Loved the book. I try to teach my kids that there is so much more to Florida than sitting on a beach and his Gulf Specimen Marine Lab has become a tradition for our family vacations. If you love the marshes and shores of Florida then you really should read Rudloe’s books. My only compliant here is that there are numerous errors in the kindle edition. All the facts and stories are correct it’s just that some paragraphs have text from previous pages randomly inserted. Almost like a draft was used for the Kindle edition rather than the final copy. But, nonetheless, a great read and I look forward to reading more of his books.
I picked this book up after visiting the author's museum in Panacea, Florida. I actually purchased it in the gift shop. Over the last few years I've read a handful of books like this one, and like all the others, I really enjoyed it. As someone who's always been interested in wildlife, this is the first book I've read that really focuses on aquatic life. The stories Jack tells has inspired me to look more into marine biology, and to read the rest of his books.
It was interesting learning about new animals, but every time he wrote about how many creatures they killed in pursuit of the one animal, I was kind of horrified and disgusted.
I had the opportunity to meet Jack Rudloe recently and I admire his life work. His account of collecting marine specimens and his ability to write engagingly make this an educational and entertaining book. He gives us a lot to think about in regard to man's connection to the sea and to the life forces that are sustained by the ocean - including mankind.