What do you think?
Rate this book
Message in a Bottle: Ocean Dispatches from a Seabird Biologist
From the heart of the Labrador Current to the furthest reaches of our global oceans, Message in a Bottle conjures an exquisite diversity of marine life and warns of a central threat to its ocean plastic. The dovekie is a stocky seabird the size of a child's heart that spends its winters on the coast of Newfoundland, thriving in one of the toughest climates on Earth. The polar bear is an apex predator, designed to persevere in the Arctic's extreme conditions. The North Atlantic right whale outweighs the humpback by more than twenty tons and feeds on enormous quantities of tiny plankton in northeastern waters before migrating south for the winter. In Message in a Bottle , wildlife biologist and writer Holly Hogan brings to life the wonder of these creatures and many other birds, fish and marine mammals she has encountered in her thiry years of ocean travel. On these voyages, Hogan has noticed a troubling the constant presence of plastic, in the form of adrift fishing gear ("ghost gear"), garbage and micro-plastics that create an invisible but pervasive smog in our oceans and threaten even the most seemingly resilient forms of sea life. Bringing together nature, science and adventure writing, Hogan shines a light on our plastic-addicted lifestyle, offering an eyewitness account of its devastating effects on the marine environment--and highlighting international efforts to combat it. With lyrical prose and a reverential eye for the majesty and fragility of our natural world, Message in a Bottle is a clarion call to protect global oceans and the life they sustain, including our own.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published June 6, 2023
19 people are currently reading
640 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
July 1, 2023
***100 Days of Summer Reading 2023***
Prompt: Book written by a Canadian author
Virtual 12 sided dice roll: 11
A clever title, for who hasn't heard of sealing a message into a bottle and hurling it into the ocean? But there is now a Great Pacific Garbage Patch that contains more than a few plastic bottles, sending us the message that we are a messy and wasteful species.
In all honesty, I can't tell how many people still don't know about ocean pollution, ocean warming, fish stock decline, the globalization of litter, and the threat of microplastics. Even knowing what I know, it's impossible to return from the grocery store without a plethora of plastic. I recycle what I can, but each community has its own rules for acceptable materials. Plus, I am given to understand that even many plastics sent for recycling get deflected into landfills. Some countries burn their plastic waste, but even when the burning produces energy for other things, it still releases carbon and toxins into the atmosphere. Some scientists are gallantly cultivating microbes that will eat plastic, but can they keep up with our production? Particularly horrifying was the chapter “The Plastisphere," which collated a lot of current research on the health consequences of plastic ingestion. Since it's in most tap water, we all get a dose. Thank goodness for her “Reframing Plastic" chapter, which provides some hope when I needed it!
As a regular listener to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, very little of the factual information was brand new to me—often there was a little more detail, which was good. What kept me reading was the memoir portion of the book, detailing the author's career in seabird research. That's something a younger me imagined doing, but I can see clearly now that I was not cut out for such an existence!
Prompt: Book written by a Canadian author
Virtual 12 sided dice roll: 11
A clever title, for who hasn't heard of sealing a message into a bottle and hurling it into the ocean? But there is now a Great Pacific Garbage Patch that contains more than a few plastic bottles, sending us the message that we are a messy and wasteful species.
In all honesty, I can't tell how many people still don't know about ocean pollution, ocean warming, fish stock decline, the globalization of litter, and the threat of microplastics. Even knowing what I know, it's impossible to return from the grocery store without a plethora of plastic. I recycle what I can, but each community has its own rules for acceptable materials. Plus, I am given to understand that even many plastics sent for recycling get deflected into landfills. Some countries burn their plastic waste, but even when the burning produces energy for other things, it still releases carbon and toxins into the atmosphere. Some scientists are gallantly cultivating microbes that will eat plastic, but can they keep up with our production? Particularly horrifying was the chapter “The Plastisphere," which collated a lot of current research on the health consequences of plastic ingestion. Since it's in most tap water, we all get a dose. Thank goodness for her “Reframing Plastic" chapter, which provides some hope when I needed it!
As a regular listener to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, very little of the factual information was brand new to me—often there was a little more detail, which was good. What kept me reading was the memoir portion of the book, detailing the author's career in seabird research. That's something a younger me imagined doing, but I can see clearly now that I was not cut out for such an existence!
January 6, 2024
Holly Hogan does a great job balancing facts, stories, fears, and hope. It's informative without drowning in explanation and I was thankful that she offered optimism after breaking down how the world is currently failing.
October 14, 2023
Fantastic!!! This book perfectly weaves together tales of adventure with the sobering realities of plastic as it relates to marine life, human health and climate change. Moreover, it is delivered with humour and honesty - making it both educational and relatable.
