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Coral: A Pessimist in Paradise
While writing this book, Steve Jones had beside him the coral brooch that his sea captain grandfather brought back across the Indian Ocean as a gift for his wife. This simple object is a starting point for a dazzling narrative that touches on a number of the most important issues facing us today. Following in the footsteps of Darwin and Captain Cook, Jones reveals what coral has to tell us about the human genome project, cloning, and the possibility of a cure for cancer and genetic diseases; what insights it can offer us into the future of trade in oil and other forms of carbon; how it is linked to the fluctuations in weather patterns that have lead to destruction along the coasts of the Americas and the Far East. Finally, Jones considers what coral - exploited and destroyed in many ways and under siege from climate change - tells us about the likely future of the planet and humankind: it is a warning that both may be close to the point of no return.
CORAL: A PESSIMIST IN PARADISE is an inspired, eclectic book that links science with history, literature, politics and myth. It belongs to a vivid tradition of thinking and writing about humankind and its place in nature.
CORAL: A PESSIMIST IN PARADISE is an inspired, eclectic book that links science with history, literature, politics and myth. It belongs to a vivid tradition of thinking and writing about humankind and its place in nature.
258 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
About the author
Steve Jones
299 books135 followersLibrarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
John Stephen Jones is a Welsh geneticist and from 1995 to 1999 and 2008 to June 2010 was Head of the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment at University College London. His studies are conducted in the Galton Laboratory. He is also a television presenter and a prize-winning author on the subject of biology, especially evolution. He is one of the contemporary popular writers on evolution. In 1996 his writing won him the Royal Society Michael Faraday Prize "for his numerous, wide ranging contributions to the public understanding of science in areas such as human evolution and variation, race, sex, inherited disease and genetic manipulation through his many broadcasts on radio and television, his lectures, popular science books, and his regular science column in The Daily Telegraph and contributions to other newspaper media".
John Stephen Jones is a Welsh geneticist and from 1995 to 1999 and 2008 to June 2010 was Head of the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment at University College London. His studies are conducted in the Galton Laboratory. He is also a television presenter and a prize-winning author on the subject of biology, especially evolution. He is one of the contemporary popular writers on evolution. In 1996 his writing won him the Royal Society Michael Faraday Prize "for his numerous, wide ranging contributions to the public understanding of science in areas such as human evolution and variation, race, sex, inherited disease and genetic manipulation through his many broadcasts on radio and television, his lectures, popular science books, and his regular science column in The Daily Telegraph and contributions to other newspaper media".
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 20, 2018
An eclectic collection of facts, anecdotes and stories, many scientifically themed, bound together by professional narrative powers, this book still fell way short of the mark for me, despite being extensively well researched and, notionally, about one of my favourite topics.
Notionally. That is the word: As an experiment, after reading over half of the book, I started holding it up to random acquaintances and asking "what do you think this book might be about?" (The same cover and title as above), the majority of people said 'coral', some said 'ocean' but all the answers were variations on this theme. This is exactly what I thought it was about when I bought the book because the title is "Coral" the cover suggests ocean and coral lives in oceans. We were all kind of wrong however, this book is only notionally (that word again) about coral.
While a moderate amount of knowledge about coral is imparted over the book, and coral is kind of a invisible narrative running throughout, in fact most of you reading time has nothing to do with coral at all. Jones writes a half a page, maybe a whole page about coral then for the next ten to twenty ages we digress and digress and digress. It is all interesting stuff, but mostly not related to coral and frequently far from any ocean.
Jones likes Darwin, and Darwin was the first Western scientist to study coral atolls and he also drew a lot of them, the sketches are scattered through the book, though the typeface is often too small to read. Darwin, almost magically, inferred how coral atolls were created and though the validation of his theory had to wait for decades, it was eventually validated this I already knew because I, too like Darwin. I also read about him a fair bit but was not expecting to here.
Basically, Jones will give us a tiny teaser about coral/history, then masses or disconnected and often unrelated history. A teaser about the geological connection to corals, then masses and masses or geology information. Tiny bit about the social geography of coral atolls, then pages and pages about human geography and human extinctions due to disease... You get my drift.
All of it is well written, extensively researched and interesting in its own right BUT mostly nothing to do with corals.
