Nathaniel Philbrick “Why Read Moby-Dick?”
October 27th, 2011
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It is widely considered one of the greatest books of all time, a classic that is always included in lists of must-read novels. Generations of readers have loved it. So why, then, do so many other people seem to avoid “Moby-Dick?”
Historian Nathaniel Philbrick says “Moby-Dick” is a book you love or you hate, much of it depending on the circumstances of how you were first introduced to it. He says it is one of his favorite books, and he makes the case for it in his new book “Why Read Moby-Dick?”
Listen to Nathaniel Philbrick
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Man, I love Moby Dick. I was never assigned it in school, so I read it by choice as an adult, and was surprised at how much humor is in it. From “Poor devil of a sub-sub” in the intro to Ishmael saying his only choices were to go to sea or walk around town knocking people’s hats off…it’s quite fun.