Life is Good: Conservation in an Age of Mass Extinction [Paperback]

In a series of essays, Jeremy Leon Hance, environmental reporter with mongabay.com, explores the challenge of mass extinction and the different ways conservationists, with limited support and funds, are rising to meet it. The essays focus on a wide-variety of topics including efforts to save long-ignored endangered species, such as an ancient venomous rodent; recent research vindicating long-reviled predators, like wolves and lions, as key to an ecosystem's harmony; the rise of the camera trap, a humble new tool that's photographing rarely seen species; and a new theory on how humans view, and even forget, wilderness.

This thought-provoking book raises the question: as the biodiversity crisis spreads from the rainforest canopy to the deepest ocean, how will the world's cleverest species act?

Life is Good is a collection of roughly a dozen essays on diverse topics related to conservation. From describing a potential future where fishermen catch nothing but jellyfish, to a deeply personal commentary on the value--and tragedy--of modern zoos, Mr. Hance provides commentary on the mass extinctions and human-driven ecological collapse currently occurring worldwide. Rather than asserting our dominance over nature, he suggests, humans should stand in awe of the beautiful, sometimes violent ecosystem we have all but ignored until recent decades, and take responsibility for our actions by trying to make it better. Each article is written to educate and possibly inspire new conservationists, with a straightforward journalistic, sometimes conversational tone (no pun intended).

Within these pages readers will learn about a dozen species they never heard of (and which may become extinct in the near future, unless people step up to help); Why biodiversity is critically important to humans as well as animals; How wolves and other top predators help protect their environment; The dangers of overfishing, plastic, palm oil; and how drastic ecosystem collapse can occur gradually thanks to what is essentially public amnesia.

The articles vary in quality as much as content, but each is informative and packed with surprising--and often harrowing--factoids. In a few cases I found myself wishing for more detailed information about one thing or another, but the variety of topics is a great primer, and those articles I found most interesting will provide a starting point for future research online.

Its production quality suggests the book was a bit rushed; I noticed a number of small errors (e.g. punctuation, HTML markup). However, the cheap price and wide focus would make Life is Good a great supplement for a high school or college introductory conservation class.

Topics of extinction, environmental degradation, climate change, conservation, etc are not always the easiest nor the most enjoyable to read, but Jeremy Leon Hance changes that in Life is Good. In his compilation of fourteen essays, Hance tackles complicated subjects and scientific findings and makes them relate-able and digestible, making this read one of the most truly informative and enjoyable non-fiction books I've read in years.

From beautifully written celebrations of our planet's unique creatures (his first essay on his meeting Tam, possibly the last Bornean Rhino, was so moving it nearly brought tears) to his honest but optimistic views on what it will take to stop this environmental catastrophe, this book moves as well as educates.

If you want to learn about the plight of our natural earth in a way that will stick with you for years to come, I highly recommend.