Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2015 - Science & Technology — Biology — Environmental Studies

This unusual book investigates the complex interactions between human well-being and the ecological resiliency of marine systems as the climate changes and sea levels rise.  The diverse perspectives of the 34 specialists are expressed in the first ten chapters, which consider such topics as demography, human health and diseases, social values, ecosystem functioning and services, globalization, and management strategies.  Chapter 11, "Final Thoughts and Future Actions," provides a lucid understanding of the dire outcomes that likely will emerge if humans continue to degrade coastal and offshore ecosystems.  The chapters are well written, accessible, and beautifully illustrated in color, and contain key references as well as boxes that isolate particular issues for insightful elaboration.  In addition, the authors provide farsighted leadership, as they urge us to exercise our capacity to mitigate human-induced environmental insults to our coastlines, and by so doing help protect the health of existing as well as future generations of people.  This book truly needs a wide readership, particularly among management, political, and public policy personnel.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All students, researchers/faculty, and professionals/practitioners.

Rachel Carson (19071964) is widely considered the most influential woman in the American environmental movement.  Fifty years after its publication, her groundbreaking workSilent Spring continues to be the focus of robust scholarship, discussion, and celebration.  Less discussed are the female environmentalists who came before Carson and influenced her character and work.  InRachel Carson and Her Sisters,Musil (Rachel Carson Council; senior fellow, American Univ.) author ofHope for a Heated Planet (CH, Nov'09, 47-1436) fills the gap by placing Carson's achievements in a wider context, weaving connections from the past through the present.  Readers will find new insight into Carson and contemporary figures she influenced, such as Terry Tempest Williams, along with female naturalists and scientists of the 19th century, such as Florence Merriam Bailey and Ellen Swallow Richards, who have historically received less attention.  Musil's respect and enthusiasm for these women is evident throughout the book, making it a deeply engaging and enjoyable read.  A valuable addition to scholarship on Rachel Carson, female environmentalists, and the American environmental movement in general.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic and general readers.

In a refreshingly honest and balanced treatment, Farrell (sociology, Yale Univ.) addresses the spiritual elephant in the environmental room: the most perplexing environmental questions, the answers to which "are only possible and made meaningful in the context of larger moral orders and spiritual narratives that shared human cultures are built upon."  With great insight and careful analysis, he examines the various reasons deep moral and spiritual meanings are often ignored, muted, and misunderstood.  His scholarly diagnosis is well documented and thoroughly researched.  Farrell introduces readers to the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem and moves, step by step, through his research methodology, the regions history, and the sociological context of collective human behavior.  Three case studies add significant weight to his conclusions.  These involve the management of buffalo, the reintroduction of wolves, and the proposal to mine in the Wyoming Range south of Yellowstone National Park.  Readers will encounter some surprises, not the least of which is the definition ofwickedFarrell employs and the frequent demonstrations of moral hypocrisy by a wide range of stakeholders.  Each concept and principle is meticulously unpacked from initial hypothesis to final conclusion.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals/practitioners.