Fact Based Marine Eco-Thriller Raises Timely Issues
Written Monday, August 23rd 2010 by Ashley Anderson
A tidal wave of urgent headlines in current news cycles demonstrate that the oceans are in trouble, including: the Gulf oil spill, plastic islands in the ocean, collapsing fisheries from overfishing, and toxins in fish. (See additional information at the end of this document.)
As public opinion swells, toward doing "something" about these seemingly overwhelming problems, Scientists and non-profits are finding a surprising ally in a new work of fact-based fiction. Bestselling author Douglas Carlton Abrams' eco-thriller Eye of the Whale is being utilized by marine scientists and advocates for it's ability to show the larger story of the dangers that face our oceans and point toward common solutions.
Ken Cook, President of the Environmental Working Group says, "Eye of the Whale is a page-turning blend of great storytelling and the latest insights of the world's leading environmental scientists... When people put his novel down, what they will pick up, I predict, is fresh resolve for the fight to save planet Earth."
In the three years of researching and writing the book, Abrams worked with many of the world's leading marine biologists and eco-toxicologists as he wove his page turning story. It is this factual base combined with the power of a well-told story that is attracting top international organizations.
"Eye of the Whale" was selected by Ocean Conservancy as the inaugural read for their new book club the OC Bookshelf (http://www.oceanconservancy.org/ocbookshelf), and Abrams was a keynote speaker at the Ocean Conservancy International Conference held in Cancun, Mexico. Dennis Kelso, executive vice president of Ocean Conservancy says "Eye of the Whale confronts questions about the future of ocean life, while it engages us in our own race to know and to survive. Read it for the realities it reveals, but love it because it is such a good story."
Abrams also gave the keynote address at the Wetsus Conference in the Netherlands - a gathering of 170 scientists and technologists from fourteen universities and eighty companies in Europe who are working to ensure sustainable water for the world. Gert-Jan Euverink, Deputy Science Director of Westus says " "We selected Doug Abrams to speak to us, because his novel brings to life the big picture of why we are devoting our lives to inventing new water technology to prevent pollution of sea and fresh water environments. Stories show us how all the facts fit together"
Moreover, Abrams is also teaming up with scientists to discuss these issues in the news. He and Theo Colburn (author of Our Stolen Future and commonly referred to in scientific circles as "today's Rachel Carson") were recently interviewed together on the NPR's Here and Now (www.hereandnow.org/2010/03/rundown-318-2).
"Eye of the Whale" is a captivating ecological thriller about Elizabeth McKay, a marine biologist who risks everything to rescue a trapped whale and discover the meaning of its mysterious song. As powerful forces seek to stop her, she discovers the true impact of toxins and the danger they pose to ourselves, our children, and the planet as a whole. As her research and its implications for human survival capture the media's interest and the world's imagination, Elizabeth is forced to decide if her discoveries are worth risking her marriage, her career, and possibly her life.
Of the book Abrams says, "In the end this is a very hopeful book, because what we discover is that so much disease and suffering is actually human made. In other words it is not inevitable. We can turn around many of these problems. But to do so, we need to see how our health is linked to that of the water and the oceans and all other life. If we face these threats, we can be the most heroic generation to have ever lived."
In the news:
- The1986 international Whaling Ban is in dispute, and the US is squarely in the cross hairs of the debate.
- A beached whale in Seattle garnered headlines in April 2010 because its stomach was full of plastic and beach towels.
- Beluga whales in the remote Hudson Bay are so filled with industrial chemicals, including plasticizers, that they must be treated like toxic waste when their dead bodies wash up on shore.
- Congressman Jim Moran of Northern Virginia and Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts introduced The Endocrine Disruption Prevention Act in December 2009 to explore linkages between hormone disrupting chemicals in the environment and everyday goods and the dramatic increase of autism, hyperactivity, diabetes, obesity, breast cancer, prostate cancer and other hormone related disorders.
- Childhood cancer is up by 26 percent, making cancer the greatest threat to children.
- 1 in 3 women will develop cancer. 1 in 2 men will develop cancer.
- Male fish across the country are developing eggs.
- Time Magazine published a feature article "The Perils of Plastic" 4/1/10 investigating endocrine disrupting chemicals found in everyday products.
Douglas Carlton Abrams is the nationally bestselling author of The Lost Diary of Don Juan, which has been published in thirty languages. He writes fact-based fiction and did extensive research for his new novel working with scientists, recording humpback whales, meeting present-day whalers, and cage-diving with great white sharks. Previously an editor at the University of California Press and HarperCollins, he is the cofounder of Idea Architects, a book and media development agency working with visionary authors.
For more information, interview, book club and speaking invitation requests, please contact Ashley Anderson 805-964-9505 ashley@ashleyandersonpr.com or visit www.DouglasCarltonAbrams.com
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Eye of the Whale by Douglas Carlton Abrams
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Monday, August 23rd 2010 by Ashley Anderson
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