Friday's Harbor    by Diane Hammond Order:  USA  Can William Morrow, 2013 (2013) Softcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth While Friday's Harbor by Diane Hammond, is a fictional tale, Hammond has taken a factual happening and made it into a what if. In Bogota, Columbia, a twenty-one-foot-long, nineteen-year-old wild-caught killer whale swam in its tiny pool, round and round and round. Two thousand pounds underweight, the sickly creature was slowly dying of malnutrition and numerous nasty infections. He was called Viernes (Friday) and was the star performer in a water show many times a week. A wealthy widow from North America became interested in his well-being and orchestrated his removal to a zoo in the USA. He had been alone for eighteen years, having been captured from his pod when he was a year-old baby. Would he even recognize another killer whale if he should see one? Friday's Harbor is the story of his rehabilitation. And of the people who care for him and come to love him. One is a woman who claims to be an animal communicator. She senses animals' needs and tries to help them. The wealthy widow, who has adopted an Egyptian mode of dress (finding it comfortable), continues to fund the work to save this whale. Care of Friday (his name changed to English) involves much work and many helping hands. Friday flourishes, but still seems lonely. Friday's Harbor is a very tender story of caring for an animal in need. Long hours and back-breaking work are required to bring this creature back to health. It's a story worth telling and, definitely, one worth reading. Just keep the box of Kleenex close by. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews