Price: $18.99 - $11.64
(as of Sep 05, 2024 09:21:04 UTC – Details)
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE
ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW’S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST
A major book about the future of the world, blending intellectual and natural history and field reporting into a powerful account of the mass extinction unfolding before our eyes
Over the last half-billion years, there have been Five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around, the cataclysm is us.
In prose that is at once frank, entertaining, and deeply informed, New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert tells us why and how human beings have altered life on the planet in a way no species has before. Interweaving research in half a dozen disciplines, descriptions of the fascinating species that have already been lost, and the history of extinction as a concept, Kolbert provides a moving and comprehensive account of the disappearances occurring before our very eyes. She shows that the sixth extinction is likely to be mankind’s most lasting legacy, compelling us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.
Publisher : Picador; Reprint edition (January 6, 2015)
Language : English
Paperback : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 1250062187
ISBN-13 : 978-1250062185
Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
Dimensions : 5.45 x 1 x 8.2 inches
Customers say
Customers find the book has amazing insights and provides good examples of current extinctions. They also say the book is excellently written, with no easy answers. Readers describe the writing style as frank, clear, and funny. Opinions are mixed on the narrative, with some finding it entertaining and frightening, while others say it’s forced and highly disruptive.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
