The Fate of the Forest

by Susanna B. Hecht

s/t: Developers, Destroyers & Defenders of the Amazon
A deeply informed and searching work on the most pressing ecological issue of our time. A great deal of attention has been focused recently on the destruction of the rain forests. This book explains why the forests are being felled, how this destroys the land, the animals, the people, and the world's climate.

Genres: Environment, Nonfiction, Ecology, History, School

278 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1989

Reviews

[Ricardo Avella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best academic texts I've read in a long time. An incredibly thorough and sensitive research on the history of the Brazilian Amazon and its development; but also on the trends and threats that characterize this fragile territory. It is a must-read for anyone interested in Amazonia.

[Meagan Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember liking this book when I read it and feeling like I was being informed, but I can't say I remember almost anything from it. I think one takeaway was that the idea that the rainforest is being destroyed for cattle ranching is erroneous. I'd like to read it again sometime for the information but I can't imagine I'll ever get to it if I'm being honest.

[Micah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a profound work of research and scholarship, incredible for its depth, scope, and ambition. Yet for some reason the book still manages to be manageable in its length and prose.

Though written thirty years, ago, it is amazing how relevant and prescient the book remains. It also highlights how short our memories are, how we continue to forget so quickly what has come before, and how maddeningly apt we are to repeat it.

[Dylan · Rating 1 out of 5]

ugh...boring. i tried to like it, and wrote a paper on it for a class. maybe that was the problem.

[Tobi]

read chapters 8 & 9