Human, the Orchid, and the Octopus: Exploring and Conserving Our Natural World Book

I came across this book on the bargain shelf and picked it up because I have fond memories of watching The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau as a child and thought it would be interesting to read more about him. Though not the autobiography I was expecting, I found the book fascinating. It is part history, part nature conservancy, part political - it is at times prophetic (fifteen years ago Cousteau projected a catastrophic nuclear event due to plants in Japan being built on fault lines) and at times terrifying (his description of the destruction of sea life he has witnessed over the years not to mention the evidence he provides regarding radioactive waste and nuclear stockpiling). But through it all, there is a vein of hope, of respect, and most certainly a pleading to the rest of us to take up where he left off to protect our natural world.

One of my favorite quotes from the book came toward the end - "For most of his existence, Homo Sapiens had to struggle against nature to survive. A creature with almost no defensive or offensive weapons, the human had access to little more power than he could cajole from a mule. Suddenly, stumbling upon the secret of fossil fuel, he found himself the unexpected ruler of the planet. He has not yet mastered his supremacy. He does not understand that his survival now depends not on the conquest of nature, but on the protection of nature. Man has ascended to his level of incompetence."

I have already recommended reading The Human, the Orchid and the Octopus to several family members and friends, and will continue to do so - thoughtfully written, with fascinating stories and statistics, it is an excellent book and I can only hope there are more Jacques Cousteau's in the world to save us from ourselves.