Noah's Choice: The Future of Endangered Species [Hardcover]

Charles C. Mann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 14, 1995

An objective look at the debate over actions to preserve endangered species examines the controversy over the Endangered Species Act and calls for a new set of principles to serve as a guideline for choosing which endangered species to save. 17,500 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Oklahoma, a highway to improve access to a hospital that serves poor people was delayed for more than four years to protect a beetle. In enforcing the Endangered Species Act, do we put insects above human needs? Mann and Plummer, coauthors of The Aspirin Wars, argue that trying to save every species is unethical and impractical, that we have to make choices. They cite case histories of ecological conflict: the snail darter in Tennessee, the Karner Blue butterfly in New York and Wisconsin, a bird habitat threatened by home-building in Texas. When the act passed in 1973, few people?least of all, Congress, the authors say?understood its ramifications, especially the cost. The act is up for renewal this year. Mann and Plummer offer suggestions for making it more practical in this provocative, timely and reasonable study.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A beetle puts a stranglehold on the construction of a highway that would have provided Native Americans reasonable access to a hospital; a minnow almost stops a dam from being built. Mann and Plummer, who also collaborated on The Aspirin Wars (LJ 10/1/91), highlight these and other examples in their discussion of the difficult choices that must be made with increasing frequency between human needs and the preservation of biodiversity. The writing is clear and entertaining, and the authors' key argument-that the Endangered Species Act doesn't allow for enough flexibility based on values-is compelling, cogent, and highly controversial. Included are excellent summaries of the concepts of island biogeography and species, the history of the Endangered Species Act, and current thinking on the rate of extinction. Highly recommended. [Other recent books on the excesses of environmentalism include Greg Easterbrook's A Moment on the Earth (LJ 2/1/95) and Charles T. Rubin's The Green Crusade (LJ 2/15/94).-Ed.]-Lynn C. Badger, Univ. of Florida Lib., Gainesvill.
--Lynn C. Badger, Univ. of Florida Lib., Gainesville
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 302 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1st edition (February 14, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679420029
• ISBN-13: 978-0679420026
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,232,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Charles C. Mann is the author of 1493, a New York Times best-seller, and 1491, which won the U.S. National Academy of Sciences' Keck award for the best book of the year. A correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly, Science, and Wired, he has covered the intersection of science, technology, and commerce for many newspapers and magazines here and abroad, including National Geographic, the New York Times, Vanity Fair, and the Washington Post. In addition to 1491 and 1493, he is the co-author of five other books, one of which is a young person's version of 1491 called Before Columbus. His website is www.charlesmann.org.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Avoids controversy, January 23, 2004

By 

E. Husman "ehusman" (Las Cruces, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Noah's Choice: The Future of Endangered Species (Hardcover)

I can't remember where I first saw this book reviewed and recommended, but I do remember that I couldn't check it out in the school library because one of the Range Science professors put it on reserve for his class. That intrigued me enough to just buy it.

I found the first 3/4 of the book fascinating as it described a variety of encounters between human activity and species decline. Mann makes a good case that consistency requires the act and its defenders to defend squirmy species with the same fervor as they defend the "cute and cuddly" species. He also points out that some of man's activities which appear benign or even helpful (such as fire suppression) actually harm species who thrive in areas damaged by natural devastation (such as fires and storms). Finally, he relates several tales where species protection interferes with humanitarian activities (such as building roads on native american reservations between the remote areas and the centralized hospital).

However, despite all of the story telling and fact gathering, he chickens out in his recommendations. Throughout the book, he foreshadows a dramatic new proposal, but then fails to deliver. He makes a short call for reform and a more thoughtful process - "more of the same, only better." I would recommend the book for the anecdotes, but don't expect a world-shaking ending.