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A review by kathrynreading
Life on the Rocks: Building a Future for Coral Reefs by Juli Berwald
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Like her first book Spineless, Juli takes you on a fantastic journey through the science of corals and reefs but also introduces you to the amazing people doing the work to understand and protect corals. Juli had a way of making you feel like you are right there and every chapter is full of excitement and discovery.
Intertwined is the story of her daughter Isy’s OCD. All the sections on Isy are from Juli’s POV and Isy has given permission for them to be in the book. From interviews and articles I read with Juli post publication Isy seems to be thriving. This was important for me to know going in as Juli’s initial descriptions of Isy’s OCD are very visceral. I needed to know that Isy was going to get the help she needed. I don’t consider this a spoiler. I appreciate how Juli ties together mental health, social inequality, racism and the reef together.
This is a fabulous book. If you haven’t read Juli’s book Spineless which is on jellyfish I recommend you do; it’s just as excellent.
Intertwined is the story of her daughter Isy’s OCD. All the sections on Isy are from Juli’s POV and Isy has given permission for them to be in the book. From interviews and articles I read with Juli post publication Isy seems to be thriving. This was important for me to know going in as Juli’s initial descriptions of Isy’s OCD are very visceral. I needed to know that Isy was going to get the help she needed. I don’t consider this a spoiler. I appreciate how Juli ties together mental health, social inequality, racism and the reef together.
This is a fabulous book. If you haven’t read Juli’s book Spineless which is on jellyfish I recommend you do; it’s just as excellent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Animal death
Minor: Racism and Medical content