November 5, 2015 - 12:01
Why did E. Kolbert choose to open her book with the story of her investigation into Golden Frogs, and their extinction?
- Sets the tone of the rest of the book in terms of our unconscious ability to shape the enviornments we place orselves in with catestrophic consequences for the native species of these regions.
- It asks the question of how the fungus wiping out the frogs got to Panama, and provides clues as to the conclusions the reader should draw in regards to its origin (i.e., WE CAUSED THIS!!!!)
- First found out about the frogs from a children's magazine, which painted a very different portrait of the reality of their extinction
- Builds from little anecdotes to a devestating conclusion of the inevitability of their eventual extinction