• Being Lolita Book
• Being Lolita Book
• Being Lolita Book Summary

Lolita

Species	Killer whale (Orcinus orca)
Breed	Southern resident
Sex	Female
Born	c. 1966
Years active	1970-present
Weight	7,000 lb (3,200 kg)[1]

1. Being Lolita is a stunning coming-of-age memoir that shines a bright light on our shifting perceptions of consent, vulnerability, and power. This is the story of what happens when a young woman realizes her entire narrative must be rewritten—and then takes back the pen to rewrite it.
2. Sep 06, 2020 Being Lolita is an eye-opening look at the belly of the beast, the half-truths that kids tell themselves, and the danger that lurks in the supposedly safe places. This is a stunning, shocking memoir that never ceases to rewrite itself and re-examine the past. This is not a romance, this is not a dark romance.

Lolita (born c. 1966), also known as Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut^[2] and Tokitae^[3] is a captive killer whale who has lived at the Miami Seaquarium since September 24th, 1970.^[4] She was captured from the wild on August 8th, 1970 in Penn Cove, Puget Sound, Washington when she was approximately four years old and as of 2020, is the oldest and only solitary killer whale in captivity.^[5] Her captivity has garnered controversy, specifically due to the dimensions of her pool, the smallest in North America and illegal per the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) killer whale enclosure size regulations.^[6]

In 2017, a USDA audit acknowledged, for the first time, that Lolita's tank does not meet the legal size requirements per federal law.^[7]

Being Lolita is a journey through Alisson Wood's experiences as a teenager and young woman, from her descent as the idealized 'nymphet' created by the grooming of her teacher Mr. North's 'Humbert Humbert' to the poised, strong, and unabashedly honest woman she is today. This memoir is completely consuming-I finished it in a matter of hours!

Life[edit]

Lolita was one of seven young killer whales sold to oceanariums and marine mammal parks around the world from a capture of over eighty whales conducted by Ted Griffin and Don Goldsberry, partners in an operation known as Namu, Inc. She is a member of the 'L Pod' of Southern resident killer whales, a group that lost a third of its members to these captures.^[8] As of 2020, there are seventy-two identified Southern resident killer whales in the wild, and Lolita is the only remaining captive member who is still alive.^[9] The oldest known living Southern resident killer whale as of 2020, 'L-25 Ocean Sun', is speculated to be Lolita's mother and estimated to be between eighty and ninety years old.^[10][11]

She was purchased by Miami Seaquarium veterinarian Dr. Jesse White for about $20,000.^[12] Upon arrival to the Seaquarium, Lolita joined another Southern resident killer whale named Hugo who was also captured from Puget Sound and had lived in the park two years before her arrival. She was originally called Tokitae but was renamed Lolita after the heroine in Vladimir Nabokov's novel.^[13]

She and Hugo lived together for ten years in what was then known as the Whale Bowl^[14], a tank 80-by-35-foot (24 by 11 m) by 20 feet (6 m) deep.^[15] The pair mated many times (once to the point of suspending shows^[16]) but they never produced any offspring.^[17] Hugo died on March 4th, 1980, after a brain aneurysm occurred from the whale repeatedly ramming his head into the side of the tank. Lolita then shared the tank with a Short-beaked common dolphin and a Pilot whale during the 1980s and 1990s^[18], and today lives and performs with a pair of Pacific white-sided dolphins.^[19]

Controversy[edit]

Animal rights groups and anti-captivity activists assert that Lolita is being subjected to cruelty.^[15] In 2003, she was the subject of the documentary Lolita: Slave to Entertainment.^[20][21] in which many anti-captivity activists, most notably Ric O'Barry (former Flipper dolphin trainer), argue against her current conditions and express a hope that she may be re-introduced to the wild. O'Barry states, 'It's inherently hypocritical to keep a large-brained, gregarious, sonic animal in a concrete box. It needs to end'.^[22]Marine biologist Dr. Ingrid Visser echoes much of the same, reporting that her observations of Lolita indicate that the whale engages in 'abnormal repetitive behaviors' and is often attacked and injured by her dolphin tank mates.^[23]

Lolita is approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) long and 7,000 pounds.^[24] Per the USDA's guidelines, the tank for a killer whale must be a minimum of 48 feet (15 m) wide in either direction with a straight line of travel across the middle. Lolita’s tank is only 35 feet (11 m) wide from the front wall to the slide out (work island) barrier. It is 20 feet (6.1 m) deep at the deepest point and a mere 12 feet (3.7 m) deep around the edges.^[25]

On January 17th, 2015, thousands of protesters from all over the world gathered outside the Miami Seaquarium to demand for Lolita's release and asked other supporters worldwide to tweet '#FreeLolita' on Twitter.^[26]

