Rating: 
Summary: An outsanding and important book
Review: Quammen's Song of the Dodo is informative, frightening and inspiring. As an undergraduate student of ecology, evolution and biogeography, I'm more than impressed by the depth of his knowledge. As a former English major with occasional flashbacks to literary pretension, I'm awed by his ability to turn these sciences into such a page-turner
Rating: 
Summary: Weighty but an excellent overview of an important subject.
Review: This reviewer shares the enthusiasm and excitement expressed by previous reviewers at this site for Song of the Dodo.
The book's author, David Quammem, a writer well-known to regular readers of Outside magazine, manages to weave the highly technical
(history of island biogeography as a natural science) with the semi-popular (travel to exotic Pacific islands) into a powerful call for action on global problem of the increasingly rapid rate of species extinction in nature. The entire volume takes up some 700 pages, complete with a
detailed bibliography of sources (set in tiny type), listing some some hundreds of books and articles, many by specialists in any number of
the technical fields covered in the book, a number of excellent yet hidden maps, and finally absolutely no photos or illustrations whatsover.
For the reader already enthralled by the subjects covered, the book is a feast for the mind's eye, a large buffet of dishes offering a broad
range of intellectual delights, and an important addition to this reviewer's shelf next to Wallace's The Malay Archipelago and Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle. Yet the sheer mass and technicality of the data presented are intimidating to the general reader. And, ultimately, its message is to the general reader: not just in the US but globally.
Let this book be an inspiration for action to those of its readers with the media skills to bring its voyages, scenes, narratives, and conclusions to the world at large, where it counts
Rating:
Summary: Science, history, travelogue -- a wonderful book!
Review: David Quammen has produced a book that is a must read for anybody interested in ecology, evolution, or the history of science. What makes this book such a joy to read is that it functions on so many levels. First, it is a history of the development of island biogeography as a science. As any good history should, it describes the people as well as the science. But Quammen takes history one step further by visiting many of the places that influenced the development of the discipline, turning it into an exciting travelogue. At the same time, he discusses many of the current challenges of island biogeography and the people who make it live. All of this is wrapped up in a highly readable (if imposing) volume. This one was as fun to read as it was informative
Rating:
Summary: Rich in content, rewarding through Mr. Quammen's skill
Review: David Quammen has produced a book reminding us that biology, history and science are life's enjoyments. Not some abstract or sometimes notion. He brings a real sense that your surroundings are rich and potent. Song of the Dodo brings together travel and science, using humanity as its foil; rarely becoming 'liberal' or 'tree-hugging'. If you enjoy reasoned argument and wit, take the time to enjoy one of the most enjoyable books on offer. Always rewarding, and with the exceptional ability to make you feel smarter (the sign of a truly gifted science writer) Mr. Quammen brings a great voice to writing, biology and humanity.
Rating:
Summary: The "Fight Club" of Science Writing
Review: David Quammen writes about complex, brain-twisting subjects with the clarity and grace of the best novelists. He's funny, fast-paced, and knows his readers well enough to provide a quick recaps of what he's already covered as he goes along. Though the book's topic-- the life and death of animals on islands-- sounds as dull as dishwater, Quammen transforms it into gripping and stylish reading. He translates complicated concepts into simple metaphors, and illustrates his points with simple analogies or compelling true adventures. I've never read better science writing than this.
Rating:
Summary: A Challenging Read
Review: On the one hand, I've tried reading this book three times and always run out of gas around page 150. On the other hand, I have tried three times. This is an important and engaging book, and the island biogeography ideas are important when trying to understand ecosystem destruction within North America. Eventually I will finish the book!
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Overview on Extinctions
Review: Why do extinctions happen? By way of answering this question, David Quammen takes an odyssey around the world to numerous islands because they are where most of the world's extinctions have taken place in modern times. He visits Indonesia, Tasmania, Hawaii, the Galapagos, Madagascar, Guam, and the former home of the now-extinct Dodo, Mauritius. As Quammen travels, he recounts the history that islands have played in the science of biology, from Alfred Russel Wallace and Charles Darwin's famous journeys to the recent dust-up over the new and increasingly popular theories in ecology that were based on the study of islands. Finally, he explains that the rapid rate of island extinctions may be a harbinger for what happens elsewhere as man increasingly cuts up and divides the world into "islands" of biodiversity.This book does an outstanding job of mixing history, basic ecological concepts, and personal experience into a coherent theme. I recently read Quammen's book "Monsters of God" and I found this book superior in every way because of that coherence. And while I agree with some Amazon reviewers who find fault in Quammen's views on the controversy over whether Darwin or Wallace deserved first credit for the concept of natural selection, I don't think it detracts from the book. Quammen clearly finds something dishonorable in Darwin's actions during that period, but after reading two biographies on Wallace - Shermer and Raby's recent publications - I think he reads too much into it. This noticeable prejudice of Quammen's, however, is not directly relevant to his main themes and shouldn't keep anyone from enjoying this wonderful work.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book, Intricate Subject
Review: "Song of the Dodo" is a big book (over 600 pages) about a big subject, but it never feels long or rambling. Quammen does a fabulous job of discussing just about every aspect of species diversification and isolation in an engaging yet accurate manner. This is a subject which can so easily be made maudlin and over-emotional -- not without good reason. But Quammen maintains a dry sense of humor and a keen sense of perspective, even when discussing heartbreakingly sad developments with compassion and insight. A must-read book for anyone interested in the complex workings of the natural world.
|
