Endangered Species Books

(2007) Jo Sandin profiles bonobos in the Milwaukee zoo, where several families live and can be followed through generations. Extensive reading list at end also lists many organizations devoted to keeping this unique and truly significant species with us forever. Great pictures.

I purchased this book to give me an insight into the bonobos at Milwaukee County Zoo prior to my visit there. I was not disappointed, the book provides accounts from the people working closest with the bonobos, the keepers and those working in the field to ensure their survival. It is a very personable account of the individuals you can find at the zoo, full off the highs and lows involved when dealing with a complex and highly intelligent species such as the bonobo. I have spent much time observing the bonobos at the zoo since reading this book and can say that they are every bit as special and emotional as they are portrayed.

I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the origins of empathy or an interest in primates in general. Its not a long book but it is compelling reading and most people will get something from it.

Unfortunately, this book is more like a glorified pamphlet. For the money, I was expecting some nice glossy pages with color photographs. I would have paid maybe $6.00 for it had I seen it in a store. It's got some nice stories and pictures but the high price is misleading. It's not a $22.00 book. (especially in paperback)

This book covers many of the studies done on the salmon populations here in the Pacific Northwest. The information comes from many experts, who do not have a political or business agenda...people who truly care about the survival of all the ecosystems involved.

Joseph Cone's book, "A Common Fate: Endangered Salmon and the People of the Pacific Northwest," tells a story that combines over two hundred years of U.S. history with the prurient facts of salmon and political science. Cone, in unflinching detail, and with a flair for dramatic storytelling, chronicles the ins and outs of the on-going battle to save the Pacific Northwest salmon runs and their surrounding watersheds. The overview of the salmon issue this book provides is astounding. From all sides' viewpoints, from Gordon Reeves, a fish researcher and ecologist with the Pacific Northwest Research Station of the U.S. Forestry Service in 1988, to people like Mike Draper, spokesperson for The Western Council of Industrial Workers and Antone Minthorn, council chairman of the General Council of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Cone weaves a tale that can be described as nothing short of sordid. Elucidating the deceptions, feints and dodges of bureaucratic interests and what motivates them as well as he does the struggles, fears, and hopes of the environmental activists, Cone shows an in depth knowledge of both salmon biology and political policy, all the while moving his story throughout Pacific Northwest and salmon history. Flashback narratives back to the very beginning of Pacific Northwest history with the arrival of James Cook, Robert Grey, on through Lewis and Clark and John Jacob Astor provide a sense of historic perspective on the abundance and exploitation of this incredible fish. Cone chronicles the wasteful days of the Hapgood & Hume canneries, where, after a day's work, if the canners couldn't keep up with supply, hundreds of fish would be shoveled back into the water, wasted. He describes the migrant cannery fishermen and the disputes between gill-netters, those who used fish traps, and the canneries themselves, the strikes and violence associated with them as everyone struggles to take all they can in a living description of human economist Garrett Hardin's essay, "The Tragedy of the Commons." He describes with harrowing precision the two steps forward, one step back dance of environmental policy, as environmentalist minded scientists cross swords with policy makers and industrial advocates, as treaties and alliances are formed and broken again and again over the same ground year after year, decade after decade. He shows again and again the complexity of the issues, the difference between conservation and preservation, and the fact that thus far, in the struggle between fish and man, man has won time and time again, and that time for the Pacific Northwest salmon is running out. Though one review on the back of the book suggests that Cone offers up cooperation as the solution to the salmon crisis, in truth, "A Common Fate" illustrates the fallacy of cooperation between the two sides of industry and environment. The evidence he presents illustrates clearly that, as the industrialists call for a "balance" to be struck, in truth, the salmon are systematically being balanced out of existence. For anyone looking for a clear, concise overview of the issues surrounding the salmon crisis in an easy to read format, this book comes highly recommended.

Salmon , as a species , are no where near to being extinct, as this book would lead one to believe. Can we improve on the way we as U.S. Citizens treat our Environment? Certainly!!! Do we have the will to do it? Who Knows???

It is evident that the author put a lot of hard work and energy into creating this book; however, the story is rather bland and the illustrations are of amateur quality. If you want to support a "starving artist," go ahead and buy the book. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to order it.

Kevin Martin is a fantastic childrens author who writes highly imaginative stories with beautiful illustrations. I was turned on to this book by a friend from work who has a son who just loves this story. I look forward to reading Kevin Martin's future releases as he is truly a children's literary treasure for everyone to enjoy!

Daniel and The Ivory Princess is a well thought out story with a fun underwater twist to it. The characters are adorable and lovable. The story teaches a lesson on friendship, working together and being the best that each of us can be. From Daniel to Seavil, from Crystal, The Ivory Princess to Karky the shark the story finds the the best in each of them. It really is a cute story will an ending we can share and discuss with our children on many differnet levels. The illustrations are fun. Kevin visited my sons school last week for Meet the Artist Week. What a delightful two days we shared with Kevin and his wife as he spread his message that with a litle help- we can all reach for the stars! Thanks Kevin! My children love the book!

