pldean's review
5.0
Disturbing and thought-provoking reporting from the strange frontiers of the ongoing ecological crisis as humans relentlessly alter our planet. Rich does a great job of seeking out interesting people on which to hang his chapter-long examinations of issues, places, and uncomfortable truths about where we are and where we're headed.
audreyapproved's review
5.0
I feel like a lot of climate change and anthropocene books, articles and documentaries try to inspire the reader to *do your part*, or end with a rousing call to action, a we-must-act-now! But in Second Nature, Rich takes a different approach - we are already fucked and now we have to figure out what comes next. Ultimately, the "natural" world we romanticize will be forever gone, and even the path of "saving" nature will involve fundamentally changing it. This realist tone threads through the entire piece. We ARE to blame to an irreversibly changed world. Now the question is really how we're going to deal with it.
In engaging, highly researched and very intimate human-centered stories, we cover examples of contemporary ecological issues, ranging from industrial capitalistic apathy, to rapidly changing landscapes, and the intersection of environmental techno-engineering. I especially appreciated the ethical discussions and the history of changing environmental views.
This gave me major [a:Elizabeth Kolbert|45840|Elizabeth Kolbert|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1380812913p2/45840.jpg] vibes (a big compliment). It is, in fact, a much better version of Kolbert's recent release [b:Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future|54814834|Under a White Sky The Nature of the Future|Elizabeth Kolbert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1608039192l/54814834._SY75_.jpg|85515756], which I think had a very similar goal to this piece. I've also had [b:How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction|38800772|How to Clone a Mammoth The Science of De-Extinction|Beth Shapiro|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519711867l/38800772._SY75_.jpg|42923637] on my TBR for a while now, and am inspired to pick it up next after reading the de-extinction chapter that specifically talks about Shapiro and her research.
In engaging, highly researched and very intimate human-centered stories, we cover examples of contemporary ecological issues, ranging from industrial capitalistic apathy, to rapidly changing landscapes, and the intersection of environmental techno-engineering. I especially appreciated the ethical discussions and the history of changing environmental views.
This gave me major [a:Elizabeth Kolbert|45840|Elizabeth Kolbert|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1380812913p2/45840.jpg] vibes (a big compliment). It is, in fact, a much better version of Kolbert's recent release [b:Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future|54814834|Under a White Sky The Nature of the Future|Elizabeth Kolbert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1608039192l/54814834._SY75_.jpg|85515756], which I think had a very similar goal to this piece. I've also had [b:How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction|38800772|How to Clone a Mammoth The Science of De-Extinction|Beth Shapiro|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519711867l/38800772._SY75_.jpg|42923637] on my TBR for a while now, and am inspired to pick it up next after reading the de-extinction chapter that specifically talks about Shapiro and her research.
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