A Focus On Nature, Books and Reviews
AFON
Book Review – Death On Earth
I have to admit that when AFON said they were looking for someone to review a book called “Death on Earth“, my immediate thought was; no way, that sounds depressing… Then I used a well known search engine to find the excellent synopsis and from that moment I was gripped!
This reluctance to face and acknowledge death as an essential part of living is a subject addressed and explored though out the book in the most entertaining and thought provoking manner possible. This is cleverly interwoven with the various roles death plays in the natural world, and for a book about death it is full of life. Within a few pages I was giggling out loud (and getting some very funny looks from my fellow commuters).
I found the book so enjoyable to read I ended up rationing chapters. The author Jules Howard is a knowledgeable zoologist and writer passionate about the natural world. He does a fantastic job in conveying that passion. The engaging style of writing is punchy, informative and amusing, with many laugh out loud moments (This seems a pretty amazing achievement given the subject of death!).
His often first person and self-aware style of writing is part of what made the book so entertaining. The book is also quite educational for budding writers, illustrating the process of writing a book of this type and demonstrating clearly how even the most normal seeming encounters can make for entertaining reading material. One memorable incident is the author being asked to mind a small child in a museum cafe, a simple moment made laugh-out-loud funny by the authors writing!
My only criticism would be that in some places the details were brushed over quite quickly, and I found myself wanting to know more about the science behind it all. The sheer breadth of the subject he covers means that to fully explain all aspects would double the thickness of the book at least! It was clear that the book had been well researched and evidenced, but this was not always clearly acknowledged. Perhaps I have spent too long in academia reading scientific papers, but I found the lack of references and a bibliography frustrating, slowing down the ability to read around! However, this book is designed to appeal to and engage a wide audience, including those who may be made wary by academic style referencing. The author’s style of writing also makes complicated concepts, such as free radicals, clear and easily understandable.
For me the author did a wonderful job of illustrating how what we consider even the most insignificant thing or an undesirable “pest” or parasite is actually uniquely amazing, having evolved to fill a niche in a vast and complicated ecosystem (this is something that spoke to me as I find myself defending slugs frequently).The account of the annihilation of a “pest” species population was very thought provoking, being understood to be driven by the humans concern for the potential death of the host plant. Ironically in this case, the destruction of the pest is made by removing the host plant completely. The author protests this, observing that destroying this invertebrate was unnecessary, being caused by a lack of understanding of symbiotic relationship between the plant and pest/parasite.
While the book deals mainly with evolution and death in the animal world, it interweaves this cleverly with the human attitude and perceptions of death. It becomes clear throughout the book that it is humanity’s struggle with understanding and accepting death as a part of life. It is our need to fight and control this as the “self appointed enforcers of life and death” that often shapes the natural world around us.
I readily admit that I myself struggle with the concept of death and find it an uncomfortable subject, but this brilliant book has allowed me to confront my own hang ups and be less afraid and unnerved by death. One day, if/when I have children of my own, I will not tell them something dead is ‘only sleeping’! Death doesn’t have to be terrifying and something not talked about, but a natural process essential for life. I’d definitely recommend this book as a light, entertaining, yet thought provoking read, exploring death in the natural world and human approach to it.
Death, after all, is a vital part of living.