January 2023 MBR The Environmental Studies Shelf

The Environmental Studies Shelf

Planting an Idea
Jerry Apps and Natasha Kassulke
Fulcrum Publishing
3970 Youngfield Street, Wheat Ridge, Colorado 80033
www.fulcrumbooks.com
c/o Independent Publishers Group (distribution)
https://www.ipgbook.com
9781682753422, $19.95, PB, 200pp

https://www.amazon.com/Planting-Idea-Guidebook-Critical-Environmental/dp/1682753425

Synopsis: "Planting an Idea: A Guidebook to Critical and Creative Thinking About Environmental Problems" by Jerry Apps and Natasha Kassulke is specifically written to help the reader figure out what his or her position is on a particular environmental problem, and ultimately not only know what their position is but help provide evidence to back up what that position may be. And not just any evidence, but accurate, verifiable evidence from a reputable, reliable source. So, in a way, "Planting an Idea" is a instructive guidebook and resource for examining and thinking critically and creatively about the important environmental problems that face our planet today.

Critique: As thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is inspired and inspiring, "Planting an Idea: A Guidebook to Critical and Creative Thinking About Environmental Problems" impressively written, deftly organized and accessibly presented -- making it unreservedly recommended for anyone with an interest in environmental issues. Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a seven page bibliography (For Further Reading), twenty pages of Notes, and an eight page Index, "Planting an Idea" will prove an invaluable addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Environmental Studies collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note #1: Jerry Apps (https://jerryapps.com) was born and raised on a central Wisconsin farm. He is a former county extension agent and professor emeritus for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Today he works as a rural historian, full-time writer, and creative writing instructor. Jerry is the author of more than forty fiction, nonfiction, and children's books with topics ranging from barns, one-room schools, cranberries, cucumbers, cheese factories, and the humor of mid-America to farming with horses and the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Editorial Note #2: Natasha Kassulke is a former journalist for the Wisconsin State Journal and former editor of Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine. Today, she directs communications for the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and teaches journalism courses part-time at Madison College.

The Lost Continent
David Alexander Baker
Imagine Publishing
https://www.imaginebooks.net
c/o Charlesbridge Publishing
85 Main Street, Watertown, MA 02472
https://www.charlesbridge.com
9781623545147, $27.99, HC, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Continent-Conservation-Restoration-Extinction/dp/1623545145

Synopsis: Deftly organized and presented into three parts (Discovering Corals, Wonder and Devastation, and Searching for Hope) and told through a series of gripping stories, with the publication of "The Lost Continent: Coral Reef Conservation and Restoration in the Age of Extinction" documentarian David Alexander Baker takes his readers on a global adventure to the front lines of an unfolding ecological crisis.

More than half of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed in the past fifty years due to the climate crisis. "The Lost Continent" helps readers gain a deeper understanding of coral reefs and why they are vital to the health of our oceans (and the survival of our planet and of our species) and highlights the incredible conservation and restoration strides being made around the world.

With over 60 breathtaking photographs of coral reefs spanning from Colombia to Australia to the Florida Keys readers will be moved both by the majesty of nature and the urgency to preserve and restore these great cities of the seas.

Critique: "The Lost Continent: Coral Reef Conservation and Restoration in the Age of Extinction" is a compelling call to action and is particularly and especially recommended as an essential and critically important addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Contemporary Marine Environmental Studies collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, environmental activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Lost Continent: Coral Reef Conservation and Restoration in the Age of Extinction" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Editorial Note: David Alexander Baker is a writer, photographer, and filmmaker. His feature documentaries include Saving Atlantis, American Wine Story, and Three Days of Glory. He's the author of the critically acclaimed novel Vintage, and his fiction and nonfiction have appeared in a range of publications. He leads a media production team at Oregon State University where he has covered research projects around the world.

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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review