David SuzukiReseñas

Ecology

I still prefer [b:The Hidden Life of Trees|28256439|The Hidden Life of Trees What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World|Peter Wohlleben|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464281905l/28256439._SX50_.jpg|48295241] because it is both (a) a bit more focused on botany and (b) has much more depth to the information it imparts. But for a quicker version of insights into trees and the environment they create and depend upon, Suzuki's book is really good.

Didn't really hit me too hard

An intimate conversation in the form of a theatre script between legendary environmentalists, David Suzuki & Tara Cullis, and two artists and activists from the next generation. Part memoir, part dinner party, the book touches on much of the history of the David Suzuki Foundation, and the legacy that Suzuki & Cullis hope to leave. At its heart is the theme of interconnectedness and the power of love.

www.davidsuzuki.org

In these inpsiring letters to his grandchildren, David Suzuki speaks passionately about their future. He challenges them to speak out and act on their behalf, explains why sports are important, decries the lack of elders and grandparents in the loves of many people, especially immigrants, and champions the importance of heroes. Letter to my Grandchildren includes stories from Suzuki's own remarkable life... He also provides an intimate look at his life as a father and grandfather and writes moving individual letters to each of his six grandchildren, including letters to his two part Haida grandchildren about the importance of their First Nations heritage. And he speaks candidly and eloquently about old age and death.'

quoted from the books synopsis (Vancouver, BC) published May 15, 2015.

581

We used to call trees 'timber'

But this story shows a life as intense as a human's. Suzuki and Grady make this a highly accessible science narrative. Some may wish to skim the technical and breathe in the poetical. Dendrophilics and ecologists will get a fine intro to forest processes and fully engage with the lifespan of a single Douglas fir.

The book Salmon Forest by David Suzuki and Sarah Ellis is an informational text about the salmon life cycle. The main character, Kate, learns about the dependency of the forest ecosystem through observing salmon returning to the river to spawn.
I like this book because it would be relatable to many of the students in the area in which I teach because I’m sure many of them have been out in the woods and have probably even been salmon fishing.
I would use this book to teach about the forest ecosystem and salmon life cycle but would also tie it into a unit on Oregon’s natural resources because one of those natural resources is salmon.

Started but didn't finish - felt like it was written for a much younger person who knows absolutely nothing about anything. Fairly patronizing. Don't have time for that kind of thing!

> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Suzuki-Lequilibre-sacre-Redecouvrir-sa-place-dans...
> BAnQ : https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/rechercheExterne/encoded/TCdFcXVpbGlicmUgc2FjcsOpIC...

> … dans des pages d'une lucidité hors du commun, David Suzuki montre la voie pour que se rétablisse un rapport équitable entre l'homme et la nature, et que perdure cet équilibre sacré essentiel à leur survie.

> Suzuki explique comment notre monde actuel découle de milliards d'années d'évolution d'un univers qui en vue d'autre. En plus de nous aider à mieux comprendre notre époque, ce livre nous rappelle que l'heure est grave et propose des solutions pour que survive notre humanité.
--Damien Girard, Montréal (ICI.Radio-Canada.ca)

> Suzuki nous démontre avec candeur que nous sommes relié à tous ce qui nous entoure, de l'infiniment petit à l'infiniment grand.
--Dominic Lapointe, Mont-Carmel (ICI.Radio-Canada.ca)

> Lire résolument optimiste mais lucide sur l'avenir de notre environnement et la redéfinition de notre place dans la nature
--Martin Jean, Montréal (ICI.Radio-Canada.ca)

> C'est un ouvrage magnifique qui célèbre la vie de la planète Terre, dans une langue scientifique qui demeure toutefois très accessible. À la manière des premiers hommes, on redécouvre "l'équilibre sacré" à travers les différents éléments comme l'air, la terre, l'eau, le feu.
--Suzanne Jean, Longueuil (ICI.Radio-Canada.ca)

> Suzuki propose des solutions pratiques pour satisfaire les besoins fondamentaux des individus et pour concevoir un mode de vie qui soit écologiquement viable.
--René Macé Papineau, Mont-Tremblant (ICI.Radio-Canada.ca)