Sadly, the narrative is often disjointed and jarring, as though Jones had to edit out huge tracts of interesting factoides and missed bits. For example, while he is chatting about the habits of bird watchers, a topic nestled in the greater topic of the power law, (of which we have already been given many dissociated examples), we get a disconnected statement: "The silver-eye is a bird with its headquarters on the Australian Mainland which has reached several atolls. Birds from the islands furtherest from the mainland lose much of their genetic variability" [pg 143]. Yes, animals further from the mainland lose genetic variability, we know that. What we don't know is anything else about the Silver-eye which was never previously mentioned, about which we are given no more detail and only another glancing mention at the bottom of the page. Why Steve? Why?
At the end of the book we get to the 'pessimist in paradise'part, as Steve Jones hammers home the massage that the oceans in general and the corals in particular are dying, probably beyond our ability to save. This part was once again interesting to me, as it was obviously coral/ocean related. Steve Jones had set up the arguments of how this was the case slowly, diversion by diversion throughout the book and the summing up was passionate.
This passion occasionally occluded sense, such as when, on page 202 he mentions that in Brisbane QLD "...parts of that subtropical suburb are the cinders of burned corals." He is probably quite right about the burned corals and cement companies - QLD has always been an environmental terrorist, politically speaking- he is wrong about Brisbane being a 'subtropical suburb' however, Brisbane is a state capital city. Even more mystifyingly bewildering is when later on the same page he goes on to passionately disclaim that "The city's yachtsmen, when they escape to the Barrier (the Great Barrier Reef, I assume) to drop anchor in some isolated spot, smash what lies below."
Um.
Steve, Brisbane is nowhere near the Great Barrier Reef! it's about 500 kilometers away, as the plane flies and I doubt that the city's yachtsmen do that on a Sunday afternoon. We won't go into the question of general usage vs protected areas, that has probably changed since 2007 anyway. Probably beside the point really: I agree, the GBR as we know it is dying, I just twitch at incorrect facts, it makes me doubt what I have read elsewhere.
Sorry to harp on a theme; but I did just slog for seven days through 219 pages of random collected facts mashed together to fit the txt no matter what, so I might be feeling a trifle vindictive. The Crown of Thorn Starfish (COTS) infestations have been horrific, corals have been devastated and reefs denuded. For further information on how creepy and terrible these infestations are go to the GBRMPA website, they have videos. While watching the video, you will notice few COTS 'Half a meter and more across" as Jones promises us [pg 205] because normally the largest they get is 35cm.
Anyhow, enough of nitpicking. This book might suit people who like 'general science' and are more fond of multiple trivia then of a steady narrative. People who like geology, corals or reading about environmental decline may also find enough to enjoy this book. People who love Charles Darwin will have found a friend. I wanted to enjoy it more than I actually did and while I am pleased that I finished it I will not be returning to it.
Notionally. That is the word: As an experiment, after reading over half of the book, I started holding it up to random acquaintances and asking "what do you think this book might be about?" (The same cover and title as above), the majority of people said 'coral', some said 'ocean' but all the answers were variations on this theme. This is exactly what I thought it was about when I bought the book because the title is "Coral" the cover suggests ocean and coral lives in oceans. We were all kind of wrong however, this book is only notionally (that word again) about coral.
While a moderate amount of knowledge about coral is imparted over the book, and coral is kind of a invisible narrative running throughout, in fact most of you reading time has nothing to do with coral at all. Jones writes a half a page, maybe a whole page about coral then for the next ten to twenty ages we digress and digress and digress. It is all interesting stuff, but mostly not related to coral and frequently far from any ocean.
Jones likes Darwin, and Darwin was the first Western scientist to study coral atolls and he also drew a lot of them, the sketches are scattered through the book, though the typeface is often too small to read. Darwin, almost magically, inferred how coral atolls were created and though the validation of his theory had to wait for decades, it was eventually validated this I already knew because I, too like Darwin. I also read about him a fair bit but was not expecting to here.
Basically, Jones will give us a tiny teaser about coral/history, then masses or disconnected and often unrelated history. A teaser about the geological connection to corals, then masses and masses or geology information. Tiny bit about the social geography of coral atolls, then pages and pages about human geography and human extinctions due to disease... You get my drift.
All of it is well written, extensively researched and interesting in its own right BUT mostly nothing to do with corals.
Sadly, the narrative is often disjointed and jarring, as though Jones had to edit out huge tracts of interesting factoides and missed bits. For example, while he is chatting about the habits of bird watchers, a topic nestled in the greater topic of the power law, (of which we have already been given many dissociated examples), we get a disconnected statement: "The silver-eye is a bird with its headquarters on the Australian Mainland which has reached several atolls. Birds from the islands furtherest from the mainland lose much of their genetic variability" [pg 143]. Yes, animals further from the mainland lose genetic variability, we know that. What we don't know is anything else about the Silver-eye which was never previously mentioned, about which we are given no more detail and only another glancing mention at the bottom of the page. Why Steve? Why?