July 6, 2023
A very important book about a very important topic. I greatly enjoyed learning more about plastic and its impact on ocean wildlife, however I’m not much of a naturalist and easily became bored with all the descriptions of birds and various expeditions the author has been a part of.
January 13, 2025
I really enjoyed this very interesting and informative account of the author’s 30 year experiences on the global oceans from the Arctic to Antartic. Hogan vividly explains the appearance and behaviours of numerous seabirds, fish and marine mammals that she encountered over her years of work as a marine biologist. She also provides an eye opening account of the vast pollution in the oceans, particularly of plastics, and their devastating effects on the ocean’s wildlife. Hogan points to our “plastics lifestyle” as the direct cause of this and optimistically offers hope that ongoing international efforts will improve this environmental catastrophe.
July 11, 2024
I loved this book. This book is so good. It’s got birds, whales and oceans and there’s not much more I could ask for. Holly Hogan is a great writer.
The blurb on the cover describes this book as “tremendously beautiful and sad and hopeful" and I agree, although I think the hope is tenuous. There is a way through the plastic problem to something better on the other side but it requires something governments hate - strong, definitive action, regulation and laws that will anger some money making entity as well as pouring money into research and development that may take a while to generate pay back.
“[The ocean] will move marine nutrients, plankton and microplastics equally; it will accept the plastic barrage until there is no more room.
It will spray plastic in a fine mist, back to the coast. It will swallow a whale whole, or a ship. It will provide nourishment and habitat or it will poison food chains with toxins. The ocean will support life, but it doesn't insist on it. The ocean doesn't make choices. We do.”
The blurb on the cover describes this book as “tremendously beautiful and sad and hopeful" and I agree, although I think the hope is tenuous. There is a way through the plastic problem to something better on the other side but it requires something governments hate - strong, definitive action, regulation and laws that will anger some money making entity as well as pouring money into research and development that may take a while to generate pay back.
“[The ocean] will move marine nutrients, plankton and microplastics equally; it will accept the plastic barrage until there is no more room.
It will spray plastic in a fine mist, back to the coast. It will swallow a whale whole, or a ship. It will provide nourishment and habitat or it will poison food chains with toxins. The ocean will support life, but it doesn't insist on it. The ocean doesn't make choices. We do.”
February 2, 2025
Holly Hogan’s book Message In A Bottle is beautifully written and completely captivating. Holly does an outstanding job of sharing her experiences and insights from having studied marine birds across the world, in combination with the extensive research she’s done on how plastics are polluting our lives and endangering fish, whales, birds and other wildlife. Her passion is infectious and there’s no doubt she deserves the many accolades she’s received. I highly recommend this book!
July 20, 2023
Reading about the effects anthropogenic climate change has on the world's oceans is a surefire way to get some relief from a heatwave worsened by the effects of anthropogenic climate change.
Wonderful book. Sometimes the stories meander a bit too far from the main thrust, but the writing is so gorgeous that it's difficult to care.
Wonderful book. Sometimes the stories meander a bit too far from the main thrust, but the writing is so gorgeous that it's difficult to care.
April 10, 2025
3.5 stars A slog in many ways but well worth the read with Hogan’s fascinating trip to Antarctica . Kudos to the author for bringing awareness to plastic and the destruction it’s causing to the ocean ‘s inhabitants .
July 21, 2023
Sobering, and hopeful.
Read
August 5, 2023Part memoir, part call to action, Hogan writes with the precision of science and the soul of an artist. Hogan takes the reader to far flung reaches of the globe like Torngat Lair, Labrador, Deception Island, Antarctica, the seabird sanctuary off Witless Bay, Newfoundland and a puffin colony on a ship wreck on Middleton Island, Alaska where she finds breathtaking beauty alongside the ubiquitous presence of plastic. Hogan explains the central role of the ocean and its currents to global climate and the ocean’s particular vulnerability to plastics. I gained a new appreciation for the Labrador Current and its significance to life on the planet, despite cold foggy days in St. John’s. Hogan explains how plastics end up in the ocean and how if current practices are not curbed we will be in serious, global trouble by 2050. Hogan’s offers the reader hope in new research for reusing and repurposing plastic to keep it out of the ocean and the cleanup initiatives being taken by people all over the world. Add this one to your reading list for 2023!
June 17, 2025
The book is very well written, very engaging, a real gem for anyone who appreciates nature, the Canadian wilderness, birds, ocean creatures, polar bears, etc. It does not spare us the disturbing effects on nature of our addiction to plastic. I do not usually like to read this genre of non-fiction/biology/environmental books, but this one is different. The descriptions are so well written, you can almost feel like you are there in real time.
