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

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.