At the end of the book we get to the 'pessimist in paradise'part, as Steve Jones hammers home the massage that the oceans in general and the corals in particular are dying, probably beyond our ability to save. This part was once again interesting to me, as it was obviously coral/ocean related. Steve Jones had set up the arguments of how this was the case slowly, diversion by diversion throughout the book and the summing up was passionate.
This passion occasionally occluded sense, such as when, on page 202 he mentions that in Brisbane QLD "...parts of that subtropical suburb are the cinders of burned corals." He is probably quite right about the burned corals and cement companies - QLD has always been an environmental terrorist, politically speaking- he is wrong about Brisbane being a 'subtropical suburb' however, Brisbane is a state capital city. Even more mystifyingly bewildering is when later on the same page he goes on to passionately disclaim that "The city's yachtsmen, when they escape to the Barrier (the Great Barrier Reef, I assume) to drop anchor in some isolated spot, smash what lies below."
Um.
Steve, Brisbane is nowhere near the Great Barrier Reef! it's about 500 kilometers away, as the plane flies and I doubt that the city's yachtsmen do that on a Sunday afternoon. We won't go into the question of general usage vs protected areas, that has probably changed since 2007 anyway. Probably beside the point really: I agree, the GBR as we know it is dying, I just twitch at incorrect facts, it makes me doubt what I have read elsewhere.
Sorry to harp on a theme; but I did just slog for seven days through 219 pages of random collected facts mashed together to fit the txt no matter what, so I might be feeling a trifle vindictive. The Crown of Thorn Starfish (COTS) infestations have been horrific, corals have been devastated and reefs denuded. For further information on how creepy and terrible these infestations are go to the GBRMPA website, they have videos. While watching the video, you will notice few COTS 'Half a meter and more across" as Jones promises us [pg 205] because normally the largest they get is 35cm.
Anyhow, enough of nitpicking. This book might suit people who like 'general science' and are more fond of multiple trivia then of a steady narrative. People who like geology, corals or reading about environmental decline may also find enough to enjoy this book. People who love Charles Darwin will have found a friend. I wanted to enjoy it more than I actually did and while I am pleased that I finished it I will not be returning to it.
Read
March 13, 2011Praising polyps' performance: The world of coral seems so distant and obscure. Tropical lagoons or long stretches of underwater realm. To us, it may be a paradisical mystery, remote and hidden with little to offer to our daily lives. Steve Jones, whose career has centred on these strange creatures, knows better. Those silent, tiny creatures which are capable of vast engineering monuments have much to convey - about our world and ourselves. With a strong facility in writing about nature and the science studying it, he gives us a fascinating look at the world beneath the waves.
It begins with Darwin, of course, as any writing about life should. Charles Darwin's voyage in HMS Beagle was about much more than finches and iguanas. Beyond the Galapagos Islands, he travelled across the Pacific, encountering numerous reef-girdled islands. Studying them closely, he reasoned that coral reefs surrounding the islands were the result of their sinking centres. It was this discovery that made his reputation as a naturalist long before the publication of "Origin". He had noted that corals cannot thrive in deep water, away from the sun's nourishing light. That observation, as Jones goes on to explain, would later lead to momentous discoveries, some of them of significant medical importance. As a tribute to Darwin's discoveries, nearly all the illustrations in this book are his maps of various coral-ringed islands.
Among the captivating facts Jones provides us is that some polyps, such as the Hydra, are immortal. The genetic commands leading to ageing and death in creatures such as ourselves, don't function in the polyps. They just go on budding and proliferating so long as conditions permit. The quest to understand polyps like Hydra was long on the track. The Romans, Jones explains, understood their need for water to survive, but it was two millennia before serious advances took place. Only in the 18th Century did an unacknowledged French researcher deem them animals and not plants. Modern molecular biology has demonstrated that polyp DNA is nearly as large and complex as that of the "higher animals". Their harsh living conditions have developed complex protective systems we are only now beginning to comprehend. Oxygen, which we need to live, is also an effective tissue destroyer. The polyps, with their tiny, vulnerable bodies, have devised means of coping with that. Their methods are far superior to ours, and all the antioxidants we consume to fight ageing are of little worth.
