Customer Reviews

Rauzon: Isles of Refuge Paper (Latitude 20 Books)

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Isles of Refuge is indeed a wonderful book that covers the history, ecology, and most important, the BIOLOGY of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands that stretch from Nihoa in the Southeast (approx. 150 miles northwest of Kauai) to Kure Atoll in the northwest (about 1000 miles northwest of Hawaii). Isles deals with an important topic, one never before covered so extensively in print: how these islands came to be, how they were first inhabited by humans, their role in armed conflicts (particularly Midway atoll), and their current status. This book is a lovely read, no question about it. But, let's get one thing straight: The primary focus of Isles of Refuge is BIOLOGY, pure and simple. The vast majority of the text deals with the area's status as a fragile ecosystem, and attempts (largely successful) to clean up debris and maintain ecological balance. Yes, the history and native folklore are dealt with (in fact, one of the best chapters concerns reinternment of ancestral remains on Nihoa), but the primary focus is biology in general and wildlife in particular. In fact, several of the more prominent species, such as Hawaiian monk seals, are covered in their own little sections. Most importantly, this is a BIRD book. There are more photos and printed text dealing with the native birds than any other subject of the book BY FAR. Whether terns or albatrosses or "goony birds" (as they are called on Midway, the only inhabited island), the reader had best be very, very interested in our feathered friends before deciding to read this text. Not that the book is dull, far from it. Rauzon's prose is easy to read, very untextbook-like, and his adventures, whether scaling peaks on Nihoa or trying to time a dangerous landing on Necker, are always fascinating. There are excellent photos; most readers would like to see more of them (although I think the reason there are so few photos is that the author has been allowed to make only a few trips to the refuge). Better and more specific maps would also be helpful. Finally, so much has happened in the last few years (in 2000, the Northwest Hawaiian Islands Refuge was officially established by executive order.) that an update is sorely needed. In sum, an excellent book, well written and documented, and one you will no doubt enjoy, particularly if you are a lover of birds and wildlife.

This is an amazing book on Hawaii, focusing on the less-well-known and less-traveled islands. Most of us only know Hawaii as a wonderful tourist destination, composed of a handful of islands fulfilling all of our vacation needs. In fact, Hawaii is much much more. The Hawaiian islands actually extend for many miles to the northwest, where the visitors are mostly only the native wildlife. These Northwestern Hawaiian islands comprise the "real" Hawaii: the Hawaii that is untouched by tourism; the Hawaii that gives us a glimpse back in time, allowing us to view the untarnished natural and cultural history of this unique archipelago. This is the Hawaii that the author focuses on, and he does it with great success.

Although the author is a biologist by trade -- and one might think from the title that this is basically a biology book -- it would be a big mistake to think that this book is limited to the biology of these islands. In fact, this book is much broader than that. What Mr. Rauzon does is integrate many aspects of the islands' life and history into an eminently readable story.

This book works on so many levels: a cultural narrative, a historical account, a description of the flora and fauna, a memoir of the author's experiences, a photographic essay. Take any one of these aspects alone, and the author succeeds admirably. But the real beauty of this book is the way that the author weaves all of these elements together into a rich and fascinating story of these enchanting islands. (Personally, I'm partial to the exceptional collection of high-quality photographs which add life to the text. But they could also easily stand alone as a coffee-table photography book in their own right.) One more bonus is the inclusion of artwork by the highly-skilled author -- beautiful watercolors and pen-and-ink drawings.

The author has an easy personal style which makes this book read like an unfolding story. It is not a text book. Sure you'll learn some interesting facts, but that's not the point of this book. Mr. Rauzon allows us to experience the joy and wonder of these islands just as he has in his explorations and adventures over years.

