Rating: 
Summary: Put Your Far Out Cap On...
Review: I read Ecology of Fear and City of Quartz in a college seminar on the American West, and was blown away by Davis' work. I gave it to my Dad, who tends to be right of center, and even he was enthused. I'm always interested by the people who discredit scholarship by claiming that the author is simply a "liar." Certainly Mike Davis has a distinct political, leftist view point, which he never tries to hide. But just as certainly, the authors of articles "discrediting" Davis also have poltical viewpoints. I believe one of the articles trashing Davis appeared in, ahem, The National Review, hardly a bastion of unbiased reporting. A reader should always go into a book with a certain level of skepticism, certainly. Just because you don't agree with someone, however, is no reason to claim that they're "lying." That said! Davis pulls no punches. You want to see someone kicking a** for the working class, read it. Basically Davis looks at how nature-made and man-made enviroments of southern california inluence race and class relations there. As an earlier reviewer pointed out, "The Case for Letting Malibu Burn" is a particularly good piece. As the media and authorities madly scramble to save the playgrounds of the rich and famous, houses that should never have been built in the first place, tennements burn and children die in South Central and no one blinks an eye. Even if you don't agree with Davis (and I'm hardly asking people to join the revolution, particularly the person who pulled "pinko" out of the mothballs in his review) read him. Maybe he'll open your eyes, and maybe he won't, but man, he'll take you on one wild ride.
Rating:
Summary: A must-read for environmentalists, historians, policy makers
Review: I'm writing to respond to the one-star reviewers who dismissed _Ecology of Fear_ out of hand as "communist." What a great example of how we got where we are--if you disagree with someone's conclusions, call him a Commie, avoiding the need for any depth of thought or pretense of analysis.I found "The Dialectic of Ordinary Disaster" and "The Case for Letting Malibu Burn" two of the most enlightening chapters I've read lately. Drawing on the work of a variety of scientists to show that Southern California is a distinctive, cataclysmic environment, Davis shows how "natural" disasters are socially created, and the consequences of this, especially for the poor. Despite his environmental focus, Davis clearly cares more about human life than anything else. He draws attention, rightly in my view, to the enormous level of local, state, and federal money spent to save celebrity properties in Malibu (not to mention the risk to firemen's lives) and official indifference to the deaths of dozens of immigrants in tenant-house fires in inner-city L.A. Davis implicitly challenges the environmental movement, as well as Americans generally, to rethink our priorities in light of what we know. A spectacular stylist with an insightful phrase on every page, Mike Davis is not easy to listen to. All the more reason we should pay attention.
Rating: 
Summary: trademark Mike Davis material
Review: Not a sequel to City of Quartz, but a look at current and historical LA from an environmental perspective instead of Quartz's sociological view. Famous for its criticism as much as its content, Ecology Of Fear compiles a staggering amount of information into an informative and compelling story. LA's dynamism is a product of its people, land, water, air, wildlife, history, and future. This is the book that can tell you what life has been and will be like, for those who choose to live in the wilderness of Los Angeles.
Rating:
Summary: You'll like parts and be bored by others...
Review: "Ecology of Fear" is unfortunately a necessary book in which Mike Davis once again denounces how the United States has managed to create a completely Apartheid-like society, but has done such a good job at it that people hardly perceive that they are living in a divided world (in this book, the divisions most commonly pointed out is the one between natural areas and inhabited areas, but we are also shown how a city is divided between poor and wealthy, and nature's role in this division). Nowhere is this more acute than in Los Angeles, the epitome of social division and exploitation of every natural resource. Davis convincingly shows how the natural world is utterly obliterated, with bogus re-creations made in its place where necessary, as a blind eye is turned to all of the destruction and the special interests of the wealthy are always put before those of the have-nots. This is the aspect of the book that I found most interesting (more sociological and political), but there are chapters for people with different tastes and interests. For movie buffs or sci-fi novel readers, there are very well-documented sections on the portrayal of disasters in the Los Angeles area (I personally found this part less fascinating, because that is not my area of interest, but to many it may be). For environmentalists the book is a must-read on how NOT to manage an urban area. For local historians, there are some great anecdotes on LA history that I had never seen or read anywhere, and my family has lived in the LA area for decades. The saddest part of the book is discovering just how short-sighted people can be when making policy decisions and that capitalism's solution of allowing the power of money and majority opinion to solve everything does not lead those who possess power and wealth to make the soundest decisions in many, if not most, cases. And who knew that there are tornadoes in Los Angeles?!
Rating:
Summary: A must-read for environmentalists, historians, policy makers
Review: I'm writing to respond to the one-star reviewers who dismissed _Ecology of Fear_ out of hand as "communist." What a great example of how we got where we are--if you disagree with someone's conclusions, call him a Commie, avoiding the need for any depth of thought or pretense of analysis. I found "The Dialectic of Ordinary Disaster" and "The Case for Letting Malibu Burn" two of the most enlightening chapters I've read lately. Drawing on the work of a variety of scientists to show that Southern California is a distinctive, cataclysmic environment, Davis shows how "natural" disasters are socially created, and the consequences of this, especially for the poor. Despite his environmental focus, Davis clearly cares more about human life than anything else. He draws attention, rightly in my view, to the enormous level of local, state, and federal money spent to save celebrity properties in Malibu (not to mention the risk to firemen's lives) and official indifference to the deaths of dozens of immigrants in tenant-house fires in inner-city L.A. Davis implicitly challenges the environmental movement, as well as Americans generally, to rethink our priorities in light of what we know. A spectacular stylist with an insightful phrase on every page, Mike Davis is not easy to listen to. All the more reason we should pay attention.