Coral makes stone, the foundations of reefs being limestone the living polyps build on over the ages. As the seas rise and fall, the coral either extends its bastion or dies off, awaiting better times. The key to their survival is more than simply the availability of a watery home. Temperature changes, the proportion of atmospheric gases and pollutants scythe the polyps down. They are clearly under threat just at a time when knowledge of them can be put to effective use. Jones uses this knowledge to extend our recognition of the polyps' role in life. To explain the importance of coral, he follows the history and personalities that have, one way or another, contributed to our understanding. His reach encompasses such elements as the painter Gaugin and the unexpected contribution of De Beers' diamond monopoly. No stone, especially if made by Jones' favourite creature, is to be left unturned. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
It begins with Darwin, of course, as any writing about life should. Charles Darwin's voyage in HMS Beagle was about much more than finches and iguanas. Beyond the Galapagos Islands, he travelled across the Pacific, encountering numerous reef-girdled islands. Studying them closely, he reasoned that coral reefs surrounding the islands were the result of their sinking centres. It was this discovery that made his reputation as a naturalist long before the publication of "Origin". He had noted that corals cannot thrive in deep water, away from the sun's nourishing light. That observation, as Jones goes on to explain, would later lead to momentous discoveries, some of them of significant medical importance. As a tribute to Darwin's discoveries, nearly all the illustrations in this book are his maps of various coral-ringed islands.
Among the captivating facts Jones provides us is that some polyps, such as the Hydra, are immortal. The genetic commands leading to ageing and death in creatures such as ourselves, don't function in the polyps. They just go on budding and proliferating so long as conditions permit. The quest to understand polyps like Hydra was long on the track. The Romans, Jones explains, understood their need for water to survive, but it was two millennia before serious advances took place. Only in the 18th Century did an unacknowledged French researcher deem them animals and not plants. Modern molecular biology has demonstrated that polyp DNA is nearly as large and complex as that of the "higher animals". Their harsh living conditions have developed complex protective systems we are only now beginning to comprehend. Oxygen, which we need to live, is also an effective tissue destroyer. The polyps, with their tiny, vulnerable bodies, have devised means of coping with that. Their methods are far superior to ours, and all the antioxidants we consume to fight ageing are of little worth.
Coral makes stone, the foundations of reefs being limestone the living polyps build on over the ages. As the seas rise and fall, the coral either extends its bastion or dies off, awaiting better times. The key to their survival is more than simply the availability of a watery home. Temperature changes, the proportion of atmospheric gases and pollutants scythe the polyps down. They are clearly under threat just at a time when knowledge of them can be put to effective use. Jones uses this knowledge to extend our recognition of the polyps' role in life. To explain the importance of coral, he follows the history and personalities that have, one way or another, contributed to our understanding. His reach encompasses such elements as the painter Gaugin and the unexpected contribution of De Beers' diamond monopoly. No stone, especially if made by Jones' favourite creature, is to be left unturned. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
June 9, 2021
A very interesting guide to corals,through the clever and dexterous weaving of geology,history,politics,chemistry and other subjects to make us understand the role corals pose,to the wellfare and survival of the planet.
There are quite a few instances where you can feel the doom breathing down you neck,especially when the author explains the meteoric rise of carbon dioxide,the one made by humans,and how much it costs to the environment,and most importantly the oceans,as they absorb the excess.We never really sink into the depths of despair though,as we do get an incentive to slow down and repair the damage before it's too late.
Alas,given that this book is over a decade old,and having gone through a pandemic,where we glimpsed the planet taking a breath of relief through the lockdowns,one is more keenly aware of the delicate balance of the ecosystem,and more determined to protect species that work towards our benefit,prevent any unethical practices and promote behaviours that will ensure a more prosperous future.
While we may grieve the loss of our forests and animals on land as they fall victims to exploitation and carelessness,one should remember that there is a system of equal and greater value in the seas that deserves the same consideration.
Corals are more than mere trinkets to be worn.
There are quite a few instances where you can feel the doom breathing down you neck,especially when the author explains the meteoric rise of carbon dioxide,the one made by humans,and how much it costs to the environment,and most importantly the oceans,as they absorb the excess.We never really sink into the depths of despair though,as we do get an incentive to slow down and repair the damage before it's too late.
Alas,given that this book is over a decade old,and having gone through a pandemic,where we glimpsed the planet taking a breath of relief through the lockdowns,one is more keenly aware of the delicate balance of the ecosystem,and more determined to protect species that work towards our benefit,prevent any unethical practices and promote behaviours that will ensure a more prosperous future.