The book Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen provides a detailed account of one of the most deadly threats to the North Atlantic Right Whale population, along with many other kinds of whales. This book not only informs the reader about the problems the whales face when they become entangled in the fishing gear, but also explains the problems the fisherman has once his net is lost. Tora Johnson allows the reader to become deeply immersed in the book by telling stories of first hand accounts with these amazing creatures. After stating many important facts about the struggling North Atlantic Right Whales, such as the miniscule population between 300 and 400, which once thrived before commercial whaling came about, Johnson gives us in depth stories about whales like Ibis and Churchill. The book soon changes gears, giving information on how fixed fishing gear is the most dangerous to the whales and why. About two thirds of the North Atlantic Right Whale population has been recorded of having scars from encounters with fishing gear. These nets get entangled on the whale's flukes, flippers, dorsal region, and worst of all, in their baleen plates. As shown in the first story Stormy and Ibis, Ibis is not able to feed because of the gear stuck in her baleen plates. The conflict between whether to save these whales, or whether to keep the fishermen in business sparks much controversy. One whale death could end up shutting down an entire fishing industry, putting thousands of fishermen out of work. Working together to save both the whales and fishermen is the most important thing we can do for conservation.
With a good balance of both consequential information and deeply touching first hand accounts of whales in their environment, Johnson is able to keep anyone who reads the book captivated no matter how boring they think whales are. We are able to learn so much when our mind actually thinks we are reading a storybook. This is Tora Johnson's greatest strength in her book. All of the information is overwhelming, but when it is used correctly the reader becomes more informed without even knowing it.
In some parts of the book, the information sometimes does slow the story down a bit. There is not much that can be done about this, but these parts were always the hardest to get through, especially when the information is already known.
I would recommend this book to anyone involved with the ocean in his or her everyday lives, along with people on the eastern coastline of North America. This book would especially be of great importance to fishermen. The book is not only entertaining, but also encourages people to partake in the cooperation between humans and nature.

The North Atlantic Right Whale, an extremely endangered species, continues its way towards extinction due to fishing gear entanglements. Tora Johnson discusses the challenges fisheries, scientists, and whale advocates encounter while attempting to solve this entanglement crisis. With only 300-350 Right Whales remaining, conservation groups are anxiously rushing to formulate disentanglement methods. Not only are collisions with fishing gear drastically decreasing the Right Whale population, but effecting fisheries who lose their expensive nets on a regular basis. Johnson puts emphasis on how important cooperation is between the fishing industry and conservation groups in order to assure a suitable environment for the Right Whale.

Johnson delivers a powerful message; save the whales before it's too late. She takes no side, but rather uses all perspectives in order to captivate the reality of this life-threatening dilemma. Her trips with fishermen, personal observations, and historic references were all used to propel her focal point.

Entanglements provides the reader with relevant sources filled with valuable information, but at the same time, it is rather confusing. Johnson tends to lack organization, jumping from one topic to another. Despite her disorganization, Entanglements exposes the struggles Right Whales face in their environment which are often overlooked. Therefore, I would recommend this book to fishermen and those interested in Right Whales.

Throughout the past few decades, an increasing number of marine mammals, particularly right whales, have met their deaths as a result of lethal entanglements with fishing gear. Tora Johnson's excellent novel offers a fascinating glimpse into the complex legal battle that arises between fishermen, conservationists, and the federal government whenever whale protection is discussed.

Entanglements chronicles Johnson's own experiences freeing whales. Included in her book are discussions with fishermen, descriptions of political meetings, and even excerpts from historical sources such as Moby Dick. However, it is her approach to the issue of entanglements that makes the book what it is. Johnson explores the problem from all sides, neither blaming fishermen nor conservationists. Throughout the book, she makes it clear that this is a race against time; that an agreement much be reached before both whales and fisheries are destroyed forever.

Unfortunately, Johnson's somewhat disorganized writing style makes her novel that much more confusing to read and understand. Although the inclusion of a number of viewpoints makes Entanglements impartial and unbiased, there is little organization to the book itself. However, with a little concentration, it is easy to understand Johnson's point. I highly recommend this book to fishermen or anyone interested in whale conservation in general.

In short, Entanglements is about the interactions of all players in regard to fishing-gear related whale deaths. Indeed, Johnson's point rings true: whales and fishing must co-exist, or they will both cease to exist.

Horn of Darkness tells the story of a family of three commencing on a quest to de-horn 10 rhinos. Discovering complications and adapting to the surroundings is just one of the many challenges Joel, Carol and young Sonja have to face. For me (being an 11 year old doing a reserch project) it was perfect for references and surprisingly it had a wonferfully enjoyable story. I thought it covered what I needed to know and at the same time I experienced first hand the wonders of the rhino as well as the realities of poaching problems. Not all adults will enjoy this book as much as I but if you give it a chance and open your mind you will enjoy what it has to offer. I suggest this book for ages 11 (curious 11 year olds)-and up.

