I enjoyed reading this book. The author has spent many years living among the Lamalerans in Indonesia. When the book begins the tribe is surviving by fishing and whaling. As the years pass the modern world begins to arrive. The older members of the tribe worry about the younger members and the loss of tradition. The younger members have to decide whether to stay in the village or work in the cities. The author does a very good job with introducing a few key members of the tribe and following their lives and staying objective. At the end he does speculate about the continued impact of globalization. Enjoy this immersive journey.

I was eagerly anticipating reading "The Last Whalers" based on the book blurb and all the positive buzz I've heard about it. Thank you for approving my request to read it. Unfortunately, I am only able to read Kindle formatted books.. Even though I wasn't able to read the book, I rated it as 5 stars based on all the great things I heard about it.

Potentially fascinating subject matter, but wasn't really presented in the most interesting way. .

One family, one heart, one action, one goal. Lamaleran saying

Lembata, in Southeast Asia, is home to the Lamalerans who arrived there 500 years ago. They settled on the beach under a cliff, surviving by fishing for sperm whale and Manta ray and flying fish. Those who are successful in the hunt share with aging family members and community members. They are one of the few hunter-gatherer societies left in the world. But industrialized society is crowding in on them. Their children are enticed to the cities for education and jobs. Some remain for the air conditioning and running water. Outboard motors and smaller boats are replacing the handcrafted boats propelled by oar and the young carry cell phones.

In the middle of the typhoon is life--Lamaleran song
The songs were more than music—they were prayers. from The Last Whalers

Over three years, Clark spent a year living with the Lamalerans, participating as a community member, even eating manta ray brains.

The whalers risk their lives to kill the whales by jumping off their boats and using their body weight to drive long-handled spears deep into the animals. The ropes attached to the spears can entangle a man. The whales fight back, overturning the boats. It is all quite horrendous and brutal. But without the whale meat, the people starve. The dried meat get them through the hunger months. They trade the dried meat for rice and vegetables with the people at the top of the hill who are farmers.

The Last Whalers is marvelous because readers come to know these people intimately. A young man dreams of becoming a harpooner, the most honored position in their society, yet also dreams of life in the city. A young woman receives an education but committed to care for her elders must return to the village. The elders must preserve the old ways and knowledge while accepting that change is inevitable. To leave the village is to also leave the unity of one family, one heart, one action, one goal. It is hard to walk away from the strength of community to live in isolation with only yourself to depend upon.

Clark respects their traditions and way of life, noting that we should honor all cultures and be able to take the best each has to offer, learning from each other, cultural diversity perhaps essential to the survival of humanity.

The Lamalerans’ experience, then, speaks not just to the danger faced by earth’s remaining indigenous peoples but to the greater cultural extinction humanity is suffering. from The Last Whalers
Preserving the old ways and values in a changing world--it is what we all are dealing with, the universal challenge.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I reviewed this book on my blog and will provide the details to the publisher when I submit my opinions in the next step.

Sadly, I was only able to read part of The Last Whalers because it's currently only available as a .ascm file, which you can't read on a Kindle and the only app I can find for my phone locked me out of the book after 150 pages as my "trial" was over.

However! What I was able to read was fascinating. There are so few hunter-gather groups left, and the Lamalerans, who live off the coast of Indonesia, are one.

Among the Lamalerans, The Last Whalers focuses on the male population, (at least what I was able to read, and I do wish there had been more about the women) with a specific interest in those who hunt whale. The Lamalerans harpoon fish for sperm whales (as you can guess, this is not without controversy to the rest of the world)

Vividly written, with an ability to make one feel as if you are present with the Lamalerans, The Last Whalers has a fantastic first 100+ pages. I only wish I'd been able to read the rest of the book.