> Excellent livre scientifique, bien documenté qui nous permet de réfléchir sur l'équlibre entre l'homme et la nature (philosophiquement).
--Caroline Lapointe, Ste-Julie (ICI.Radio-Canada.ca)

> Suzuki démontre l'équilibre entre l'homme et la nature et permet l'approfondissement de ce lien sacré. Il propose des solutions concrètes vers un mode de vie écologiquement viable afin de satisfaire nos besoins fondamentaux. L'équilibre sacré est une méditation sur nos modes de vie et notre projet de société.
--Christiane Fontaine, Sherbrooke (ICI.Radio-Canada.ca)

> L'EQUILIBRE SACRÉ, Redécouvrir sa place dans la nature, par David Suzuki. — La crise écologique qui nous menace est bien réelle et David Suzuki a réussi à faire un ouvrage qui combine réflexion philosophiques, anthropologiques, données scientifiques et vulgarisation. Après avoir lu son livre, nul ne peut se sentir indifférent au sort de notre planète qui est aussi le nôtre. C'est un tour d'horizon de la nature et de la conditon humaine à travers les pays et les époques ainsi qu'un cri du coeur pour du changement.
--Geneviève Marleau, Montréal (ICI.Radio-Canada.ca)

> Tout à fait d'accord avec ce choix! Excellent livre sur le sujet et — malgré le titre — pas du tout ésotérique. Il nous aide à comprendre à quel point nous faisons partie intégrante de cet environnement. Ce n'est pas un monde parallèle. C'est NOTRE monde. Et c'est NOTRE époque.
--Julie Marcil (ICI.Radio-Canada.ca)

Explores the relationships between humans, nature and the environment held by the two traditions of Western science and idigenous peoples around the world.

The book, in the version I got, is a bit outdated. However, it has some interesting parts that, at least for me, were worth considering.

Nonetheless, this is not for everyone, for it has strong opinions and a very clear ecological agenda. That, in itself, is not a bad thing. But you're not going to get a completely unbiased picture of its main subject. However, given that we are facing such a humongous environmental crisis, the taking of strong stances may well be the only possible course to force a change in the reader's perception.

This is a book about salmon that follows the narrative of a girl named Kate, who follows her fish-biologist father to the river where he works; a place he calls the Salmon forest. Together, they watch the salmon return to spawn, see a bear scoop salmon up to eat, and meet a Native boy and his family fishing nearby. This book teaches about the salmon, the environment and community around it, and how dependent things are upon salmon. I would use this book at the beginning of a lesson as an anticipatory set to stimulate schema through the narrative.

More wildly uneven than I expect from an anthology. I expected much more nature and much less spirituality from the cover blurbs, and I was somewhat disappointed by the relentless navel-gazing herein. I can't recommend this one.

This man writes a lot of sense. I just wish more people could see the truth of what he says.

David Suzuki is a revered elder statesman of the environmental movement and this is a rare chance to hear his message and pay tribute to the man. No-one says it better than fellow Canadian author and social activist Margaret Atwood, in her foreword to this book: ‘We should thank Dr Suzuki for the gifts he has given, and find within ourselves the grace to pass them on”.

Am looking for a real non Kindle edition. Anyone know of one?

Although not a book to be read cover-to-cover by its target audience, this is still a good book to use for young readers interested in Earth issues such as ecology and environmental science. I especially liked how the author wove myths from various indigenous cultures to illustrate certain points. The lives of some non-western children are also outlined in comparison to the average American child to show the contrast in how we live. An undercurrent romanticizing Nature may disqualify this book from being purely scientific, but the subtle reverence for the Soul of the Earth was not a detracting feature in the opinion of this reader. Young readers will probably enjoy reading this book in sections, and they especially might enjoy the many "Things to do" activities listed throughout the book. A science class teacher could find a wealth of ideas for simple science experiments from this resource.

A fish biologist takes his daughter to the "salmon forest," a river in the west coast rain forest where he works. Students will enjoy learning about salmon in this interesting story with beautiful imagery that integrates well with life cycle science.

Recommended for ages 7-10.

