| 100 Heartbeats: The Race to Save Earth's Most Endangered Species |  | Author: Jeff Corwin
Publisher: Rodale Books
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
Buy New: $1.49
as of 9/10/2010 12:51 CDT details
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Rating:  38 reviews
Sales Rank: 132,827
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 336
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.4 x 1
ISBN: 1605298476
Dewey Decimal Number: 333.95416
EAN: 9781605298474
Publication Date: October 27, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
It’s no secret that our planet—and the delicate web of ecosystems that comprise it—is in crisis. Environmental threats such as climate change, pollution, habitat loss, and land degradation threaten the survival of thousands of plant and animal species each day. In 100 Heartbeats, conservationist and television host Jeff Corwin provides an urgent, palpable portrait of the wildlife that is suffering in silence and teetering on the brink of extinction. From the forests slipping away beneath the stealthy paws of the Florida panther, to the giant panda’s plight to climb ever higher in the mountains of China in search of sustenance, to the brutal poaching tactics that have devastated Africa’s rhinoceros and elephant populations, Corwin takes readers on a global tour to witness firsthand the critical state of our natural world. Along the way, he shares inspiring stories of battles being waged and won in defense of the earth’s most threatened creatures by the conservationists on the front lines. These stories of hope and progress underscore an important message: Our own survival, as well as that of the world’s wildlife, is in our hands. The race to save the planet’s most endangered wildlife is under way. Every heartbeat matters.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 38
 100 stars for 100 Heartbeats!! October 21, 2009
B. Smawley (USA)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
I was familiar with Jeff Corwin only by occasional glimpses of his show on Animal Planet. And based on that exposure I rather thought of him as an entertainer but ordered *100 Heartbeats* anyway because it is about animals. Was I in for a surprise. This book is a well researched, well reasoned exposition on animal extinction -- animals that have already gone extinct, others that are clearly endangered or threatened and those that have been saved or are in the process of being saved. One would wonder how he managed to keep his objectivity after all he has seen but he did IMO.
The book is divided into sections. Part 1 is about global warming and habitat loss. This part is scary since it is so hard to convince some that global warming is even happening. Isn't our earth and its inhabitants too precious to take a chance? How can it hurt to protect all living things--after all, each one has its own purpose. Part 2 is about introduced species, pollution, and disease. This section covers introduced species such as pigs or cats (or man) which once introduced into a system, can decimate local species. Mr. Corwin had numerous examples in the book. He also discusses the affects of pollution and poaching on wildlife. Part 3 is about education vs. exploitation.
Mr. Corwin's encounter with chimps when he visited their sanctuary was funny. He also described a heartbreaking incident about a baby chimp clinging to his mother. I won't say more for those of you who have yet to read the book. He also holds a baby orangutan in his arms, an experience he humanizes. He allows that humans and primates are similar yet different so if I could ask Mr. Corwin one question it would be why is it that those who work with animals constantly explain to the rest of us that they are not anthropomorphizing? Is it really so hard to assume that many animals have human tendencies or have their own way of thinking? Homo sapiens can certainly act like animals so when a chimp acts human, why is it still acting like an animal?
I was impressed with this book and highly recommend it. Mr. Corwin does not claim to be a scientist but a naturalist which is probably better since science excludes any consideration of common sense. As I stated above, he has written a well researched and objective book. I recommend this book not only for the already converted but for those still looking for answers. *100 Heartbeats* may just give you reason to think, to wonder about what will happen to us if we destroy all other living creatures.
Not necessarily as expected, but very well done September 24, 2009
Jesse D. Walker (Logan, UT)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Those who are used to Jeff Corwin through his television programs may be in for something of a surprise... this isn't a funny book, and it's not targeted at younger audiences. Corwin comes across as an experienced conservation biologist, and presents a lot of scientific data along with his personal experiences. He's a great writer, and easy to follow, so it's hard to put the book down (a little unusual for a "science" book). I really enjoyed reading it.
Must read for those (adults + kids) who care and are interested in the conversation of animals and our planet November 30, 2009
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is such a topical, relevant and required book for the times we live in. Its seeing the world through the eyes of species which have been driven to the brink of extinction by mankind and understanding their critical place in our lives and on our planet.
