington, he and his family visited a traveling exhibit. Whales, represented by life-sized plastic rep- licas, were hung from the ceiling of a dark- ened warehouse, while audio of whale songs played, heightening the eff ect. For college, Moe migrated across the mountains, working toward a bachelor’s degree at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. He began a quest to witness whales in their environment. Curi- osity eventually grew into a full-blown obsession. Today, as a committed whale-watcher, Moe keeps a chart of all the whales he has seen over his years of dedicated gazing toward the ocean. He has seen orcas, gray whales, humpbacks and minkes. This week’s book ‘Touching This Leviathan’ by Peter Wayne Moe OSU Press — 152 pages — $19.95 He is not alone. A growing cadre of folks share their sightings on the Orca Network. As Moe shares in this book, reports from one day alone can include dozens of entries, rang- ing from Oregon’s coast and throughout the expanse of the Salish Sea, from the southern reaches of Puget Sound all the way up into British Columbia’s Gulf Islands. Yet for all of the observations — it is a bit like the fable of the blind men describing an elephant — how much do we know about whales? Moe approaches this question from diff er- ent directions. Through theology, he grapples with the Book of Jonah and related Psalms. From etymology, he gleans insights into human interactions with whales. He plumbs the depths of literature, from Herman Mel- ville’s “Moby Dick” to works of modern writers. A couple of years ago, with the guidance of marine biologists, he found himself inti- mately acquainted with the corpse of a juve- nile gray whale that washed upon a Kitsap Peninsula beach. After fl ensing the carcass, he eventually worked with Seattle Pacifi c Uni- versity students to reassemble the bones he retrieved. The 29-foot long skeleton hangs From protecting your car and home to preparing for your future, let’s discuss options to meet your needs. Sheryl Teuscher, LACP, LUTCF, CPIW Representative 112 West B Street Rainier, OR 97048-0310 countryfinancial.com/sheryl.teuscher sheryl.teuscher@countryfinancial.com 503-556-0186 Auto and Home policies issued by COUNTRY Mutual Insurance Company®, COUNTRY Casualty Insurance Company®, or COUNTRY Preferred Insurance Company®, Bloomington, IL. 0520-507HC 14 // COASTWEEKEND.COM aloft in the lobby of the university’s science building. “Touching This Leviathan” refl ects Moe’s voracious intellectual quest into myth, med- icine, memory, faith, biology and pedagogy. The author also loosely weaves in the story of he and his wife getting fertility treatments to start their family. In his book, Moe quotes Melville: “There are some enterprises in which a careful disor- derliness is the true method.” Moe understands that his ambitious multi-disciplinary approach — he presents an ocean’s-worth of ideas compressed into a rela- tively slender volume — may be overwhelm- ing for some readers. It was so for this reader. The best bet might be to consume these pages with deliberation. The book shares worthwhile insights — only some of which pertain to whales. The Bookmonger is Barbara Lloyd McMi- chael, who writes this weekly column focus- ing on the books, authors and publishers of the Pacifi c Northwest. Contact her at bkmon- ger@nwlink.com