This is a difficult book to read. The author's take on invasive species is definitely affected by his location: Great Britain. It really does sound as if the situation with non-native species is quite different in his homeland. I'm halfway through and finding it difficult to reconcile the "species move, get over it" message with the changes I've seen during my lifetime in the midwestern US and southwestern Ontario: elms lost to the elm bark beetle, ash trees lost to the emerald ash borer, garlic mustard moving in to colonize swathes of undisturbed woodland and displacing the wildflowers that formerly existed there, and so much more. Perhaps the second half of the book will address some of my perplexity.

"Where Do Camels Belong?" isn't a book about camels.  This book discusses the vagaries of humans labeling species as native or invasive, as well as the hysteria associated with alien invasive species.  In this nicely written book with numerous examples, Thompson discusses the evidence for the negative accusations leveled at these invasive species and finds that most don't deserve their bad reputation. 
 
Thompson argues that the the alien species greatest crime is moving in after human activities have made the ecosystem in question unsuitable for native species.  He also argues that most invasive species may provide benefits to these disturbed ecosystems.
 
Thompson also indicates that eradication efforts (usually involving harmful chemicals and more habitat disturbance) usually does more environmental damage than the alien invasive species.  The author makes a compelling argument that human activities such as deforestation, agriculture and dam building have irrevocably changed ecosystems, providing suitable habitat for invasive species, and as such, it pays to determine if the invasive species are guilty of their assumed negative effects before taking costly and usually ineffective measures to eradicate them.
 
 
 
 
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This book was interesting and well written. It did occasionally seem overly simplified but delving deeper would have made the book longer and the length was perfect. It's a good induction to the subject. ( )

I frequently find myself arguing the point that questions are better than answers (with varying degrees of success in making that point). This book presents a fine example of this frequent experience. The question laid out, is an excellent one, and it would be assumed, at the outset, that finding the answer by exploration could be adventurous and fun. The first third of the book does make good ground on this track, but does veer into a healthy bit of ennui for the rest of the way. This is due to an irony: the author can't state much with a certainty because the science and the facts are filled with so much uncertainty themselves! Nevertheless, I enjoyed, and the excellent question made it worth exploring the slightly less-than-excellent answers. ( )

A very reassuring book. Interesting list of species that should be reintroduced to GB before it's to late. ( )