Quotes
“Science journalist Tennesen surveys the previous five mass extinctions that have shaped life on earth and examines some of the ways in which humans are destroying habitats and biodiversity today…Tennesen is at his best when addressing the urgent environmental problems of today, particularly in his engaging discussion of water usage in New York City and Las Vegas.” Publishers Weekly
“When an asteroid snuffed out three-fourths of the earth’s species of plants and animals sixty-five million years ago, no human eyes observed the catastrophe. Tennesen fears, however, that humans will witness the next great extinction event—precisely because we will have caused it…Simultaneously sobering and exhilarating, this wide-ranging survey of disasters highlights both life’s fragility and its metamorphosing persistence.” Booklist
“Science journalist Tennesen chronicles his interviews with scientists from around the world, delivering an engrossing history of life, the dismal changes wrought by man, and a forecast of life after the sixth mass extinction.” Kirkus Reviews