A review by chan_fry
Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams, Mark Carwardine

5.0

This is a fascinating, entirely true tale in which Adams and (Mark) Carwardine encounter a plethora of interesting characters, some of them human, all over the world. On the way, Adams is pummeled by insights and epiphanies about the very nature of life, evolution, and being human.

In the 29 years since this book was published, two of the seven species highlighted here have gone "functionally extinct" and others are still endangered, some of them critically. This drives home the real zinger: that the impact of humanity's ubiquitous presence is ongoing, that we're currently living in (and causing) a mass extinction event.

This is a must-read book. I am immediately donating my copy to a local book-sharing cooperative. If you happen to see a copy in a used bookstore or yard sale (it’s long been out of print), get it and read it.

(I have published a longer review on my website.)