Book Thoughts: The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have two primary things I look for whenever I read a book of non-fiction. First, regardless of topic, does the book read well; is it well-written. Because, no matter how important or interesting a topic may be to a reader, if it is not presented in readable fashion, that importance will be lost. Sec0nd, does the book inform and educate.

This book succeeds immensely at both (which might be why it won a Pulitzer). Kolbert’s writing is superb. It is technical and expansive and respects the intelligence of her readers, but is also personal and intimate. That combination makes the book much more effective at delivering the wealth of information it contains.

Kolbert, for lack of better phrasing, educates her readers. We learn about how the idea of extinction came about (no one even thought it a possibility until 1795!). She discusses its interrelationship with evolutionary theory, and how the study of related fields such as geology continue to inform discussion about past extinction events, as well as the modern extinction event we are currently undergoing. Whether you accept the premise that human beings are to blame for the current extinction, starting with ice-age hunters to the present, or that such elimination of other species is a natural result of the rise of the human species, Kolbert presents incontrovertible evidence that humanity is at the center of it. Be it through past hunting of species, transporting (both intentionally and unintentionally) species from one area of the globe to another (giving rise to pervasive invasive species everywhere), to man’s impact on climate change, resulting in higher temperatures and a more acidic ocean, humanity’s explosion as the dominant species on the planet has had severe consequences for all other species, to the detriment of the overall diversity of species.

For most people, I think it will be impossible to read this book without learning a great deal, and gaining a better appreciation of how interconnected our world truly is; it is evident in how much impact we have as a species. That said, this appreciation also comes with the grim reality of the future world we are making for ourselves - mass extinction “events” are rarely selective as to what species it eliminates. For example, the dinosaurs were the dominant species on the planet, until they weren’t. And just because humans might be the cause behind this sixth mass extinction, there is no guarantee that such makes us immune.


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