Opinions of a Wolf

A poetic and powerful collection of life lessons drawn from marine mammals, rooted in Black feminist thought and visionary activism.

Summary:
A book-length meditation for social movements and our whole species based on the subversive and transformative guidance of marine mammals. Our aquatic cousins are queer, fierce, protective of each other, complex, shaped by conflict, and struggling to survive the extractive and militarized conditions our species has imposed on the ocean. Gumbs employs a brilliant mix of poetic sensibility and naturalist observation to show what they might teach us, producing not a specific agenda but an unfolding space for wondering and questioning. From the relationship between the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale and Gumbs’s Shinnecock and enslaved ancestors to the ways echolocation changes our understandings of “vision” and visionary action, this is a masterful use of metaphor and natural models in the service of social justice.

Review:
I read this as research for my upcoming sci-fi novel centered on feminism, environmental justice, and the ocean. (If you’re interested in similar themes, check out my space fantasy about decolonization.) With that frame, how could I not pick this up? A thoughtful mix of marine biology, Black feminist reflection, social justice commentary, and daily spiritual practice, this book made for the perfect before-bed read—soothing yet deeply stirring.

Each chapter is framed around a self-care principle, such as breathe, be vulnerable, or honor your boundaries. But layered themes emerge across the book. The ones that resonated most with me were love, resilience, capitalism, and the complexities of visibility and invisibility.

So there you are, reading a fact about the deep ocean—how scientists keep discovering life thriving even deeper than previously thought. You’re solidly in your analytical brain. And then, out of nowhere, Gumbs offers a breathtaking meditation on love:

“We act on the knowledge that everything could change and yet if I was choosing I would choose you again.”

Sometimes, the connections between marine life and human struggle are made more explicitly. The chapter on how capitalism entwined whaling and slavery shocked me—I couldn’t believe I hadn’t been taught that before. Another chapter explores how narwhal tusks were sold as “unicorn horns,” and how enforced marginality and profit have always been linked.

I especially appreciated how Gumbs pairs the stories of animals we rarely see—deep sea creatures, endangered whales—with those we’re forced to see in captivity. Think SeaWorld and “marketable captives for capitalism.” These stories mirror how, as humans under capitalism, we’re harmed both by being seen and not being seen. We’re told we must look a certain way to be worthy of attention, while that very attention can also endanger us.

It might sound like a heavy read, but it isn’t. Because it’s not just a litany of what’s wrong. Each chapter centers around resilience-building, for ourselves and our communities. Just as marine mammals rely on the stabilizing force of dorsal fins, Gumbs encourages us to build our own internal structures for surviving—and thriving—in a deeply extractive world.

“When we tap into the part of us that is not for sale, so unmarketable that the capitalists say it don’t exist, but it do. It is you. It is all of us. I love you.”

As you can probably tell from the quotes, the book’s tone is warm, conversational, and poetic. It’s fact-based, with insights from scientists and naturalists, but feels more like talking to a passionate friend over coffee than reading an academic text. It’s not a hard read in terms of accessibility—but it will challenge you to think deeply about who you are, how you live, and how you might live differently.

Overall, this is a gentle yet transformative book—easy to read, but it lingers long after the final page. Recommended for anyone interested in environmental justice, resilience under capitalism, or simply learning from the wisdom of marine mammals.

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4 out of 5 stars

Length: 174 pages – average but on the shorter side

Source: Library

Buy It (Amazon or Bookshop.org)