Fuzz by Mary Roach
Reviewed by: Beth Weimer, Communications Specialist
Genre: Nonfiction
Suggested Age: Adults, Teens
What is the book about?: Why does the Pope need lasers? To ward off aggressive gulls, of course. Fuzz wanders through the strange realm of human-wildlife conflict, examining the science and history of our bumbling and sometimes harmful attempts to control nature. Author Mary Roach humorously dives right into the muck we’ve made, encountering bear burglars, thieving macaques, robot falcons, man-eating leopards, toxic beans, vandalizing vultures, danger trees, and more during her field research. By talking to wildlife officers and researchers dealing with conflicts around the world, the book examines the logistics and ethics of the vast and mostly futile methods used to prevent, control, and eliminate some of nature’s peskier problems, from bounty-hunting to military interventions and sci-fi-esque gene drives.
My Review: Mary Roach is probably my favorite narrative nonfiction writer due to her wit and approachable take on science-ish subjects, and Fuzz did not disappoint (although I could have geeked out on an entire book about animal attack forensics). I learned several fun new words (like frass and kronism) and about exciting new career options like danger tree faller blaster (!!). I also learned that the beautiful necklace a friend brought me from Peru is actually made of rosary pea seeds that contain abrin – the most lethal phytotoxin on the planet – and promptly sealed it away from my kitten’s insatiable curiosity, saving her life or at least an expensive trip to the vet. Aside from the first few chapters and some fascinating footnotes, the book strays a bit from the “crime” premise, but Roach does make the important point that most of these conflicts involve animals just being animals as humans encroach on their habitats, and touches on the questionable ethics of bioengineering animals and the intentional mass exterminations of ‘nuisance’ populations. Also, I now feel more confident in my ability to possibly survive a bear attack and definitely not survive a cougar attack, and wish this book continued as a podcast.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Fascinating, Witty, Informative
Give This a Try if You Like… Stiff by Mary Roach, On Animals by Susan Orlean, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play by Nick Offerman
Rating: 5/5