This book has it all; it's educational, entertaining and thought provoking. Mark Rauzon has written a book that provides an understandable look at the natural history of the sea birds, mammals and sea turtles that thrive throughout the leeward islands. This is fascinating stuff and interesting in its own right--but wait there's more! He also has meticulously researched and reported on the human history of the area, including early Polynesian times, discovery and exploitation in the 1800's and early 1900's, world war drama, and recent attempts to recover the natural beauty of the area. This history documents the folly of man's attempt to intervene in natrual systems and the often catastrophic results.....but wait there's more! He also shares some of his personal journey as he spent much of his time over the past twenty years working in this remote area (he has visited all but one of the leeward islands). These personal stories are sometimes humorous, but always interesting. I've never been to these remote islands and probably never will be able to visit them. Rauzon took me there and I'm gald for the visit. Read this book, you won't regret it--it's wonderful!

Few people venture into the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands chain and fewer still get to land on these scraps of rock, coral or sand, which are protected by federal law. And since the first edition of this book was published, the chances of doing so have been further reduced by the declaration of a national marine refuge there.
But as a biogeographer, bird counter and habitat restorer, Mark Rauzon has been working in this bird (and now coral reef) refuge since the 1970s. So he has seen the green sea turtles sleeping on the sand, something they do nowhere else in the world. And the gooney birds courting. The waves and winds raising blistering sandstorms. The Laysan ducks teaching their ducklings how to stir up the brine flies to eat.
For places like French Frigate Shoals or Laysan or Kure (the northernmost atoll of living coral) we will have to rely on reporters like Rauzon.
The NWHI have a great deal of wildlife now and a surprising amount of history, considering how far away from anyplace they are and how few people ever went there, even when anybody who wanted to could go.
The old Hawaiians certainly went to the nearer rocks like Nihoa, where they left altars. Whether they reached the remoter islets is not certain.
After them came Russian explorers, Yankee sealers, whalers from several countries, representatives of the Hawaiian kings, guano diggers, Japanese feather poachers, naturalists, fishermen, pioneering aviators, sailors and Marines, Coast Guardmen and a few tourists.
These brought with them rats, dogs, cats, weeds, mosquitoes, oil, pesticides, ironwood trees, concrete, explosives, ants etc.
Rauzon says, "These small islands endured the worst we could dish out: war, murder, exploitation and pollution."
That may be an exaggeration -- we could have done more -- but man's footprint has not been light there. Yet animals that are scarce or missing now from the main Hawaiian islands either hang on or thrive in the NWHI.
Hawaiian monk seals, now seriously declining. Millions of seabirds. Hundreds of land birds. Turtles. Sharks. A few mostly humble but tough plants.
Considering that all these eroded islets started out much alike -- high, green remnants of volcanoes -- it is striking how different each one is from the other. Laysan has a saline lake, for example, the only lake out there. The ecological consequences of these minor differences have been considerable for the wildlife.
Rauzon describes the differences with a graceful touch. He loves these islands, though his memories of getting to them seem to linger on seasickness, perilous leaps onto wave-swept rocks, encounters with angry mother seals, fevers and other exciting but more or less unpleasant events.
This is a pretty book, with nice wildlife photographs by Rauzon (including one, on page 126, that is worth the price of the book all by itself), a number of historical photos, a few delicate line drawings of birds by Rauzon and a pleasant design.
The first edition had a number of errors which have been corrected in the second edition, which is preferable.

Who would have thought that a book about a series of tiny islands in the middle of the ocean could be so fascinating? Somehow, the author, Mark Rauzon, has crafted an extremely compelling book about these Northwestern Hawaiian islands. This book took me places I didn't expect, but surely enjoyed. Rauzon, with his expert story-telling and beautiful photography brings these islands to life. The reader comes to see each of these small islands - some hardly larger than a rock outcropping - as a unique entity with its own story to tell. And Rauzon, through his beautiful prose and eloquent style, speaks passionately for these islands, which he so clearly loves. The author, with his rich experience to draw from, as well as his obvious joy of discovery, has created a book filled with spirit and emotion. I learned so much from this book; but that's not the half of it. What's so special about this book is that I now feel as though I "know" these islands