An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles: Campfire Conversations with Alfred Russell Wallace

by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski

An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles follows the Victorian-era explorations of Alfred Russel Wallace through Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. While Wallace is recognized as co-discoverer of the theory of natural selection (and was perhaps deliberately sidelined by Darwin) he was also an edgy social commentator and a voracious collector of “natural productions". Sochaczewski, author of Sultan and the Mermaid Queen and co-author of Soul of the Tiger, has created an innovative form of storytelling - combining incisive biography and personal travelogue. He examines themes about which Wallace cared deeply -- women’s power, why boys leave home, the need to collect, our relationship with other species, humanity’s need to control nature and how this leads to nature destruction, arrogance, the role of ego and greed, white-brown and brown-brown colonialism, serendipity, passion, mysticism -- and interprets them through his own filter with layers of humor, history, social commentary and sometimes-outrageous personal tales. ,

Genres: Nonfiction, Science

376 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 2, 2012

About the author

Paul Sochaczewski's highly acclaimed nonfiction books of personal travel include the five-volume Curious Encounters of the Human Kind series,An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles, The Sultan and the Mermaid Queen, Soul of the Tiger (with Jeff McNeely), and Distant Greens. Gary Braver, bestselling author of Tunnel Vision, said Paul's work is "in the great tradition of Asian reporting. The humanity of Somerset Maugham, the adventure of Joseph Conrad, the perception of Paul Theroux, and a self-effacing voice uniquely his own." Paul's handbook for people who want to write their personal stories, Share Your Journey, is based on the creative writing workshops he runs in more than 20 countries. Redheads and EarthLove are his eco-thrillers set in the rainforest of a mythical sultanate in Borneo.

Paul is an American writer (born in Brooklyn, New York), writing coach, conservationist, and communications advisor to international non-governmental organizations. He lives in Geneva, Switzerland, and has lived and worked in more than 80 countries, including long stints in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Paul served in the United States Peace Corps from 1969 to 1971, working as an education advisor in Sarawak, Malaysia. This exposure to Asia informed his writing, and as a result, most of his work has a Southeast Asian theme. He was also founding creative director of the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency in Indonesia and Singapore.

Reviews

[Danielle Farkas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very few interesting Wallace related info, very frustratingly interspersed with personal anecdotes that read as though the author was That Guy at a party who just needed to tell you about his vacation to make himself seem worldly, adventurous, and introspective. Also seemed fairly unedited; quotes were reused within pages of each other, anecdotal information was repeated, and there was an occasional distracting typo.

[Kimberly McCollum · Rating 2 out of 5]

The subject matter was fascinating. The delivery was botched. The author jumped back and forth between Alfred Russell Wallace’s time and the present day in ways that were disjointed and occasionally redundant—providing the exact same Wallace quotes that he had used only pages before. I would give this 2.5 stars if I could.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book three times and each time I learn something new --about Alfred Russell Wallace, an early biologist, entomologist, and explorer who continues to fascinate me--but much much more as well. This book is a very approachable, readable story of his life with fascinating digressions into relevant side stories that enrich the overall story of what one can achieve when one focuses on one's passions and perseveres. Moreover, it excites one about totally unexpected topics--killer wasps, the Amazon region, endangered birds, poisonous butterflies.

I read this book for the first time curious about Darwin's "challenger" to discover a far different story than most people know--Wallace and Darwin were tracking the same elusive truths about the evolution species, but following slightly different trails that would lead to the same conclusion(s). The tale of the clues and discoveries, plus the relationship and dialogues recorded in Inordinate Fondness between them, and in Wallace's notes only enrich the story. Furthermore, the secondary story of a man who followed his dream, regardless of unpromising beginnings and questionable future, is told with such a light touch, humour and insight by author Sochaczewski, that this is a good book to slip into the hands of young friends (age 12+) who might need a nudge, without being 'preachy'.

A most enjoyable read, and for anyone interested in early science, exploration, or Southeast Asia, 'must' reading.

[Gerry Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Inordinate Fondness for Digression:

Disappointed to find that this book consists of extensive quotes from Wallace's writing interspersed with constant digressions on everything from opera to orang utans, often with little or no connection to Wallace. Having said that, much of the information and observations will be of interest to anyone who has lived in the south-east Asian region, and the title taken from a Haldane quote is a succinct piece of pro-Darwinian logic.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book of collected memoirs of the author, loosely centered around the life of Wallace during his travels in SE Asia, collated from notes taken during decades of his own rambles in the region. Despite being very random and disorganized, the essays/notes are never boring, covering diverse subjects from natural history and evolution to politics, spiritualism and feminism. Living in SE Asia I can somewhat empathize with his mixed, and at times strong feelings about the people and culture of the region. Having been here since the 1960s the author is an old Asia hand, and has the perspective of a local, often being harshly critical of westerners coming in with a superiority complex and lecturing Asians on what to do - the sections on Mahathir's anti-western rhetoric are particularly hard hitting. Part travelogue, retracing Wallace's journey, part biography of the esteemed naturalist, this book will be of interest not only to Wallace fans, but to anyone concerned about environmental and development issues in Indonesia and Malaysia. Regrettably, detailed references are lacking, as only works by Wallace are cited, references that will go far in helping the reader explore further the many topics touched upon, as well as adding credibility to what was written.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not the first book I have read about Alfred Russell Wallace. He's an interesting and unique figure in the biological sciences. Natural selection is the base of the most profound advancement in natural history that has ever taken place. However, if you want to learn about him, I suggest you look elsewhere. There are plenty of good biographies of Wallace, and this is not one of them.

The book is a mismatch of the author's experiences in South-East Asia, including many of the locations visited by Wallace. He alternates between his own uninspired encounters and his fantasies about what Wallace would have thought of the modern world. It is very non-linear and, at times, confusing.

[Emer Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this and might come back to it as I'm fascinated with Alfred Russell Wallace. However, this book is not a traditional biography but also a travelogue of the authors time in Indonesia and his fascination with Wallace. There is not an overarching narrative to keep me turning the pages so I got distracted and lost momentum. I might come back to this as I would like to write a children's book on evolution that includes Wallace.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about Wallace (who is a super fascinating character) but the interspersed bits about sentient turtles and so on were really distracting.