Title: The Eternal Frontier Pdf An Ecological History of North America and Its Peoples
Here, “the rock star of modern science” tells the unforgettable story of the geological and biological evolution of the North American continent, from the time of the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago to the present day (Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel).
Flannery describes the development of North America’s deciduous forests and other flora, and tracks the migrations of various animals to and from Europe, Asia, and South America, showing how plant and animal species have either adapted or become extinct. The story spans the massive changes wrought by the ice ages and the coming of the Native Americans. It continues right up to the present, covering the deforestation of the Northeast, the decimation of the buffalo, and other consequences of frontier settlement and the industrial development of the United States.
This is science writing at its very best—both an engrossing narrative and a scholarly trove of information that “will forever change your perspective on the North American continent” (The New York Review of Books).
Not all continents are made alike This book provides an ecological history of North America from the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs until the present. Flannery emphasizes the events that make North America distinctive - the fact that the asteroid hit the continent at a destructive angle, the effects of the north-south mountain ranges channeling Arctic and tropical air back and forth, the more severe ice ages, and the opening and closing of the Bering land bridge, for example. He’s at his best when he’s telling big stories over millions of years.The book is weaker when he gets to people, especially after 1492. It’s tempting for an ecologist to trace regional differences in culture to regional ecologies, but the result exaggerates effects such as tobacco on Virginian culture or the ecological foundations of Puritanism in New England. Even those chapters are thought-provoking, but I found them generally less convincing and less interesting.That said, the book is very well written, and displays impressive knowledge of long periods of time. Definitely worth a read for the general non-fiction reader.Two books in one, with mixed results. This book, written in five "acts," is like two books in one. If Amazon allowed it, I would rate them separately: Acts 1-3 - 5 stars, Act 4 - 3 stars and Act 5 - 1 star.Flannery is a paleontologist turned global warming activist, and it seems that he wrote this book in separate parts wearing these different hats. The first three "acts" are a fascinating paleontological account of North America. Flannery paints a broad tapestry that I have not seen described so ably in one place. I loved it.Act 4 brings Flannery to man's arrival on the continent, and he begins to walk on shakier ground. By Act 5 (1492-2000), the book has become the kind of anti-capitalist diatribe dripping with self-righteousness that characterizes the global warming movement. What he does not lift wholesale from Diamond's "Guns, Germs and Steel" drips with moral condemnation, describing America's history as "ruthless environmental exploitation" and Americans as "literally willing to wade through Indian blood in order to take land." It is a wonder that an Australian can manage to get on such a high horse about Americans' treatment of indigenous people.Read the first three acts for their thorough paleontological account, then turn to Charles Mann's wonderful "1491" and "1493" if you are interested in a more nuanced account of America before and after the Columbian Exchange.Thought-provoking and fascinating Since it covers almost 70 million years of history, this book necessarily avoids a lot of detail in most cases. There's not a lot of explanation of some concepts, or even of some creatures that are referred to. I'd have liked to have seen it as a large-format illustrated book with graphics showing exactly what is referred to, whether it be creatures, or even to illustrate a description of how continents moved over time.One of the valuable features of the book is that the author is an Australian. He doesn't share the assumptions and prejudices that most North Americans have (I am a citizen of the USA), and doesn't hesitate to kick around ideas such as re-introducing elephants to replace the mammoths and mastodons we have lost. This is particularly evident in his strong criticism of the American tradition of exploiting the land for all it is worth.He does do a good job of illustrating the dramatic effects that people, even primitive ones, have on an ecosystem. And he pointed out some key recurring things that have repeatedly affected North America over millions of years--Such as how our physical geography affects our weather, and what this means for the plants and animals that live here. Or even the remarkable effect squirrels have had on plants, and on the hunter-gatherer cultures here!I believe that reading the book is going to actually make a long-term change in how I think about many things. Not a common thing to happen. I highly recommend the book, though I suspect many readers will want to supplement it with more specialized ones on the particular subtopics that interest them.
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