Rating:
Summary: Public Gem
Review: Ecology of Fear is a public gem, if just, for its inquiry into fire prevention and policy in two differing socioeconomic enclaves of Los Angeles,Ca affluent Malibu and densely immigrant Pico-Union Westlake District. Why a public gem in this respect?? It is a broadly appealing insight into the intersection of 'fire' policy and human welfare. The fire related inquiries alone perhaps will equally interest busy professionals, students, politicians, et.al with a keen interest in policy awareness, yet left with little time or resources for conquering the wealth of information disseminated by Mike Davis. It is likely that a casual read of this book will land the reader into perhaps a fit of rage, or maybe a touch of shame, and possibly even numbness.
Ecology of Fear will likely capture the reader's attention and generate much deliberation.
Rating:
Summary: History for a history-less city
Review: We all think we live near glitzy Hollywood-style Los Angeles; we've sung the praises of its temperate weather. We complain a bit about smog; but when a hurricane hits the East Coast, we feel smug that we only have earthquakes. Every one in Los Angeles who has had any of these thoughtsmust read the Ecology of Fear. Anyone who has ever wondered just how urban sprawl came about must read this book. Mike Davis has done the perenially-new Los Angeles a favor by gathering together the facts and insights of this book. The Ecology of Fear reveals how this very real place and its problems are founded upon a number of very poor decisions. This book demonstrates how much of Los Angeles' disasters are simply a function of decisions that are poorly-made in light of the natural environment. Even though we have built and paved mightily, L.A.'s natural surroundings are not going away. Earthquakes, coyotes, hunters, xenophobia, fires (wild and otherwise), land grabs and twisters are all part of what makes up the fear ecology of Los Angeles. If you have ever addressed your local City Council, or worked on a general plan, or wondered why open space was vanishing, or even voted, you should read this book. It will open your eyes.
Rating: 
Summary: This sequel does not live up to the original
Review: It's too bad Mike Davis settled for this book. After reading his first book, City of Quartz, I expected more. Ecology of Fears lacks the energy of City of Quartz, the writing style becomes more erratic, and the subject matter is nowhere near as compelling. The events that took place in Southern California in the 1990's would have fit perfectly in Davis's world view that Los Angeles is a city fated by the gods to die an early and tragic death. Anyone who lived in Los Angeles through the 1990's knows that this was a dynamic period of big events and major changes - for good and bad. This decade deserves a good book worthy of its tumult and transformation. Ecology of Fear is not that book. Unfortunately, what he produced ventured frequently into the bizarre and byzantine, and if the Los Angeles Times is to be believed, downright falsehoods. The book's basic premise was that Los Angeles is a land fraught with Mother Nature's castatrophies that has been misrepresented to the masses as an earthly paradise. To support his point, we get a chapter on Southland tornadoes, a chapter on man eating mountain lions living in the hills, and then a chapter on apartment fires of the 20th Century. Don't forget the chapter on L.A.'s propensity to flood where he repeats all the cliches about the Los Angeles River. Honestly, as an Angeleno, these are the last things I'm going to worry about (earthquakes, to which he also devotes a chapter, are another matter). It was as if Davis was trying to will his fantasies about the destruction of L.A. into existence through this book. Now for the positive things about this book. The chapter on the destruction of the environment and the neglect of building an adequate park system is very good. This is surely one of the tragedies of Los Angeles. His chapter on the Los Angeles riots is excellent, and he has a section on Mayor James Hahn, who was then City Attorney, which was enlightening. This is a good book to skim. Many of his statements have been proven to be false, and who really wants to read 50+ pages about the danger of tornadoes in Los Angeles? Davis could have done better than this.
Rating: 
Summary: Los Angels raked by Tornado's?
Review: The author makes some spectacular claims that would make a good Hollywood movie, but make for bad science. One of the most ridiculous accusations is the "Jewish" media purposely under reports the number of tornados ravaging the LA area. Another ...claim is Winston Churchill wanted to use Anthrax on Nazi Germany during WW II. This book is very hard to stomach if the reader is looking for serious discussion on the topic of Ecology. The only reason I finished the book was to gather evidence on how the environmentalist movement has been hijacked by radical elements.
Rating:
Summary: Ecology of Fear misnamed.
Review: The "Ecology of Fear" should really be called "The Rhetoric of Fear" by Mike "Chicken Little" Davis. A book whose facts seem dubious, at best. Where's the journalistic integrity in footnoting and quoting oneself? There are dozens of pithy quotes in this book attributed to no one. He even goes so far as to present the ever popular squelcher of opposition, the race card. Where are the hordes of lion attacked, coyote bitten, tornado victims exiting L.A? I think he's been stuck in Hollywood too long watching (or writing) all those "B" horror movies.
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