This thematically-linked series of essays gives a simple and compelling portrait of some of the various animals that either live in the sea or rely on it for sustenance, and of what their eventual disappearance will cost us, both economically and scientifically. Whitty's sense of wonder is contagious, and it's impossible to read her words without getting caught up in them. ( )

I'm ashamed to admit that I practice avoidance. The truth is that it all seems to be too much for me at times. War, climate change politics...wait, they're all the same thing, aren't they? Well, What drew me to Deep Blue Home, quite frankly was it's cover. I love turtles, tortoises, dolphins, whales and in fact, I love animals of all types. I may not be so keen on the two legged human variety at times. We are so arrogant, and all knowing, but only I'm afraid in our own minds. The truth of it is that humans all seem to have an agenda, and that agenda is to make their own lives better, and to have more money than everyone else, never mind the cost to others. At least, all too many humans seem to be this way.

I wanted this book to bring me joy. I wanted it to be a beautiful peek into the lives of creatures who live in mystery in the beautiful blue oceans that cover most of our planet. I wanted to see them leaping joyfully, swimming peacefully and in fact, being happy in ways that human can never be. The imagery created by the author was in fact beautiful, and compelling. The story, however was not. It brought home to me in ways that I had been avoiding acknowledgement of, that things are worse that I imagined them to be. That we were killing our planet and its beautiful life in so many ways, big and small.

Julia Whitty did more than describe our seas and their populations, she brought home the fact with a passionate and no nonsense approach, that our seas are dying and we are guilty of killing them. It made me sad, it made me afraid, and it made me feel powerless. I'm not sorry that I read this book, but what I read made me feel sorry. It made me feel sorry for things that I have no direct hand in doing, and sorry for not knowing some of the ways that we are spoiling our home. I think everyone should read this one. ( )