During Hurricane Irma in September 2017, Lolita and her dolphin tank mates were not moved from the enclosure to a safe location during the mass evacuations from Florida. State Attorney Dave Aronberg, who announced he would prosecute any owners caught leaving their animals behind during the storm, did not act against the Miami Seaquarium for their decision to leave Lolita, and their other animals, without proper protection or care.^[27] The Seaquarium did not cover Lolita's tank, did not release information about their procedures to protect the animals, and did not provide updates to the public about their well-being until after the storm ended.^[28]

On September 24th, 2020, the 50th anniversary of Lolita's arrival at the Seaquarium, tribal members of the Lummi Nation, joined by the local Seminole, travelled to Miami and held a ceremony in support of Lolita, whom they call Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, and demanded she be released to her native waters.^[5]

Some have argued, such as the director of the University of British Columbia's Marine Mammal Research Unit, Andrew Trites, that Lolita is too old for life in the wild and that reintroducing her to the ocean after over fifty years in captivity would be 'unethical' and a 'death sentence'.^[29]

Legal cases[edit]

In November 2011 Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), PETA, and three individuals filed a lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to end the exclusion of Lolita from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of the Pacific Northwest's Southern resident killer whale. NMFS reviewed ALDF’s joint petition, along with the thousands of comments submitted by the public and found the petition merited.^[30] In February 2015, the NOAA announced it would issue a rule to include Lolita in the endangered species list. Previous to this, although the killer whale population that she was taken from is listed as endangered, as a captive animal, Lolita was exempted from this classification. This change does not impact on her captivity at Miami Seaquarium.^[31]

On March 18th, 2014 a judge dismissed ALDF's case challenging Miami Seaquarium's Animal Welfare Act license to display captive killer whales.^[32]

In June 2014 ALDF filed a notice of appeal of the District Court decision that found the USDA had not violated the law when it renewed Miami Seaquarium's AWA exhibitor license.^[33]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Mapes, Lynda (June 17, 2019). 'Remembering Lolita, an orca taken nearly 49 years ago and still in captivity at the Miami Seaquarium'. Seattle Times. Retrieved June 20, 2020.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
2. ^McKenna, Cara (26 September 2020). 'Native Americans honor Lolita the orca 50 years after capture: 'She was taken''. theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
3. ^'Lolita'. orcanetwork.org. Orca Network. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
4. ^'About Miami Seaquarium'. Miami Seaquarium. Retrieved 19 May 2015.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
5. ^ ^abMcKenna, Cara 2020
6. ^'Save Lolita'. savelolita.org. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
7. ^Herrera, Chabeli (7 June 2016). 'Lolita's tank at the Seaquarium may be too small after all, a new USDA audit finds'. Miami Herald. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
8. ^Mapes, Lynda (7 August 2020). 'Taken from her pod 50 years ago, Lolita is the sole Puget Sound orca surviving from the capture era'. seattletimes.com. Seattle Times. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
9. ^Maples, Lynda 2020
10. ^'Adopt L-25 Ocean Sun'. whalemuseum.org. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
11. ^'Lolita's Life Before Capture'. orcanetwork.org. Orca Network.
12. ^Samuels, Robert (15 September 2010). 'Lolita still thrives at Miami Seaquarium'. seattletimes.nwsource.com. Seattle Times. Retrieved 9 August 2011.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
13. ^'Lolita officially named'. The Miami News. November 30, 1970.
14. ^Klinkenberg, Marty (15 December 1989). 'KILLER WHALE COLD TO NEW TANKMATE'. sun-sentinel.com. Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
15. ^ ^ab'Lolita still thrives at Miami Seaquarium'. Seattle Times. September 15, 2010.
16. ^'Sex Drive Stops Whale Show'. The Palm Beach Post. December 4, 1977.
17. ^'Lolita: happy, gentle, smart; weighs 4 tons'. Boca Raton News.
18. ^Klinkenberg, Marty 1989
19. ^Herrera, Chabeli (20 November 2017). 'Lolita may never go free. And that could be what's best for her, scientists say'. miamiherald.com. Miami Herald. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
20. ^Lolita: Slave to Entertainment (2003) at IMDb
21. ^'Lolita: Slave to Entertainment'. Houston Press. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
22. ^'The Plight of Orcas in Captivity, Hugo and Lolita'. becauseturtleseatplasticbags.com. 12 February 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
23. ^Woodfield, Greg (7 November 2020). 'Calls for Lolita the orca to be freed from marine park misery after 50 years'. mirror.co.uk. Daily Mirror. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
24. ^Winders, Delcianna (8 August 2020). 'A half-century in a bathtub: Lolita, an orca, has been in captivity long enough'. nydailynews.com. NY Daily News. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
25. ^'Subpart E—Specifications for the Humane Handling, Care, Treatment, and Transportation of Marine Mammals'. Title 9 Animals and Animal Products. US Government Publishing Office. Retrieved 7 March 2016.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
26. ^Rodriguez, Laura (17 January 2015). 'Protesters March to Free Orca Lolita from Miami Seaquarium'. nbcmiami.com. NBC Miami. Retrieved 17 January 2015.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
27. ^Gomes, Isabella (13 September 2017). 'Lolita, Miami Seaquarium's Orca, Left in Tank During Hurricane Irma, Activists Say'. Miami New Times. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
28. ^Sainato, Michael (11 September 2017). 'Miami Seaquarium Leaves Marine Animals in Place During Hurricane Irma'. observer.com. Observer. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
29. ^Pawson, Chad (28 May 2018). 'B.C. marine mammal expert says moving killer whale from Miami a death sentence'. cbc.ca. CBC.ca. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
30. ^'Make a Splash: Free Lolita!'. ALDF. Archived from the original on 2014-11-12. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
31. ^'Captive killer whale included in endangered listing'. NOAA. 4 February 2015.
32. ^'Sequarium Docket'. March 18, 2014.
33. ^'Judge's Refusal to Review Seaquarium's Violations of Law Prompts Court Appeal'. ALDF. Archived from the original on 2014-07-22. Retrieved 2014-07-16.

