- Hardcover: 291 pages
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (8 July 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1596912995
- ISBN-13: 978-1596912991
- Product Dimensions: 24.1 x 16.2 x 2.7 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
878,310 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #22 in Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Environmental > Monitoring
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
This is a great book. The arguments are well explained and are based on good scientific principles. I would like to have seen a greater example of case studies. The yellowstone wolf and sea kelp studies are a little worn. Otherwise very good.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
20 reviews
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
When the keystone is removed, how can the archway hold?
11 July 2008
Format:Hardcover
These days, no one of good sense and alert conscience can fail to feel a deep and unprecedented anxiety over the fate of the planet. Climate change, pollution of the earth, air, and water, overpopulation, the end of nonrenewable energy sources: the environment seems to be pushed beyond its ability to recover. Even those public policies which at one time were thought to be innocently beneficial to humans have, in many cases, proven to be destructive of ecological stability.
One of them, as William Stolzenburg demonstrates in his excellent Where the Wild Things Were, is our centuries old declaration of war against predatory animals. In eliminating many of them, we thought we were improving the world. In fact, however, predators are "keystone species" whose existence holds up the "archway of life." Remove them, and the whole shebang comes down. A classic example of this, documented by Stolzenburg, is the rampant over-population of white tail deer in the U.S. and the devastating consequences to flora and fauna, that resulted from the near-eradication of wolves.
Even worse, essential predators can be eliminated unintentionally and unpredictably by interfering with the ecological balance. The killing of sea otters, for example, has allowed sea urchins (otter food) to flourish, which means that Pacific kelp (sea urchin food) is in grave danger of extinction, which in turn is creating havoc on kelp-eating whale populations. The complexity of the whole thing is exponentially increased when one stops to consider that all species are predatory--even those we'd never think of in such terms, such as starfish(to mussels)--and so everytime we deliberately or accidentally raise or lower species populations, we're risking grave upsets in the balance of the whole. When it comes to the ecological web, touching any strand shakes the entire structure.
Stolzenburg's Where the Wild Things Were is sober reading, but it's also essential. The author has the knack of explaining ecological systems in ways that the layperson (like myself) can follow. Reading his book doesn't only ratchet up the anxiety over the fate of the planet that I mentioned earlier. It also, thankfully, invites the reader to be wonder-filled at the connectedness of nature, and better resolved to cooperate with it.
One of them, as William Stolzenburg demonstrates in his excellent Where the Wild Things Were, is our centuries old declaration of war against predatory animals. In eliminating many of them, we thought we were improving the world. In fact, however, predators are "keystone species" whose existence holds up the "archway of life." Remove them, and the whole shebang comes down. A classic example of this, documented by Stolzenburg, is the rampant over-population of white tail deer in the U.S. and the devastating consequences to flora and fauna, that resulted from the near-eradication of wolves.
Even worse, essential predators can be eliminated unintentionally and unpredictably by interfering with the ecological balance. The killing of sea otters, for example, has allowed sea urchins (otter food) to flourish, which means that Pacific kelp (sea urchin food) is in grave danger of extinction, which in turn is creating havoc on kelp-eating whale populations. The complexity of the whole thing is exponentially increased when one stops to consider that all species are predatory--even those we'd never think of in such terms, such as starfish(to mussels)--and so everytime we deliberately or accidentally raise or lower species populations, we're risking grave upsets in the balance of the whole. When it comes to the ecological web, touching any strand shakes the entire structure.
Stolzenburg's Where the Wild Things Were is sober reading, but it's also essential. The author has the knack of explaining ecological systems in ways that the layperson (like myself) can follow. Reading his book doesn't only ratchet up the anxiety over the fate of the planet that I mentioned earlier. It also, thankfully, invites the reader to be wonder-filled at the connectedness of nature, and better resolved to cooperate with it.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Where the Wild Things Were
19 Aug 2008
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Sheer genius... I cannot sing enough positive praises about "Where the Wild Things Were"... Truly an education in ecology... William Stolzenburg does a thorough job of presenting diverse viewpoints... All of the topics were fascinating... The author's writing is moving, powerful, and provocative... I could go on and on with superlatives...
I am extremely excited to introduce family and friends to "Where the Wild Things Were"... My hope is that this book will receive the vast exposure it so richly deserves...
I am extremely excited to introduce family and friends to "Where the Wild Things Were"... My hope is that this book will receive the vast exposure it so richly deserves...
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Vastly improved my understanding of species interdependencies
18 Feb 2009
Format:Hardcover
Mr. Stolzenburg describes research into the effects of large predators on ecosystems. The focus is on research that has taken place in the last 20 years or so, but I think that's just because that's when most of the research has been done. I understand that the author has biases, but he does an excellent job of communicating research findings in an objective, insightful manner.
Reading this book really jolted me out of my previous beliefs about predators, which was that, while they were great for a story, they didn't serve any irreplaceable role in the world. It also gave me a clearer understanding of some of the weaknesses with the Endangered Species Act. Now I'm even almost willing to quit complaining about the bear that wanders through our neighborhood every summer.
This book is well-written and easily understood by a layperson like me. In places, it is almost like a murder mystery. I found myself getting to the end of a chapter on otters and not being able to put the book down because I wanted to find out what happened to them next. Time passed quickly while I read this book. It actually kept me awake at night, which doesn't usually happen with a nonfiction book about nature. What a great book!
Reading this book really jolted me out of my previous beliefs about predators, which was that, while they were great for a story, they didn't serve any irreplaceable role in the world. It also gave me a clearer understanding of some of the weaknesses with the Endangered Species Act. Now I'm even almost willing to quit complaining about the bear that wanders through our neighborhood every summer.
This book is well-written and easily understood by a layperson like me. In places, it is almost like a murder mystery. I found myself getting to the end of a chapter on otters and not being able to put the book down because I wanted to find out what happened to them next. Time passed quickly while I read this book. It actually kept me awake at night, which doesn't usually happen with a nonfiction book about nature. What a great book!
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