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NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORKER AND BOOKLIST
The story of the urgent fight to save coral reefs, and why it matters to us all
Coral reefs are a microcosm of our planet: extraordinarily diverse, deeply interconnected, and full of wonders. When they’re thriving, these fairy gardens hidden beneath the ocean’s surface burst with color and life. They sustain bountiful ecosystems and protect vulnerable coasts. Corals themselves are evolutionary marvels that build elaborate limestone formations from their collective skeletons, broker symbiotic relationships with algae, and manufacture their own fluorescent sunblock. But corals across the planet are in the middle of an unprecedented die-off, beset by warming oceans, pollution, damage by humans, and a devastating pandemic.
Juli Berwald fell in love with coral reefs as a marine biology student, entranced by their beauty and complexity. Alarmed by their peril, she traveled the world to discover how to prevent their loss. She met scientists and activists operating in emergency mode, doing everything they can think of to prevent coral reefs from disappearing forever. She was so amazed by the ingenuity of these last-ditch efforts that she joined in rescue missions, unexpected partnerships, and risky experiments, and helped rebuild reefs with rebar and zip ties.
Life on the Rocks is an inspiring, lucid, meditative ode to the reefs and the undaunted scientists working to save them against almost impossible odds. As she also attempts to help her daughter in her struggle with mental illness, Berwald explores what it means to keep fighting a battle whose outcome is uncertain. She contemplates the inevitable grief of climate change and the beauty of small victories.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
April 5, 2022 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593557181
- File size: 313398 KB
- Duration: 10:52:54
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Author and narrator Juli Berwald brings expertise and passion to this deep dive into the science and conservation of coral, which is being severely damaged by global warming. She guides the listener on a meandering journey from the waters of the Florida Keys to the corporate offices of the Mars candy company and the far-off reefs of Indonesia. Her own voice is crucial to the story because it's her perspective and experience that form the most cohesive aspects of this audiobook. She goes beyond trendy conservation efforts to examine what can help maintain and restore coral reefs and where to find funding. Berwald tenderly interweaves the struggle of diagnosing and treating her teen daughter's anxiety and OCD, conditions that are analogous to the complexity of reef survival. S.T.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine -
January 31, 2022
Ocean scientist Berwald (Spineless) blends memoir and science writing in this colorful look at the state of coral reefs. She writes of how, while diving, she was mesmerized by the reefs she encountered, imagining that “the sea gods and goddesses had conspired to mastermind a magnificent playground and then outfitted it in extraordinary décor.” She soon began researching how reefs have been “assaulted by a host of environmental stresses,” and met scientists, researchers, philanthropists, and filmmakers working diligently to restore them. She visits a conference in Florida, where a project to manipulate the climate over reefs via cooling or shading is pitched; visits a reef-restoration site in Sulawesi, Indonesia; and tours marine protected areas in the Dominican Republic. Along the way, Berwald weaves in stories of her daughter’s anxiety and OCD and her own struggles with parenting: “I found that it was impossible to contemplate the sickness on the reef without also considering the growing sickness in another of my loves, this one in my own home.” Indeed, she is reminded of her daughter through much of her research on reefs, making for moving dual story lines about health, healing, and hope. Nature-minded readers will find much to enjoy.
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