"After two days we made it to Torngat Lair - the dark valley in the heart of the mountains, in deep shadow cast from the surrounding peaks. (...) The place was like a cathedral to an exacting force. Unseen but oppressively felt. It demanded reverence, respect and silence. We obliged. Conversations were brief and held in low voices." (p.22)
"After two days we made it to Torngat Lair - the dark valley in the heart of the mountains, in deep shadow cast from the surrounding peaks. (...) The place was like a cathedral to an exacting force. Unseen but oppressively felt. It demanded reverence, respect and silence. We obliged. Conversations were brief and held in low voices." (p.22)
August 2, 2023
I was reading Message in a Bottle on a flight when I overheard my seatmate saying she was going to her first job aboard an ocean research vessel. I showed her my book and urged her to pick up a copy to read on the voyage. I thought anyone in ocean research would enjoy the book and share the author’s love of the ocean and sense of adventure.
Now I recommend the book to everyone! The author explains the central role of the ocean and ocean currents in the global climate and its particular vulnerability to plastics. I gained a new appreciation for the Labrador Current and its significance to life on the planet, despite the cold foggy days in St. John’s. Hogan is a keen observer, taking the reader along with her on the voyage, through precise, evocative descriptions of nature, sea birds, and other sea creatures, like whales and turtles. Hogan explains how plastics end up in the ocean and how if current practices are not curbed we will be in serious, global trouble by 2050. Hogan’s tone is non-judgmental and she offers hope in new research for reusing and repurposing plastic to keep it out of the ocean and the cleanup initiatives being taken by people all over the world. Add this one to your reading list for 2023!
Now I recommend the book to everyone! The author explains the central role of the ocean and ocean currents in the global climate and its particular vulnerability to plastics. I gained a new appreciation for the Labrador Current and its significance to life on the planet, despite the cold foggy days in St. John’s. Hogan is a keen observer, taking the reader along with her on the voyage, through precise, evocative descriptions of nature, sea birds, and other sea creatures, like whales and turtles. Hogan explains how plastics end up in the ocean and how if current practices are not curbed we will be in serious, global trouble by 2050. Hogan’s tone is non-judgmental and she offers hope in new research for reusing and repurposing plastic to keep it out of the ocean and the cleanup initiatives being taken by people all over the world. Add this one to your reading list for 2023!
August 25, 2025
This is the book to read if you are at all wondering about the impact of pollution and climate change on the oceans. It is not dogmatic, there is no moral finger-pointing - just one person's personal experiences and observances. The narrative does wander a bit there and there, and occasionally I wish there had been a clearer thread pulling me forward. However, I ended up actually liking the meandering pace, and I am envious of Holly Hogan's first row seat to how those rugged areas used to be. What is of course sad is that they don't exist any longer, and there doesn't seem to be a clear path to what society should do next.
It is a book about a serious topic written with enough levity that lay people such as myself can understand and engage with the problem. Hogan's love of the ocean and marine mammals and especially birds is infectious. I think it is time to research marine wildlife chartities for our next donations!
It is a book about a serious topic written with enough levity that lay people such as myself can understand and engage with the problem. Hogan's love of the ocean and marine mammals and especially birds is infectious. I think it is time to research marine wildlife chartities for our next donations!
April 21, 2024
This is a five star rating for a book. If you are an environmentalist or not this is a must read. Follow her journey as she spends decades studying bird colonies along the coastlines of many ocean settings. Enjoy her once in a lifetime adventure studying penguin colonies in the Antarctic.
Her vast knowledge of all things plastics and the danger plastic waste poses to wildlife and humans alike is quite unsettling. Micro plastics are invading all of our ocean food chains and posing a health threat to humans when we consume those fish and wildlife.
But what makes the book so unique is the Hope she gives us. Hope for the researchers who are on the brink of finding ways to break down those plastics organically. Hope with the initiatives that so many individuals that are finding ways to rid the world’s waterways and oceans of such litter.
I loved reading this book.
Her vast knowledge of all things plastics and the danger plastic waste poses to wildlife and humans alike is quite unsettling. Micro plastics are invading all of our ocean food chains and posing a health threat to humans when we consume those fish and wildlife.
But what makes the book so unique is the Hope she gives us. Hope for the researchers who are on the brink of finding ways to break down those plastics organically. Hope with the initiatives that so many individuals that are finding ways to rid the world’s waterways and oceans of such litter.
I loved reading this book.
August 30, 2023
What a talented non-fiction author. Holly Hogan writes with humour in spite of disturbing content matter. I felt very depressed and concerned about what is happening to the planet but in the end Holly indicates there is optimism about what can be done by human creativity. The problem is conveying the immediacy of the plastic pollution problem to the masses. When it is out of sight it is out of mind. One solution being researched is to make plastic recycling financially viable. One would hope that the billions spent on space exploration have an unforeseen side effect of answering our planet's problems.