While we may grieve the loss of our forests and animals on land as they fall victims to exploitation and carelessness,one should remember that there is a system of equal and greater value in the seas that deserves the same consideration.
Corals are more than mere trinkets to be worn.
October 22, 2021
First, I grew up in Hawaii and it was fun to pick up on how "exotic" the island is and realize what I've been taught about nature and it's history. Was so happy that the carnivorous caterpillar got a mention. I also really enjoy reading about Darwin, the evolution of other marine life, the progress of drugs, and the carbon crisis.
June 2, 2026
On balance this is probably half about coral, and the other half about literally everything else in the world. It's all connected anyway.
Interesting at times, easy enough to read most of the time, though it did seem to lack coherence at a couple of points and sometimes paragraphs appeared to be compromised of completely unconnected sentences.
Still, quite informative.
Interesting at times, easy enough to read most of the time, though it did seem to lack coherence at a couple of points and sometimes paragraphs appeared to be compromised of completely unconnected sentences.
Still, quite informative.
February 10, 2019
Not about coral at all, really.
May 26, 2016
Steve Jones’ book is a mostly enjoyable romp through the biology and history of coral reefs and our relationship with them. I’ve enjoyed a few of the author’s other books, and he is highly respected – and rightly so. The book covers some colonial history, some human history, and details a lot of science (and some speculation) about the origin and evolution of life on Earth. It’s well written and interesting.
The author is commendably scathing on the utter mess humanity is making of the planet we share with so many other species. Towards the end of the book he details a few of the effects on coral reefs, but he doesn’t hold out much hope for them – the book is subtitled a ‘pessimist in paradise.’
I have though to mark the author down for his inaccurate hatchet job (in the space of one paragraph) on James Lovelock’s Gaia Theory, where he claims that Lovelock noted Mars’ atmosphere was just like that of the Earth before the coral reef builders got busy (ie producing oxygen). Really? But that was in the early 1960s, and Lovelock was not so definite. Then Jones claims that according to Lovelock, Earth’s “hostile atmosphere” was transformed into “the friendly skies of today.” Really? That’s what Lovelock thought and said back then? Was Lovelock so definite? Further, Lovelock apparently also believes that the Earth “evolved towards harmony under the influence of an Earth Mother.” In a second paragraph Jones claims the Gaia Theory “resembles that of ‘intelligent design’.”
Jones correctly emphasises that life has no overall strategy, ie it is not teleological, but of course Lovelock agrees with this, and proved the point as far back as the 1980s. That Jones is so cavalier with the facts and so dismissive of the Gaia Theory – which, just like the science Jones lauds, has made predictions which were subsequently proved by evidence – shows prejudice, and, worse, is anti-science. It’s a most disappointing digression. Lovelock and the Gaia Theory may not be perfect, but then again Newton wasn’t until Einstein came along.
Apart from that, this book is a good read, following the technique of taking a section within the subject area of coral and seeing where things lead.
The author is commendably scathing on the utter mess humanity is making of the planet we share with so many other species. Towards the end of the book he details a few of the effects on coral reefs, but he doesn’t hold out much hope for them – the book is subtitled a ‘pessimist in paradise.’
I have though to mark the author down for his inaccurate hatchet job (in the space of one paragraph) on James Lovelock’s Gaia Theory, where he claims that Lovelock noted Mars’ atmosphere was just like that of the Earth before the coral reef builders got busy (ie producing oxygen). Really? But that was in the early 1960s, and Lovelock was not so definite. Then Jones claims that according to Lovelock, Earth’s “hostile atmosphere” was transformed into “the friendly skies of today.” Really? That’s what Lovelock thought and said back then? Was Lovelock so definite? Further, Lovelock apparently also believes that the Earth “evolved towards harmony under the influence of an Earth Mother.” In a second paragraph Jones claims the Gaia Theory “resembles that of ‘intelligent design’.”
Jones correctly emphasises that life has no overall strategy, ie it is not teleological, but of course Lovelock agrees with this, and proved the point as far back as the 1980s. That Jones is so cavalier with the facts and so dismissive of the Gaia Theory – which, just like the science Jones lauds, has made predictions which were subsequently proved by evidence – shows prejudice, and, worse, is anti-science. It’s a most disappointing digression. Lovelock and the Gaia Theory may not be perfect, but then again Newton wasn’t until Einstein came along.
