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Elizabeth Kolbert's Sixth Extinction

Tralfamadorian's picture

When I started The Sixth Extinction I did not have hopes for it. Though it was quite readable it didn't catch my attention as much as Ozeki's All Over Creation. I usually have a greater connection with fictional books, because I connect with people in a way that I cannot connect to the environment. Though that is not to say that I do not care about the environment, it's an critical issue in today's age. I found it surprising how Kolbert seemed to connect things, especially in the fifth chapter. I find it interesting that something as small as a plant can make entire species go extinct, or that a rat can deforest an entire area. I like the way that Kolbert set these ideas up in a way that made us, the reader, think about our play in this. It made the reader think about the fact that if plants and rats can do so much damage how much can i cause. I find it both fascinating and terrifying how much everything is so interconnected.