Carol Cunningham and Joel Berger, a husband and wife research team, describe their research on black rhinos in Namibia. It is very readable, telling their personal story, documenting their research, explaining African perspectives, and discussing the politics involved with their project. This book reads like a novel while dispensing eye-opening information.

a good book for the wildlife enthusiast, but kinda boring at times. Not every day in real life can be as exciting as a Hollywood movie so this is accurate representation of what it must be like, but it takes a real passion for the animal kingdom to read it. It has been a couple of years since I read it so it isn't very fresh in my mind, but I did enjoy parts of it very much.

I think the story was educating for people who like to know what lives in the underwater life and about sea turtles.Conflict:explorers and divers are serching for an answer on how sea turtles live.Rising acion:they used tools to go down ''sea turtles cave''which was infested with sea turtle bones.Climax:divers took the bones to check how many pounds the largest sea turtle was.Outcome:workers found out everything they had to know about sea turtles and are now making a medicine to save the sea turtles from disise.

This is an interesting book for people who like to learn more about turtles. It talks about how they migrate. How they lay eggs, and how they are becoming extinct. It has photographs of real sea turtles. I recommend this book to everyone specially for people who loves turtles.

Informative introduction to various species of sea turtles. Describes differences between pond turtles and sea turtles. Did you know that a sea turtles cannot pull its head inside its shell. Discusses the sea turtle's life cycle and dangers that it faces on land and sea. Shows scientists studying and helping turtles. Contains many underwater photographs, a glossary, bibliography, and index. Karen Woodworth-Roman, Children's Science Book Review

An engaging read for the lay audience - basically for people who want a well written, primer of biodiversity conservation with plenty of examples.

This book contains useful information and can be seen as a complete guide for scientists and decision makers who are interested to protect species diversity. Unfortunately the author does not consider other levels of biodiversity in his book and whenever he referrs to them he does it from a species perspective only.

I consider that genetic diversity aspects, population dynamics and their evolution perspectives are crutial for species survival and should be considered when decisions are going to be taken and priorities to be defined. The unit of evolution is the Mendelian population. The information of how populations evolve from generation to generation is more crutial than counting species per hectare!

I think that the species aspect is crutial and can be easier communicated, but is still incomplete when it is considered separately. All levels of biodiversity contribute to the general picture that a conservationist should have in mind before taking a decision about priorities, plans and activities.

It is true that most conservation initiatives taken so far globally, especially the ones taken by governments and international treaties, are influenced by the species level information only. This is one of the reasons why we win the battle and loose the war against the loss of biodiversity. I consider this book as one very nice tool, that unfortunately shows the wrong way!

The black & white pen and ink sketches by Angelo Mitchell are delightful. Besides giving the wildlife real detail and liveliness, the illustrator also depicts a lot of the flora surrounding the animal in significant detail so you can picture the creature in its native habitat.

Covers the endangered animals and plants of Texas, and the issues surrounding them.

This was my first read of a Barbara Block novel and I was sufficiently intrigued to want to read more of this author's work. As with a lot of first reads, it can be a bit difficult to warm to an already well-established character but I found Robin Light generally believable, in the usual can-do mould of female private detective protagonists. I found the endangered animal theme fresh and compelling and the Syracuse settings, and descriptions of the young secondary characters, gritty and painfully realistic.

On her fifth go-round, Robin Light's strengths are all on display. We've come to expect the funny-tough, lackadaisically precise prose style that makes her sound more than a little like a depressed Kinsey Millhone, and by now Barbara Block has Robin's voice down pat. It's also fun to hear it being applied to a world in which depression, both emotional and economic, is the keynote: the sad and fascinating city of Syracuse, New York. Block's descriptions of Syracuse and renderings of its mood are so marvelously accurate that one begins to see Kinsey Millhone as the interloper, applying the stoic voice in her own nouveau riche Californian neighborhood: however derivative Block's style may be, it fits Syracuse better. Robin Light herself is more believable than Millhone as a survivor who is compassionate enough to think the worst of human beings. Instead of being a somewhat obnoxiously resilient loner by choice, she's a widow struggling to support a pet shop and a sideline career as a detective. The weakness of this series is that with an eminently human heroine who tends to make the sort of absurd mistakes her readers would (and have), by Number Five we begin to doubt whether she would still be alive, still sleuthing, and still have the same friends. Block will have to work harder than Sue Grafton to prevent her series from deteriorating into formula given that it would be much more damaging to her own best effects. This is a middling entry in the series--better than the last, but not as good as the first--and is distinguished by featuring a cast of very real and very obnoxious teens. Block's fans still need to wait for her breakthrough book, which we can only hope will bring her the feedback essential to any long-running series. In the meantime, this book is essential reading for addicts.

This book pretty much delivers what the cover describes. A nice look inside the minds of some of the big names in mid to latter 20th century fiction authors: Mailer, Oates, and Bradbury were some of my personal favorites. If you like reading and would like to learn more about the characters that do the work behind some of your favorite creations, you can probably find them here.

With this book Lawrence Grobel has compiled some of his best work. Each interview is insightful, well researched, and above all entertaining. He is never afraid to ask the difficult or controversial questions and his manner seems to elicit honest and revealing answers. For anyone interested in the men and women behind some the 20th century's most prestigious writers, this book is a must.