I guess that last post was my 100th, so congrats to me for making it that far. I finished reading Neptune’s Ark today. I’m not going to put up another review here, full of spelling errors and bad grammar. Instead I’ll just say that if you love the ocean and the life that is in it, if you love the California and western US coastline, if you are put in awe by the power of time and evolution, you need to read this book. Here is my tiny review, if you require more:
A deep look at the evolution of the pacific coast of the North American continent. It also looks closely at the life that was born, prospered, and languished there. Wallace’s work is scientific
and factual, yet poetic and haunting. He creates a yearning for the ocean physically, mentally and spiritually.
and factual, yet poetic and haunting. He creates a yearning for the ocean physically, mentally and spiritually.
The parts of the book that most affected were the recollections of the genocide we humans waged against pinnipeds and cetaceans, from the 18th through the 20th century. Reading the stories of Russian sealers clubbing to death seals by the 1000s in a day bring my blood close to boiling. The horror is that I know these actions are repeated today, if not on the same scale, the violence, horror, and needless deaths of these animals is a crime we humans will never be free of, and this is only one species… It is hard at times to be optimistic about our species…