Apart from that, this book is a good read, following the technique of taking a section within the subject area of coral and seeing where things lead.
January 30, 2016
Coral: A Pessimist in Paradise is a book that starts heavy but ends packing a punch. At my time of reading this book is over ten years old. I feel that a quick revision and update would make this a more brilliant book. Admittedly, I initially started reading this before 2007 and due to library restraints and personal plans I had to return it before finishing. Needless to say the memory this book has been squirrelled away somewhere in my memory until I recently decided to buy a copy and read it in its entirety. In many aspects it was worth the wait.
The book links many real life world issues to coral and its importance on the world stage. It covers a very broad range of topics and is divided into essays, more or less, with some cross referencing. It is pessimistic in places but it could be argued that optimism comes from realising and addressing issues on the way to problem solving.
Overall a good heavy read which is well written.
The book links many real life world issues to coral and its importance on the world stage. It covers a very broad range of topics and is divided into essays, more or less, with some cross referencing. It is pessimistic in places but it could be argued that optimism comes from realising and addressing issues on the way to problem solving.
Overall a good heavy read which is well written.
August 15, 2014
Starting with coral and working his way around, Steve Jones covers a lot of different topics to do with evolution, geology, the environment, and the impact us humans are having on said environment. This was probably the most compelling of his books that I've read, but I have to say I still didn't find it breezy: fascinating as coral is in many ways, it's not that fascinating to me.
Also, Jones clearly has a thing with Darwin -- it's not exactly that he copies Darwin, but he certainly emulates his works and interests, trying to present them anew to this century's audience. Something about the way he's always harping back to Darwin is starting to get on my nerves.
Also, Jones clearly has a thing with Darwin -- it's not exactly that he copies Darwin, but he certainly emulates his works and interests, trying to present them anew to this century's audience. Something about the way he's always harping back to Darwin is starting to get on my nerves.
April 8, 2008
Steve Jones has a talent to start with a modest creature - snails or in this case coral polyps - and use it to illustrate diverse topics from biology, history, geology and climate science. This is the best of his books that I've read so far - it's stunningly well researched and littered with fascinating asides. It's not a happy book - Steve doesn't see much hope for his polyps or for mankind and whenever he strays briefly into optimism he quickly comes back to doom and gloom. He might be right - I hope not.
August 22, 2011
We all know what coral is, we have all seen film of divers looking at the wildlife on reefs. Some of you will have been there for real (not that I am jealous, mind). Stev Jones knows coral intimately, what it is, what it does, where it comes from and what it can tell us about the world in general. Told in a lucid and literate style, some of the news he brings is not good reading and should make us think hard about our individual impact on the world around us.
May 8, 2015
This is one of the best science books I've ever read. While I am an environmental scientist, I generally prefer reading fiction in my down time. Yet from the first pages I was fascinated by this narrative. Jones uses coral as an anchor point to touch on topics as wide reaching as island biogeography, the history of exploration, anti-aging technologies, evolutionary theory and mitochondria's function... it's fascinating and, years later, I often think back to this book.
December 14, 2008
You wouldn't think a book about coral can be so interesting, but when a great science writer pulls together strands of biology, geography, history, environment and climate science (have I missed any?)it becomes a fascinating read. I usually borrow his books from the library, read it, and then promptly go out and buy my own copy because I know I would enjoy re-reading them!
June 30, 2012
Steve Jones uses the state of thw world's coral as a jumping-off point to describe some of the changes that are happening to our planet, and weaves in Darwinian history. Very readable popular science.
It will also make you want to visit all the world's coral reefs.
It will also make you want to visit all the world's coral reefs.
January 5, 2016
I didn't like the meandering nature of this book, I wanted it to be about coral but most of it wasn't and I already knew most of the general science.
I read this for the non fiction science book in the read harder challenge.
I read this for the non fiction science book in the read harder challenge.
August 18, 2008
A brilliant little book in which using coral as his medium Steve Jones explains how we have destroyed the natural world and are fast destroying ourselves.
April 28, 2012
unusual and quite philosophical. some nice parts.
July 23, 2013
This was fascinating, and it went much further than the natural history of coral that I was expecting.
September 11, 2014
Will probably bump into it later if life permits but apart from great style the author's pessimism gets to be a drag.
April 6, 2017
Sigh. So very interesting and so very depressing. The hubris of mankind...and its arrogant ignorance. Well written and researched. I learned a lot---from science to literature to statistics to beauty.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews