carolimelemon's review
5.0
Fun, educational, & an interesting read. I really enjoy Mary’s style of writing, & this book definitely did not disappoint!
andyy_scott's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
syaseidt's review
challenging
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Mary Roach is one of my favorite authors. Her witty, humorous way of writing lends itself perfectly to covering topics that require a deep amount of research. Her books cover very scientific topics, in a light-hearted way, so it's easy for the reader to learn a lot.
This book is all about animals and plants committing crimes: bears breaking and entering, moose jaywalking, deer cauaing car accidents, plants poisoning people, elephants committing manslaughter, and mice just being pests. However, there are scientific reasons why these things happen, and Roach digs in with the research and interviews of experts in the field. I even learned about how the Vatican handles rats.
This was such a unique approach to learning about animal problems that have plagued us for years, decades, and even centuries. Also, the author really brought a lot of attention to how people make decisions based on what's best for them, not necessarily what's best for the bigger picture (causing extinction, introduction of pests on new continents, over population of animals, etc).
I liked the book "Stiff" a bit better, but this was still superb. Highly recommend for those wanting a book that teaches them some facts around the balance that lies in nature, written from a very different point of view.
This book is all about animals and plants committing crimes: bears breaking and entering, moose jaywalking, deer cauaing car accidents, plants poisoning people, elephants committing manslaughter, and mice just being pests. However, there are scientific reasons why these things happen, and Roach digs in with the research and interviews of experts in the field. I even learned about how the Vatican handles rats.
This was such a unique approach to learning about animal problems that have plagued us for years, decades, and even centuries. Also, the author really brought a lot of attention to how people make decisions based on what's best for them, not necessarily what's best for the bigger picture (causing extinction, introduction of pests on new continents, over population of animals, etc).
I liked the book "Stiff" a bit better, but this was still superb. Highly recommend for those wanting a book that teaches them some facts around the balance that lies in nature, written from a very different point of view.
ackopec's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
3.0
I wish it was a bit more detailed.