This was a great dinosaur nonfiction book, it had everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel of this. The research was really well done and I was engaged with what was going on in this book. Charles Frankel has a great writing style and left me wanting to read more from them.

Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy of this story. All thoughts below are my own and are left voluntarily; they are not in any way influenced by the author, publisher, or others involved in its creation.

<i>Extinctions: From Dinosaurs to You</i> is a non-fiction book discussing the current situation in our world, mass extinction events, and supposed causes of said events. It addresses the fact that there have been five events considered (known) mass extinction events, and that we may be on the precipice of a sixth such event given the current state of the world. While the content is certainly interesting and is presented in an easily digestible way, I have two concerns with the author's approach to this story: the first is the almost narrow focus (specifically on the Holocene - the current geological epoch that began around 11,700 years ago) despite this subject being complex, involved, and beginning well before humans; the second is the almost essay-like nature of the book.

Do not get me wrong, I do not think an essay-style book is a bad thing, but the book reads less as an overview and analysis of the facts, and more as if the author has the goal of convincing the reader to see their point of view, albeit not overtly. I did enjoy the subject matter and learned a lot about mass extinction events and the effects of humans on the natural world, but I do find it somewhat unhelpful that the author characterises a lot of these events as being the fault of humans. While our development has had an impact on the natural world, humans are a part of its ecosystem, fortunately a part that has the capacity and sentience to understand our effects on the world, and we are only one factor in many that contribute to mass extinction events.

I wouldn't say I liked this book in the way I enjoyed others on similar subject matter, but I also wouldn't say I disliked it either. I think it was a good read and it presented one side of a very complex subject with background to back it up, but I also feel as if it was missing crucial details and crucial analysis that would have made it a five star exploration in my opinion. I do not believe that is strictly the fault of the author; given the density of the subject, and the fact that scientists are still exploring and learning about these events, it is possible some of the analysis was impossible at the time of writing. I would like to see an updated version of this book as more information becomes available and we explore the impacts of mass extinctions on the ecosystem.

This is a great in-depth look at the major extinction events that have happened in the past as well as what we might learn from them for the future. The End Cretaceous asteroid gets extra attention here and even though I've read other books on it (even T. rex and the Crater of Doom by Walter Alvarez, who started it all with his father), I found this one to be especially good at explaining what happened. But Frankel also looks at more modern extinctions, such as the large megafauna including woolly mammoths and giant cave bears that were most likely hunted into extinction by early hunters. He also goes into quite a lot of detail regarding current global warming trends and how that affects animals and plants. He wraps everything up with some suggestions for governmental policies going forward.

I probably enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second. Even though he said Chapter 3 (post Cretaceous recovery) was "somewhat technical and overly detailed in places" and "suggest[ed] skimming through the parts that appear too academic - except students of the earth sciences, of course," I found it very readable and understandable (even though I'm an informal student of such things). Honestly, I thought the parts about current global warming and modern species extinction rates were a bit more technical and detailed. Mr. Frankel has a good way with his explanations that helped to bring the history and situation alive in a way I've found lacking in other books.

The assessment of current times was somewhat depressing, even though he looks at it all in an almost clinical way. Other reviews have pointed out that humans come in for a lot of criticism at this point, and that's certainly true. I also believe, as Werner Heisenberg said: "... science started from the belief - or should one say, from the illusion? - that we could describe the world, or at least parts of the world, without any reference to ourselves." However, I didn't think Frankel was anywhere near as heavy-handed in this regard as others I've read, and in several places he pointed out that we need space and resources as well as animals and plants. But regardless, this was probably the best book I've read on the topic. 4.5 stars rounded up.

From the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs to today’s climate crisis, understanding extinction events can help us mitigate their impact. This book argues that by changing our destructive tendencies, prioritizing biodiversity conservation, and redefining our role as humans, we can take transformative action and give Earth a chance to heal.

This book provides an interesting overview of mass extinction event, but focuses mainly on the Holocene. I found it a bit disturbing the way the author characterized megafauna extinctions as massacres by humans, when the most we can reasonably say is that humans outcompeted them. Humans aren’t to blame because we’re able to use natural resources more intensively than other species. It’s only in the past 50 years or so that we’ve begun to understand the dangers we present to the natural world. Talking about blame accomplishes nothing.

Humans are part of the ecosystems they live in. Any solutions to preserving species diversity must include addressing human needs and human nature. This book doesn’t go far enough in acknowledging that fact. People aren’t going to change, and it’s naive to suggest that they will.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.