Review: The Insect Crisis

The Insect Crisis

Oliver Milman

Oliver Milman presents a fascinating look at what might happen if the insects we depend on to pollinate our food supply disappear. Scientists have sounded the alarm about increasing concerns that insect populations are declining rapidly. The honeybee's plight is probably well known, but what about other insects like moths, dragonflies, and beetles that we tend to think about less often. These and other insects may also be on the decline thanks to a host of environmental issues, for which we humans are mostly to blame. The increased use of pesticides, mono-cropping, habitat degradation, and climate change has played a significant role in these environmental changes. And even though, as Milman points out, insects have primarily been able to survive every other mass extinction the planet has seen, this may be changing.

The Insect Crisis should be required reading for anyone concerned about environmental issues and our future. It's well researched, not to mention engagingly written. But most of all, it's informative and shows the complex issues and challenges we face in the future in a world that may have fewer species.

This review was originally written by me for City Book Review.

 

Review: Wolf Kill

Wolf Kill

Cary J. Griffith

When Williston Winthrop dies, there are numerous people on the scene able to identify the body. But, his son Clayton who now goes by the name Sam Rivers isn't one of them. Sam, a wildlife specialist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, hasn't been back to his boyhood home in Northern Minnesota in twenty years. He left after an altercation with his father and didn't return even when his mother passed away. Now the time has come for him to face up to his past and the ghosts he left behind. And, he wants to retrieve a few things his mother left hidden for him.

As soon as he arrives in town, he senses things aren't all they seem. The friends from his father's hunting club have inherited everything, and they aren't keen to have the son return to the area. Then Sam is asked by the local sheriff to look at his father's farm, where some calves have been killed in the barn by wolves. Sam isn't convinced it's the work of wolves. But he will have to work quickly if he wants to gather any evidence before members of the hunting club intervene. Will this incident lead him to discover more mysteries? He sure hopes so because he is convinced that his father is taunting him even from the grave.

Wolf Kill is a riveting, atmospheric tale full of double-dealing and deception. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. The characters and the rugged landscape were so well developed that I felt like I'd been on an outdoor adventure. I hope there will be more Sam Rivers' mysteries to come.

Thanks to Adventure Publications for allowing me to read this Advanced Readers' Edition in exchange for an honest review. Wolf Kill will be published in June 2021.

 

Review: Fossil Men

 

Fossil Men

Kermit Pattison

In 1994 a research team headed by University of California, Berkeley Professor Tim White discovered ancient fossilized bones in the Afar region of Ethiopia that were believed to be our oldest ancestor. Ardipithecus ramidus, who came to be known as Ardi, was a female who lived 4.4 million years ago. What made the find so impressive was the fact that Ardi was one million years older than the now-famous Australopithecus afarensis known as Lucy, who was discovered in 1974.

Not everyone agreed with the team's findings at first. And Pattison's brilliant account highlights the numerous conflicts resulting from jealousy, personal animosities, scientists with huge egos, changes in the institutional and academic environments, and resentments caused by the fact that outsiders were often not allowed to see the fossils in question. All of this was compounded by the team's challenges working in a politically volatile region, beset with civil war, tribal war, and bureaucratic difficulties.

If you have ever been interested in the origins of humankind, Fossil Men is a must read. It's a brilliant multi-layered account that showcases the history, politics, and the people who make it their business to search for our elusive ancestors. It is by far the most informative and insightful book I've read this year.

This review was written by for City Book Review.

Review: The Sun is a Compass

The Sun is a Compass

Caroline Van Hemert

Caroline and husband Patrick dreamed of making a 4,000 mile journey across the Alaskan Wilderness for many years. The time finally came to set out with the plan of traveling only by boat, skis or on foot. They set off from Bellingham Washington, with the hope of reaching Kotzebue on the western side of Alaska six months later. Caroline had just finished a Ph.D. but was unsure where she wanted to go with her career as a scientist. She felt a need to reconnect with nature and appreciate why she wanted to be a biologist in the first place after spending numerous years doing lab work.

Along the way, the couple encountered caribou herds, numerous bears and migrating birds. There was also a close encounter with a black bear who seemed eager to stalk the intrepid travelers. Luckily for them he lost interest after a while and disappeared. The couple also met some fascinating and generous people along the way, living in vast but changing environments. I can't imagine having the confidence to undertake an adventure across 4,000 miles of some of the most remote territory. But Caroline and Patrick seemed to thrive in the challenging and isolated environment.

The Sun is a Compass, is not just a recap of a physical trek in the wilderness; it is also a journey of heart and mind. One which made me want to head out into nature and enjoy what's around. It will no doubt encouraged other readers to see and experience the beauty of nature that we so often take for granted.

Thanks to Little Brown Spark for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.