Rating: 
Summary: Should be required reading . . .
Review: This is a keeper. Wilcove & Wilson document the monumental impact modern civilization has had on American wildlife. This eminently readable book also debunks the myth that the first settlers upon this continent lived in a utopian harmony with the land. This book provides an excellent historical overview along with details about a variety of plant and animal species that most people are not familiar with.The authors also demonstrate that what often passes as a healthy and thriving ecosystem is not. Various aspects of ecosystem interdependence are well-explained. The descriptions of the various ecosystem relationships - and how disruptive simply a new grass species can be was interesting. I am afraid that what has happened on land is now happening on sea, with more dire consequences. I wish every U.S. citizen would read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: excellent environmental read for all US citizens
Review: Wilcove's book is beautifully written in easy yet sophisticated words which paint a picture at environmental disasters and the measures which are being taken to remedy them. It's rich history of the American landscape makes it an interesting read. The knowledge one attains after reading this book makes you want to know more and continue your effort to fit complacently in the web of life.
Rating:
Summary: Superb tales and lessons from the frontlines of conservation
Review: Wilcove's knack for the well-turned phrase and the personal anecdote makes reading this natural history of wildlife in America compelling. The Condor's Shadow takes decades of scientific observations and current theories, and converts them into gripping tales of survival, extinction, and recovery. This book is a masterful summary of conservation biology's lessons for us - lessons we had better soon grasp or condemn future generations to a simplified, homogenous environment. It communicates the lessons in stories accessible to a general audience with neither patronizing tones nor gross generalizations. For readers with a background in the field, the footnotes and detailed portraits of America's ecosystems make this a peerless reference source. I have begun recommending this book as indispensable background to my students who are about to study environmental and natural resources policy. Also, readers planning to travel to this summer might want to focus especially on a chapter discussing the region they are visiting. I think they will find that Wilcove's insights on the natural history of an area they are visiting will enormously enhance their experience.
Rating:
Summary: Superb tales and lessons from the frontlines of conservation
Review: Wilcove's knack for the well-turned phrase and the personal anecdote makes reading this natural history of wildlife in America compelling. The Condor's Shadow takes decades of scientific observations and current theories, and converts them into gripping tales of survival, extinction, and recovery. This book is a masterful summary of conservation biology's lessons for us - lessons we had better soon grasp or condemn future generations to a simplified, homogenous environment. It communicates the lessons in stories accessible to a general audience with neither patronizing tones nor gross generalizations. For readers with a background in the field, the footnotes and detailed portraits of America's ecosystems make this a peerless reference source. I have begun recommending this book as indispensable background to my students who are about to study environmental and natural resources policy. Also, readers planning to travel to this summer might want to focus especially on a chapter discussing the region they are visiting. I think they will find that Wilcove's insights on the natural history of an area they are visiting will enormously enhance their experience.
| 