Jeff Corwin has been working in the area of conservation for over 15 years now and this book is an incredible result of his very extensive knowledge and understanding of our planet's eco-systems, the reasons why so many species are facing extinction and what we all can and need to be doing to preserve the planet we inherited from our parents and owe to our children. This book is both very informative and inspiring at the same time. Great stories to share with kids as unfortunately these are the tales they need to get inspired and learn from to influence the future of our planet.
I decided to make this book my Christmas gift to my friends this year and have gotten great feedback from the few that I sent it to thus far.
100 Heartbeats...and every heartbeat matters. August 27, 2009
Reading It All (Orange County, CA USA)
With 100 Heartbeats: The Race to Save Earth's Most Endangered Species, Biologist and TV Host Jeff Corwin embarks on the journey of a lifetime. We follow him into every ecosystem on Earth to get a glimpse of some of the Earth's most endangered species. Between the behind-the-scenes stories, Corwin gives us real - meaty - discourse. Global warming, destruction of rainforest, pollution...are all covered with intelligence and facts.
100 Heartbeats refers to the subjects of the book (...and upcoming MSNBC Documentary of the same title) species that have fewer than 100 members living in the wild.
The following is from the Acknowledgement:
It is my hope that this book will serve as a catalyst, educating people about the state
of our natural world and compelling them to help protect it for future generations.
We have the chance to do it and we can succeed. Every heartbeat matters.
The only thing that can make this better is the 16 pages of color photos promised in the published version...although Corwin does an excellent job of drawing the picture. This is a documentary that I look forward to seeing.
Depressing and frightening, yet heartwarming and hopeful September 7, 2009
John Nolley II (Fairfax, VA United States)
Jeff Corwin's tale of some of the most endangered species of animals across the planet does at many points make for a depressing, even frightening read, but in the tales of those species we have worked to pull back from the brink of extinction--and in Jeff's devotion to animals of all kinds (not just the poster children for National Geographic like polar bears and pandas!)--there is a glimmer of hope yet... and a lesson we must take heed of before it's too late.
The title comes from biologist E.O. Wilson's article on those animals so critically endangered that 100 or less of them remain alive in the world. Fortunately, most of the species Jeff writes about are not nearly so badly off (yet!), though each faces incredible challenges going ahead--most of them through our making as thoughtless humans. With many of the species Jeff writes about, we still have some time in which we can recognize what we're doing and work to save them from extinction--though at the same time, the danger is there and is real for them all; as scientists know all to well, Jeff writes, even those species numbering in the thousands of individuals can vanish in the blink of an eye, often before we realize the danger (or, worse, even when we do and might have been able to prevent their extinction).
The book covers the stories of many species, as well as the reasons--all too many of them due to us and our actions--they face such grave challenges with which they are not naturally equipped to cope. Well-known animals like the Giant Panda, polar bear, and Bengal Tiger make appearances alongside those most of us have never heard of, like tree frogs in Queensland, birds in Hawaii, and several primates. Success stories--the saving of the Bald Eagle and many other top-of-the-food-chain species of birds from the damage done their species by DDT and hunting--dot the landscape, offering proof that the slide is not inevitable if we only do something! These accounts offer hope; those of species which didn't make it, like the Passenger Pigeon (wiped out by hunting and apathy despite having lived in flocks numbering in the millions of birds) or the Stellar's Sea Cow (a relative of the manatee), offer an acute warning.
The philosophy of the book can be summed up perhaps in Jeff's own story of his life's journey to become first a naturalist (in the wonder he, as a city boy, found observing a snake in his aunt's backyard) and then a conservationist (witnessing a neighbor thoughtlessly, even proudly, kill that same snake). All animals are to be valued for what they are and their own natural wonder. Rather than the fear or disgust at the snake that would affect so many of us--Jeff's aunt included--he valued it as a living, natural thing, and the irreversible tragedy of the loss of that animal's life serves as a good metaphor for the extinction of a species, be it photogenic and cute like the panda or not-so-much so like the California Condor.
My only wish was that I'd had a chance to read a more-complete version of the book; my advance reader's proof lacked the photographic insert the finished text will include, for example--but given how well-written the book is, I expect that in its final form, those photos will only add to the book. That said, don't expect this to be a glossy nature tome full of cute pictures; it's a text on some of our most endangered species and the threats they face (and a darn good one, at that).
Showing reviews 1-5 of 38
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