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dfarmil's review
4.0
Such an enjoyable read that was very informative. Nijhuis does a great job making the history of conservation engaging, funny, and entertaining. It took me a while to get through, but whenever I spent time reading Beloved Beasts I always enjoyed it.
namielle's review
I knew it was about the conversationists, but I assumed there would be more information about the animals.
caylinchronicles's review
5.0
As someone who took a couple of wildlife biology classes the book felt like a solid review of much of what I learned in those classes. The more you read about it the more appreciation and understanding one has. This also helped remind me of my passions to continue to do better for myself and to push others to do better for our planet.
I loved that the timeline was set up to show how the thinking and progress of conservation biology has evolved over the last century. While I have been taught about the successes of each of these individuals before I didn’t know a lot of their personal background or how some of them were connected to each other’s progress. Very cool to see how their views on some things change after seeing ecological differences in their lifespans.
Each person that is discussed in this novel took steps to get us where we are today. Some of those steps were in selfishness but we have evolved our thinking by far even in the last decade.
Important questions: How can we do this properly without making others feel like they’re having their natural born rights taken away? What is going to make people feel like they are in control of their destiny’s without destroying the nature that sustains us? Can we save the planet before we destroy ourselves?
It’s crucial that we continue to make each other feel responsible for our planet while also keeping in mind people’s emotional connections to certain pastimes. We need to continue to find a healthy balance that works for every life form-big and small.
I loved that the timeline was set up to show how the thinking and progress of conservation biology has evolved over the last century. While I have been taught about the successes of each of these individuals before I didn’t know a lot of their personal background or how some of them were connected to each other’s progress. Very cool to see how their views on some things change after seeing ecological differences in their lifespans.
Each person that is discussed in this novel took steps to get us where we are today. Some of those steps were in selfishness but we have evolved our thinking by far even in the last decade.
Important questions: How can we do this properly without making others feel like they’re having their natural born rights taken away? What is going to make people feel like they are in control of their destiny’s without destroying the nature that sustains us? Can we save the planet before we destroy ourselves?
It’s crucial that we continue to make each other feel responsible for our planet while also keeping in mind people’s emotional connections to certain pastimes. We need to continue to find a healthy balance that works for every life form-big and small.
cassieferri's review
5.0
Beloved Beasts weaves pivotal conservation stories together to create a heartbreakingly beautiful and tragic narrative explaining the evolution of conservation as we know it today. Needless to say, I loved absolutely every second of this book.
We typically learn about the people featured in the book (like Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, Julian Huxley, and Rosalie Edge) as disjointed figures in a broader history of the natural sciences. Nijhuis challenges this norm by breathing life into the featured naturalists and depicting each story as a moving piece in an interconnected, ongoing epic that we, too, are a part of.
This book contains everything necessary to make it a powerful, modern, and culturally aware recounting of conservation history. It is well-researched and humorous, never hesitant to document the flaws of past conservationists (ex. racism, sexism, eugenics), and is as uplifting as it is heartbreaking at times.
If this book doesn't revitalize your sense of duty to keep fighting the centuries-long battle to protect the natural world, then nothing will. A must-read for nature-lovers and ecologists.
We typically learn about the people featured in the book (like Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, Julian Huxley, and Rosalie Edge) as disjointed figures in a broader history of the natural sciences. Nijhuis challenges this norm by breathing life into the featured naturalists and depicting each story as a moving piece in an interconnected, ongoing epic that we, too, are a part of.
This book contains everything necessary to make it a powerful, modern, and culturally aware recounting of conservation history. It is well-researched and humorous, never hesitant to document the flaws of past conservationists (ex. racism, sexism, eugenics), and is as uplifting as it is heartbreaking at times.
If this book doesn't revitalize your sense of duty to keep fighting the centuries-long battle to protect the natural world, then nothing will. A must-read for nature-lovers and ecologists.