Litsy

The Secret History of Sharks: The Rise of the Ocean's Most Fearsome Predators | John Long

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The Secret History of Sharks, by John Long (2024)

Premise: A comprehensive introduction to the long history and evolution of sharks

Review: There is no question that John Long knows his stuff and is able to communicate complex material effectively. I learned more about sharks than I ever wanted to. Cont.

Mattsbookaday That‘s both this book‘s incredible success and slight weakness: It‘s often hard with popular science books to juggle the desire for comprehensiveness with the desire for accessibility, and at times I definitely got bogged down in the sheer volume of information here.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 2d

3 likes1 comment

Anna40

Everything Is Teeth | Evie Wyld

so-so

The graphic novel written by Evie Wyld and illustrated by Joe Sumner was only ok. Evie remembers growing up in Australia where her shark obsession begins. Interspersed with shark attack stories this is really about family and loss but stays too much on the surface to be a moving, heartfelt memoir. I enjoyed Sumner‘s artwork.

25 likes

TorieStorieS

Fathomless | Greig Beck

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It‘s been ages since I last indulged in my love of shark stories, so I decided to re-listen to this one in preparation to finish the trilogy! I probably didn‘t need to listen to this one again, but it‘s quick & fun— plus, I get a kick out of the narrator‘s voice when sped up sounding a lot like Robert Stack! It‘s not exactly an original story, but littering is quickly punished by becoming food & the side stories add new dangers than the shark!

43 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Sharks Don't Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist | Jasmin Graham

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Resilient, defiant, joyful, gentle. The tone of this work really surprised me. As much as Graham is clear about her and others' negative experiences of racism and misogyny in academia and scientific field research, it's clear that in pursuing her own path she has provided a place of hope and curiousity undaunted by biased, apathetic and oppressive forces, not just for herself but for other Black people and other minority groups, 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? and in doing so improves the future of marine science and marine ecology.
There are hints of How Far the Light Reaches (parallel in relating personal and broader moments of minority struggles with those of sea life) and Owls of the Eastern Ice (focus on how study could change policy for the better for protection of species). 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 3/? While there are scientific reflections and descriptions of research including shark details provided, this is primarily an activist memoir. There are moments in the current timeline recounting fulfilling work in the field and efforts to bring change to the scientific/academic community, contrasted with moments from the past; both proud and fond remembrances of family, and necessary identification of historical racist initiatives and how 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 4/? they affected generations of Grahams; moments of discovery over a childhood and young adulthood making the decision to pursue marine science in academia and the pitfalls encountered therein facilitated by intolerant and unethical behaviour. 3mo

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Robotswithpersonality 5/? I am so happy for and proud of Graham for what she's accomplished, for how she broke away to do what was best for her, how clear she makes it that the institutions made it impossible to stay, and join her in looking forward to a time when the initiatives she's worked hard to put in place are no longer required, when the scientific community and the community at large is a more equitable and open place. 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 6/? I will say from a reading flow perspective, there were a few passages that felt like the same material reintroduced, rather than just referenced, multiple times. If the work was set up to dip in and out of, I could see ensuring any one chapter with portions of the same material carried all the explanatory information, but this is very much a linear narrative, so it felt a bit odd to go over the same ground again. 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 7/7 My hunch is that between writing grants and scientific papers, Graham is very accustomed to explaining things thoroughly, and the benign side effect is that certain information is made very clear by being reviewed on multiple occasions.
⚠️racism, misogyny, mental health concerns, mention of sexual harrassment, SA (edited) 3mo

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