The Death and Life of the Great Lakes in Around the World in 80 Books

Nov 14, 2017 Rachel N. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: play-book-tag, read-in-2018, nonfiction, science, invasive-species, water

Dan Egan tells how invasive species such as the sea lamprey, alewives and zebra and quagga mussels have destroyed native populations of Great Lakes species and caused problems such as toxic algae blooms which threaten drinking water supplies on Lake Erie. The chapter that angered me the most described how trout from the west coast were placed into the lakes because they are more exciting to catch for fishermen than native species. One unintended positive outcome from this is that the nonnative t ...more

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May 29, 2017 Jen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, history, science-related, maritime, midwestern, z-2017-read, ecology-environment

I've lived on the doorstep of Lake Michigan for most of my life. It turns out how much I didn't know about the Great Lakes region could probably fill the Great Lakes. A clearly written environmental and social history of the Great Lakes, along with good reporting on the issues they continue to face. A lot of alarming information, but I'm so glad I read it. If you read it, just a heads up: there's a photo of a sea lamprey in there--yuck! Unless you think they're interesting, then no worries :) ...more

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Jan 05, 2025 Agatha Donkar Lund rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: outdoors, math-and-science, audiobook, 2025, minnesota, aty-25

I KNOW SO MANY FISH FACTS NOW.

This was excellent.

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May 01, 2024 Nadine in NY Jones rated it it was ok

Shelves: science, non-fiction, history, audio

I confess: I zoned out A LOT while I was listening to this. The parts I did hear and comprehend were interesting enough, but it never quite reached "riveting" status. I thought this would be more focused on the geological & earth science aspects of the lakes, but it was almost solely focused on the biology (and the chemistry as it affects the biology) of the lakes. And biology, in a lake, means fish. A LOT of fish in this book ... far more fish than I anticipated. ...more

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Aug 19, 2019 Andy Plonka rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: src

Egan presents an unbiased view of the dilemma that is the present Great Lakes. Such a resource, but how best to use it without destroying it. It is interesting in that some of the changes appear to be natural phenomena rather than human intervention.

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