It's hard to believe it's been 25 years since I read A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman. In her latest work The Human Age she talks about how much we have changed and shaped the world in just a short period of time. The change has indeed been vast and continues to accelerate. But one thing that hasn't changed is how wonderful Ackerman writes. I simply can not think of another author who waxes so poetic while writing about science. With each page I'm enthralled by both the beauty and brilliance of her words. By all means, read this book. And be prepared, to be not just richly educated, but totally amazed. ( )

green

This book didn't do much for me - for a few reasons. First, it didn't present anything particularly new (to me at least). Second, it was, as far as I got, anecdotal. And, finally, it was very unfocused. If there was a point to it beyond the author gee-whizzing about how we've changed the world more than any other species in recent geologic history, it was not apparent.

There's nothing wrong with a synthesis book, but after having read several of Jared Diamond's books that explore similar themes, this book just didn't cut it. ( )

up-to-date ( )

From brushing our teeth with "ancient trilobites, coral and other fossils," a Seed Vault in Norway, a DNA Ark in Nottingham, England, 3-D printers that can create body parts and the possibility of our plants texting their complaints on our care giving via smartphones or tablets. That last one was disturbing. I'm not sure I want to know what my plants are thinking. I really liked the chapter "Blue Revolution" in which Bren Smith discusses growing "kelp in winter and eary spring; red seaweed in June and September; oysters, scallops and clams year-round and mussels in the spring and fall. Since this book was published a kelp farm has been established in Puget Sound with the hope that it might reduce the water's acidity as the kelp uses five times the CO2 than land plants. In April 2018 Lesley Stahl from "60 Minutes" did a piece on kelp farming and it was equated with planting trees in the sea.
A very interesting book though I still don't want my plants talking to me ( )