External links[edit]

• Lolita: Slave to Entertainment film

Description

A dark romance evolves between a high schooler and her English teacher in this breathtakingly powerful memoir about a young woman who must learn to rewrite her own story.

'Have you ever read Lolita?' So begins seventeen-year-old Alisson's metamorphosis from student to lover and then victim. A lonely and vulnerable high school senior, Alisson finds solace only in her writing--and in a young, charismatic English teacher, Mr. North. Mr. North gives Alisson a copy of Lolita to read, telling her it is a beautiful story about love. The book soon becomes the backdrop to a connection that blooms from a simple crush into a forbidden romance. But as Mr. North's hold on her tightens, Alisson is forced to evaluate how much of their narrative is actually a disturbing fiction. In the wake of what becomes a deeply abusive relationship, Alisson is faced again and again with the story of her past, from rereading Lolita in college to working with teenage girls to becoming a professor of creative writing. It is only with that distance and perspective that she understands the ultimate power language has had on her--and how to harness that power to tell her own true story. Being Lolita is a stunning coming-of-age memoir that shines a bright light on our shifting perceptions of consent, vulnerability, and power. This is the story of what happens when a young woman realizes her entire narrative must be rewritten--and then takes back the pen to rewrite it.

Product Details

Being Lolita Book

Earn by promoting books

Earn money by sharing your favorite books through our Affiliate program.

Become an affiliate

About the Author

Reviews

A chilling and propulsive debut about the danger of being captive inside someone else's story, and the power of choosing your own. --Melissa Febos, author of Whip Smart and Abandon Me

Being Lolita is a book of deep insight and bravery--and ultimately one of power. In the era of #MeToo, Wood's voice will change things for the better. --Darin Strauss, bestselling author of Half a Life

Being Lolita is an unflinching depiction of grooming and a searing indictment of exploitative teachers, but most of all it's an act of redemption--a powerful realization of Wood's vow 'to do the little I can to make sure what happened to me doesn't happen again.' --Susan Choi, author of the National Book Award-winning Trust Exercise

It is incredible that Alisson Wood can write a story of such brutality and still make room for hope. But she does. Wood's debut is a celebration of survival, teaching us that in the end, we are the most reliable narrators of all, the hero of our own stories. Being Lolita is an incisive reckoning, a work of art, a new education. --T Kira Madden, author of Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless GirlsIn Being Lolita, Alisson Wood traces one story of a teenage girl falling in love with her teacher, and then traces it again through the open lens of time and reflection. Each click of the aperture in this beautifully told memoir lets in more light, until the clouds of the past begin to part, allowing an image of a young woman to form on the page that is not fated to simply suffer at the hands of her abusers, but is able to break through the glass and live a life she can call her own. --Hannah Tinti, author of The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley

Being Lolita is a book of rare resonance, simultaneously heartbreaking and hopeful in its ongoing desire for a world of integrity, sanity, and respect. You won't forget it any time soon. --Paul Lisicky, author of Later: My Life at the Edge of the World

Being Lolita Book

Wood reminds us that stories still have the power to change the world. This is a fascinating story of survival and purpose, yet it is also a story of interpretation. How we read the world changes how we live in it. A fantastic debut. --Garrard Conley

Being Lolita Book Summary

, author of Boy Erased An unflinching account . . . Wood's potent memoir doubles as a cautionary tale that indicts literary and social tropes of irresistible, sexualized youths. It's an impressive, provocative outing. --Publisher's WeeklyA remarkable feat of self-awareness . . . Incredibly powerful and important literary criticism . . . Wood's memoir is a triumph over heartbreak, trauma, and metamorphosis. --Paperback Paris