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We Alone: How Humans Have Conquered the Planet and Can Also Save It
A thoughtful exploration of how humans have endangered the Earth but can pull it back from the brink, as told by a renowned conservationist
This personal and thoughtful book by renowned Kenya conservationist David Western traces our global conquest from Maasai herders battling droughts in Africa to the technological frontiers of California.
Western draws on a half century of research in the savannas and his own life’s journey to argue that conservation is not a modern invention. The success of all societies past and present lies in conservation practices, breaking biological barriers and learning to live in large cooperative groups able to sustain a healthy environment.
Our ecological emancipation from nature enabled us to expand our horizons from conserving food and water for survival to saving whales, elephants, and our cultural heritage. In the Anthropocene, our scientific knowledge and modern sensibilities offer hope for combating global warming and creating a planet able to sustain the wealth of life, but only if we use our unique cultural capacity of cooperation to plan our future.
This personal and thoughtful book by renowned Kenya conservationist David Western traces our global conquest from Maasai herders battling droughts in Africa to the technological frontiers of California.
Western draws on a half century of research in the savannas and his own life’s journey to argue that conservation is not a modern invention. The success of all societies past and present lies in conservation practices, breaking biological barriers and learning to live in large cooperative groups able to sustain a healthy environment.
Our ecological emancipation from nature enabled us to expand our horizons from conserving food and water for survival to saving whales, elephants, and our cultural heritage. In the Anthropocene, our scientific knowledge and modern sensibilities offer hope for combating global warming and creating a planet able to sustain the wealth of life, but only if we use our unique cultural capacity of cooperation to plan our future.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published November 24, 2020
9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 21, 2020
Finally, someone who was there and can testify how everything went. I bet it was more difficult with events that happened at the same time, but I am sure the Airplane Companies of the Bronze Age were more than helpful to such a pop star.
January 2, 2021
Conservation
This is a book written about man's conquering the environment. How our industries and lifestyle have polluted our air and water.
It is a wake up that each individual must be responsible to our natural resources and do what we can to save them.
It did read a little like a textbook. It was interesting in spots, and I believe the author truly believes what he has written.
I can't say I understand all of it, nor can I say I agree with everything written. I do believe in doing what we can to conserve our earth.
I think it is good to look at all views of a subject and this is a good book for the view of the environmentalist.
Thanks to David Western, University Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of the book for an honest review.
June 5, 2021
As an PhD student that has read extensively regarding Human Ecology and Anthropology, and has conducted research in East Africa, my opinions of this book might be slightly biased. Still, I will share them with you here:
This book is alright. Chapters vary in quality and content, and the best chapters are those that stick close to what David Western (whom, in case you didn’t know, is an internationally famous conservationist) is perhaps best known for: conservation efforts in and around the Amboseli National Park in Kenya. Chapters that directly discuss the Maasai and Amboseli are filled with relevant case-studies and anecdotes. Other chapters, however, sometimes lack a clear thesis and stray away from the author’s subject expertise (and it shows).
More importantly, I think the real issue with this book is it was not written for a clear audience. Western appears to have attempted a “pop science” book that appeals to a broad audience (perhaps inspired by authors like Jared Diamond); however, taking a “macro” view of the Earth and its history is a dangerous game, and I am not sure that “We Alone” delivered. For non-academics, this book might read a bit too much like a textbook; conversely, for academics, better citations are desperately needed to back up Western’s loftier claims.
Finally, as an anthropologist, I would have really liked some critical discussion of conservation. The author nods his head to Mark Dowie (author of “Conservation Refugees”), however, he never really engages with the arguments laid out by Dowie: mainly, that land-conservation has the potential to disproportionately impact rural, poor, and largely Indigenous Peoples. I’m not saying that national parks and land-conservation is bad, just that a more balanced discussion of the issues was lacking.
In closing, I’d recommend a few chapters of this book for use among undergraduates or high school students (particularly in fields like conservation biology or human ecology), but I would never wholesale recommend this book as a front-to-back “must read”.
This book is alright. Chapters vary in quality and content, and the best chapters are those that stick close to what David Western (whom, in case you didn’t know, is an internationally famous conservationist) is perhaps best known for: conservation efforts in and around the Amboseli National Park in Kenya. Chapters that directly discuss the Maasai and Amboseli are filled with relevant case-studies and anecdotes. Other chapters, however, sometimes lack a clear thesis and stray away from the author’s subject expertise (and it shows).
More importantly, I think the real issue with this book is it was not written for a clear audience. Western appears to have attempted a “pop science” book that appeals to a broad audience (perhaps inspired by authors like Jared Diamond); however, taking a “macro” view of the Earth and its history is a dangerous game, and I am not sure that “We Alone” delivered. For non-academics, this book might read a bit too much like a textbook; conversely, for academics, better citations are desperately needed to back up Western’s loftier claims.
Finally, as an anthropologist, I would have really liked some critical discussion of conservation. The author nods his head to Mark Dowie (author of “Conservation Refugees”), however, he never really engages with the arguments laid out by Dowie: mainly, that land-conservation has the potential to disproportionately impact rural, poor, and largely Indigenous Peoples. I’m not saying that national parks and land-conservation is bad, just that a more balanced discussion of the issues was lacking.
In closing, I’d recommend a few chapters of this book for use among undergraduates or high school students (particularly in fields like conservation biology or human ecology), but I would never wholesale recommend this book as a front-to-back “must read”.
November 29, 2020
Not for me, a drag to get through. I enjoy the academic-aspects but the topic might not have been directed to me as an audience because I was struggling to care. I dont think I would recommend this honestly.
February 21, 2021
Bought as a present, turned out a great read!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews