Reviews

The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance by Dan Egan

christinadekoek's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

3.75

allie_rose's review against another edition

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4.0

Felt like an extension of the chapter on Lake Erie and phosphorous run off in his previous book but still interesting  

lacyk_reads's review

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hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

I know more about phosphorus now than I ever thought I would. From its mining, to its (over) application on farms, to its runoff into rivers, and killing marine life through harmful algal blooms, phosphorus is a key reason for the imbalance we’re seeing in these connected ecosystems. This audiobook read like a podcast - I definitely didn’t absorb every bit of information, but the overall impressions that it left were impactful. To me, I was always drawing upon the One Health Initiative idea through these chapters - human health, animal health, and environmental health are all connected to each other, and when a common denominator impacting those healths is a key element, we should re-evaluate and change the way we utilize it. 

muzzfuzz's review

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informative medium-paced

4.0

connorlimon's review

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dark informative medium-paced

4.0

arly_kylen's review against another edition

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funny informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

kathleenitpdx's review

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

spoko's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative sad medium-paced

5.0

I’ve seen reviews that fault the book for not sufficiently adhering to scientific restrictions (referring to phosphates with the generic term phosphorus, e.g., or to algal blooms by the common misnomer algae blooms), but from my somewhat well-read lay perspective, it struck an appropriate balance. I got a lot from reading it, and that clearly is its first goal. It’s a bit depressing, of course, as most books about the environment will tend to be. But its tone is not straightforward gloom. Besides which, I certainly feel better informed, and that’s not a bad thing.

lnconclusive's review

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informative medium-paced

4.5

haponte's review

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slow-paced

4.0