September 30, 2024
So much to love about this book! Having spent a few weeks in Newfoundland last month, I enjoyed reading about the where this author developed her love for seabirds - at some of the places I recently visited in Newfoundland. (She is also married to Newfoundland author Michael Crummey). Her love for seabirds has now taken her all over the world, from the Antarctic to the Pacific, and she brings her wealth of scientific knowledge to her stories of how plastic is affecting all life in the oceans, from whales to plankton, and hence how plastic affects human health as well. An eye-opening book and I hope it gets the attention it deserves.
June 4, 2025
The narrative was very well executed. A no point did I feel overwhelmed with seabird ecology, nor did I feel the author over did the pollution aspects of her message. There was a good balance and flow from one topic to the next felt very natural.
I also liked how this was not a narrative from one long expedition but the arc from multiple expeditions.
She writes in plan language and with a friendly tone that made even the more intense details easy to follow.
This not a poetic book, or even beautiful prose. It does not convey the human experience. But the book was assembled very well, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I also liked how this was not a narrative from one long expedition but the arc from multiple expeditions.
She writes in plan language and with a friendly tone that made even the more intense details easy to follow.
This not a poetic book, or even beautiful prose. It does not convey the human experience. But the book was assembled very well, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
December 19, 2023
While starving whales washed up on beaches and tortoises with plastic straws lodged in their nostrils serve as the poster-species of the ocean plastic catastrophe, seabird biologist Holly Hogan takes us with her on her research excursions around the Arctic, Antarctic, and Labrador to view plastic's effects on lesser-known bird species. What she finds is sobering, revealing not only how plastic pollution is decimating wildlife, but also generating a heavy weight researchers such as Hogan are forced to carry as they document the decline of once-thriving ecosystems.
June 29, 2024
The Canadian scientist tells of the magical (observing the bird with the biggest wingspan - the albatross - on a cruise to Antarctica) and the mundane (dutifully observing and logging minute bird breeding activities all day) activities of her life as a seabird biologist. How an early love for nature and animals leads to a job with the Canadian Wildlife association. And how climate change and plastic pollution effect the oceans and their inhabitants.
A good mix of personal stories and big picture issues.
A good mix of personal stories and big picture issues.
July 3, 2023
I am only going to say one thing about this book…
This author - and title - has just rocketed into a spot on my personal ‘Environmental Heroines’ list.
Rachel Carson, and Silent Spring.
Sandra Steingraber, and Living Downstream.
Vandana Shiva, and (well, anything by her, but especially) Stolen Harvest.
Holly Hogan, and Message in a Bottle.
WOW!!!!
Read this book!!!!!!
This author - and title - has just rocketed into a spot on my personal ‘Environmental Heroines’ list.
Rachel Carson, and Silent Spring.
Sandra Steingraber, and Living Downstream.
Vandana Shiva, and (well, anything by her, but especially) Stolen Harvest.
Holly Hogan, and Message in a Bottle.
WOW!!!!
Read this book!!!!!!
August 9, 2023
This is a beautifully written book with vivid descriptions of the birds, fish and sea mammals that Holly Hogan has studied and encountered in her years as a biologist. The book covers the negative impacts humans have had on sea life and the initiatives underway to reduce these impacts. It is a wonderful book to read.
December 20, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book start to finish. An informative, powerful work sharing the serious consequences of plastics on the ocean and wildlife. Hogan takes the reader on a learning journey following her remarkable and international career. This book was inspiring, eye-opening and a must read for anyone who cares about reducing environmental impacts.
April 4, 2024
I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author, because I heard the author’s husband, Michael Crummey, speaking about this book winning an award. This is an incredibly important book, and I learned so much. I appreciated the cadence of the book - balancing facts and statistics with stories and anecdotes. Mostly, I appreciated the helpful and practical advice given to readers.
July 28, 2024
fully enjoyed this read!
if your someone who cares about the ocean, wildlife and climate change this is almost a must read.
It gave me an in depth explanation of the crisis effecting our oceans while also not leaning into the dooming narrative that there is no solutions.
This book gives a compelling argument on how we can fix the problems we currently face.
if your someone who cares about the ocean, wildlife and climate change this is almost a must read.
It gave me an in depth explanation of the crisis effecting our oceans while also not leaning into the dooming narrative that there is no solutions.
This book gives a compelling argument on how we can fix the problems we currently face.
June 14, 2023
An I ncredible and eye-opening read!
December 17, 2023
EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!!
February 10, 2024
A very important topic and lots of facts and information for readers. I also really enjoyed the accounts of different expeditions, but sometimes the scientific parts were hard for me to stay focused.
September 13, 2024
Wonderful book. Beautiful writing. Highly recommended, even if you don't think you have an interest in seabirds.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews