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    Why Read Moby-Dick?
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    Why Read Moby-Dick?
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    Why Read Moby-Dick?
    Audiobook2 hours

    Why Read Moby-Dick?

    Published by Penguin Random House Audio

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    A "brilliant and provocative" (The New Yorker) celebration of Melville's masterpiece-from the bestselling author of In the Heart of the Sea and Valiant Ambition

    One of the greatest American novels finds its perfect contemporary champion in Why Read Moby-Dick?, Nathaniel Philbrick's enlightening and entertaining tour through Melville's classic. As he did in his National Book Award-winning bestseller In the Heart of the Sea, Philbrick brings a sailor's eye and an adventurer's passion to unfolding the story behind an epic American journey. He skillfully navigates Melville's world and illuminates the book's humor and unforgettable characters-finding the thread that binds Ishmael and Ahab to our own time and, indeed, to all times. An ideal match between author and subject, Why Read Moby-Dick? will start conversations, inspire arguments, and make a powerful case that this classic tale waits to be discovered anew.

    "Gracefully written [with an] infectious enthusiasm…"-New York Times Book Review
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateOct 20, 2011
    ISBN9781101523667
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for Why Read Moby-Dick?

    4/5

    139 ratings19 reviews

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    • 3/5
      A few summers back, under the name of samizdat, my friends and I read Moby Dick. Joel and i raved for weeks about it. Roger did not. He hated the book. He owns a microbrewery and is accustomed to people heeding his opinion. I did not. Nathaniel Philbrick's book won't change Roger's mind. the imp within me wants to buy the book for Roger. I likely won't. There is mucth to say about this book: it is a sage decision to allow Melville the insights.
    • 4/5
      Well, it made me want to read "Moby Dick" so it accomplished what it set out to do!
    • 4/5
      There's nothing rhetorical about the question Nathaniel Philbrick asks in the title of "Why Read Moby-Dick?," for his 2011 book, brief as it is, answers it in full.Herman Melville's American classic, he says, has just about whatever one might want in a book: history (he calls it "nothing less than the genetic code of America"), natural history, poetry, theology, humor, psychology, philosophy and a terrific story besides. OK, female characters are scarce, so don't expect great romance, but there is action, suspense and drama aplenty.What Philbrick doesn't say is that the fact that Melville packs so much into "Moby-Dick" is what makes the novel intimidating to readers. If it's just the story one wants, those detailed chapters on whales and whaling can be off-putting. Of course, they can also be skipped or skimmed without missing any of the story, as I learned as a college freshman when the novel was assigned reading. When I read it again years later, I gave more attention to these chapters.Philbrick calls this "the greatest American novel ever written." Others might argue in favor of "Huckleberry Finn," "The Great Gatsby," "The Sun Also Rises" or some other work, but Philbrick makes a good case for Meville. He says it "deserves to be called our American bible."While reading "By the Book," Pamela Paul's collection of interviews with notable writers, and a few others, about their reading habits, I was struck by how often "Moby-Dick" is mentioned. Joyce Carol Oates says it should be required reading for American presidents. "This truly contains multitudes of meanings: the Pequod is the ship of state, the radiantly mad Captain Ahab a dangerous 'leader,' the ethnically diverse crew our American citizenry." It is one of the books Michael Chabon would want on his desert island. Andrew Solomon somehow missed it in his literary education but still yearns to read it. Actor Bryan Cranston says it is the novel that has had the biggest impact on his life.Unfortunately, "Why Read Moby-Dick?" is a book most likely to be read by those of us who have already read the novel, rather than those who haven't. Perhaps it should have been titled "Why Read Moby-Dick Again?" It certainly has made me want to.
    • 5/5
      When readers first encounter the title of this book, it sounds like it could be a really dry little tome.Happily, it is not and moves along like a non-fiction story, along the way encompassing Melville'sfortuitous friendship with Nathaniel Hawthorne, the reception of Moby-Dick compared with Typee,and hints about Melville's darker inner life.Philbrick inspires readers to find the letters written between Melville and Hawthorne for a morecomplete understanding of Melville's struggle to complete his epic work.Without the author pointing out possible parallels between Moby-Dick and pre-Civil War America,many of us would have missed this connection entirely. He also seems to stretch the metaphortoo far as when, in talking about Jonah, he goes on to write that he is like "...a runaway slave in post-Fugitive Slave Act America (who) attempts to escape God's omniscient gaze..." -making God rather like a slave master...? Confusion here.Why Read Moby-Dick? works incredibly well to inspire readers to return to Melville.First time readers may be a little mystified.
    • 4/5
      I went to see Nathan give a talk at The New Bedford Whaling Museum on this book and I found it compelling. He made a very convincing case for not only reading but also savoring it. Nathan was named for Nathaniel Hawthorne and Philbrick's father adored Melville's Tale about the White whale. This book is short but serves its purpose to get you back to wrestling with Ahab and his pursuit of vengeance.
    • 1/5
      I listened to the audio-book version and it started out promising but I was quickly bored. I never really had any desire to read Moby Dick and reading this almost, almost, made me mildly interested in picking up the classic. Author, Nathaniel Philbrick, brings together history, Melville's personal letters, and the original work itself to make a convincing argument on why it's worth reading this imposing classic American tome... close buddy, close. I was really intrigued by the historical aspects, but as the two discs droned on... I lost the will to read Moby Dick. It was worth a shot though!
    • 3/5
      There is a bit of useful context here, but the literary criticism part seems like balderdash. In any case, I intend to read Moby Dick because James Morrow promised me that it is hilarious.
    • 4/5
      A personal exploration of Philbrick's love of Moby Dick with a nice dose of insight into the novel. While it doesn't quite ring of preaching to the choir, it does strike me that the book will mean more to those who have already read the novel (or, perhaps, to those who have given it a good-faith go but not quite gotten through?) than those who haven't. Precisely my kind of thing, that is someone writing genially about why they love a particular book.
    • 5/5
      This review is based on an Advanced Reader's Copy - thank you Penguin Books!

      I recently finished reading Moby Dick which I enjoyed, but found occasionally off topic and meandering. So many people have described MB as the ultimate American novel. Although it was good, I wasn't positive that it deserved that accolade. Unlike Moby Dick, Nathaniel Philbrick's book Why Read Moby-Dick? is short - it's really a set of essays about various characters and features of the book. But in spite of its length, it packs in a wealth of information. He covers much of Melville's background and the friendships and events that influenced Melville to write Moby Dick. I especially liked his discussion of how the country was torn apart by the issue of slavery and how that issue is reflected in the book. Philbrick has won the National Book Award for In the Heart of the Sea which is the incredible story of the whaleship Essex that was rammed and sunk by a whale. This event inspired Melville's classic. Philbrick's analysis of different passages of Moby Dick really added to my appreciation of this book - so much so that I know I will be reading MB again. And I'll definitely add some of Philbrick's books to my list - this book was excellent.
    • 4/5
      A short, enjoyable read, only 127 pages. I love Moby Dick and Nathaniel Philbrick. Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea remains one of my favorite non-fiction books. However, had I not already read Moby Dick, I don't think this book would have convinced me to read it unless I was already having thoughts of doing so. It will, however, make a first reading of Moby Dick more enjoyable because it helps explain what Melville was trying to accomplish and offers sound interpretations. I especially enjoyed the biographical tidbits Philbrick provides, particularly regarding the impact of Nathaniel Hawthorne's friendship.

      I received a digital review copy from the publisher and also checked the book out of the library. It's a handsome book and would make a nice present for the American Literature lover in your life. I think most people who've already read Moby Dick would enjoy reading this short book. Reading it was, for me, a refreshing walk down memory lane.
    • 5/5
      Moby Dick is already one of my favorite books, but this short book casts a light on its creation and how time has only served to increase its relevance.
    • 5/5
      Moby Dick is already one of my favorite books, but this short book casts a light on its creation and how time has only served to increase its relevance.
    • 5/5
      inspired me to read Moby Dick again!
    • 3/5
      Highly enjoyable, although the audio recording has some irritating technical issues.
    • 3/5
      Love for a book is a special kind of love. It makes you do odd things, like order personalized license plates for your car, tattoo your body, or devote your entire life to research. It was my love of a book that lead me to this book. No, I don't love Moby Dick—though I do think it is a wonderful story and certainly one to learn from—no, the story I love is East of Eden by John Steinbeck. In researching EoE I learned of the books that Steinbeck considered great influences to his masterpiece; the one that seemed to be most mentioned was Moby Dick. Immediately Melville's book went from the “maybe some day I'll read this” pile to the “soon, very soon” pile. Yet, after I read it I wanted more. I wanted to understand more of the background and significance that perhaps Steinbeck, in his day, knew. This led me to Why Read Moby-Dick?.

      Philbrick's exploration of Melville's crowning literary achievement is well-researched and informative. For the most part he tackles the subjects he wished to address as they appear chronologically in the book. With various additional references, there is great insight into Melville's process of thought and life circumstances during the years he penned the novel. Philbrick makes some excellent observations to start, but then he mostly repeats these, reiterating what he's already said. This would be acceptable if that's all Melville was trying to say, but there seem to be so many layers left uncovered or glossed over. Throughout Philbrick's little book he shows the relationship that existed between Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne, and this was all very interesting.

      Overall Why Read Moby-Dick? was good, but I think so much more could have been said. And a little less could have been said elsewhere. If you love Moby Dick this is a must read. Otherwise, just ask someone else who has read it for a summary and read Melville's original instead.
    • 4/5
      A wonderful short homage to obsession. Not so much Ahab's towards The Whale, but rather Melville's towards Hawthorne, the struggle to write Moby-Dick, and his struggle with mortality. Perhaps a case could be made for the author Philbrick's obsession with Melville as well.A short read in which those unable to start the classic Moby-Dick may find something to pique their interest. Perhaps of mild interest to sailors who appreciate portrayals of eras that have passed. For those too afraid to start the epic itself you will find a good summary of the best quotes form Moby-Dick.
    • 4/5
      Regardless of whether most people thought Philbrick gave a compelling answer to the title of his book (Why Read Moby-Dick?), there can be no doubt of the love he has for the original source material.And no. I have yet to read Moby-Dick ...but maybe I shall.Take that as whatever you will. ;)
    • 4/5
      Well, he’s convinced me. Philbrick, who wrote "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex", seems a natural to comment on the story and meaning of Melville’s masterpiece. Melville was inspired to write "Moby Dick" by the events surrounding Essex’s destruction, and Philbrick, a sailor and long-time resident of Nantucket, clearly loves the book. In 28 short chapters he demystifies and makes less-threatening this leviathan of American literature, and I, for one, am enthusiastic to get going. Mission accomplished!
    • 5/5
      For the newcomer, this is a helpful introduction to themes encountered within the pages of Moby-Dick, as well as the life of Melville. For the convert, each brief chapter acts as a meditation, a devotion, for this "one book that deserves to be called our American bible" (9). For everyone, it is a tribute from an admiring and passionate reader to an author influenced by Owen Chase, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Shakespeare, the Bible, and his own whaling experiences.