Renowned, both within Canada and the international scientific community, geneticist and environmentalist David Suzuki is best known, by me anyways, for his involvement with the CBC TV series The Nature of Things, which he has hosted since 1972. The Legacy is based upon a lecture that Suzuki gave in December 2009 at the University of British Columbia. I did not have the opportunity to hear his lecture in person, so I was quite happy to discover that this book is based upon that lecture and is the culmination of Suzuki's knowledge and wisdom to date - he is only in his 70's so one can only guess what may still be to come!

With forward written by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, The Legacy shows, in the written word, Suzuki's amazing skill at presenting the mysteries of nature and science in succinct, layman's terms. In less than 100 pages, Suzuki manages to summaries the earth's evolutionary process, explain the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water and tie these elements into Biodiversity, while still managing a brilliant minor side-step into the discussion of economics - how relentless growth is both a mathematical and an economic impossibility, ecology, borders as a strictly human creation that goes counter to the very laws of nature, and even touches on the whole nature/nurture question - Answer: one cannot exist without the other and on that note, is a completely pointless question.

The take away from this amazing work - that the elders, the ones that have lived the past and seen the changes that now comprise our present remind us that, in the words of Bernard Lown, "We must convince each generation that they are transient passengers on this planet earth. It does not belong to them. They are not free to doom generations yet unborn. They are not at liberty to erase humanity's past nor dim its future."

In a word, brilliant, especially the personalization that the change beings with each of us, then with our families, our communities, our country and the world. Suzuki closes off by listing off some attainable goals based on his childhood memories and attainable dreams: clean drinkable water in any river or lake, logging forests according to the principles of ecosystem-based management, cities built to optimally capture all the natural rhythms of the seasons - maximize sunlight, rooftop gardens, capture waterfall from rain.

I found this to be a very interesting book. David Suzuki is in his 70's now and has had a very interesting and varied life. His childhood was interrupted by WW2 and the horrendous experience of being forced into an internment camp. But he managed to get to college and graduate school and begin on the career he had chosen. But life has a way of taking you to where you are supposed to be and he more and more became involved in environmental issues all over the world. This often interfered with family life, and he regrets that to this day. A complete and detailed story of a very unusual and interesting life.

Enjoyed how the story details the true circular nature of life that exists with fish and other wildlife in a fictional format. In this way, children can learn detailed information about salmon spawning and life cycle in an enjoyable format. Particularly liked that the end of the book provided a salmon recipe for students to try.

This is a great introduction to David Suzuki. It covers a huge range of topics and presents them in short 2-3 page essays.

Evergreens help make much of the Pacific Northwest one of the most beautiful places on earth. Pines, cedars, and Douglas-fir line the horizon almost everywhere I go, and I’m lucky enough to see a few out any window of my house. But trees are more than ornaments. They are environments unto themselves. They provide shelter, food, and nutrients to a rich mix of birds, mammals, insects, and smaller organisms in the soil. I sometimes stop in the woods during mountain hikes and try to picture all the activity, both seen and unseen. Seeing a tree is one thing. Understanding and appreciating them is much deeper.

David Suzuki and Wayne Grady have put together an enjoyable book to help you do that. Tree: A Life Story, follows the long life of a single Douglas-fir in the Pacific Northwest. Beginning with the aftermath of a forest fire, the book studies the germination, growth, death, and recycling of the seed that becomes a giant. It rises through the forest canopy seeking sunlight, and deals with attacks and inconveniences from insects, birds, and other natural forces, before returning to the soil.

This may seem like a child’s book on the life cycle of a tree, but it is not simplistic. Suzuki (whom you may know from the television series The Nature of Things) and Grady delve into science every step of the way. Why do roots dig down while the stem sprouts up? How does the seedling know down from up anyway? How does chlorophyll work? How do the sugars produced in that process get distributed and, for that matter, how does the tree pump water and nutrients up a trunk that is over 200 feet tall?

The authors look beyond “our” individual Douglas-fir. They explore the tree’s relationships, too. A tree does not move, of course, but it connects, interacts, and communicates with nearly everything in its ecosystem, starting with the mychorrhyzial relationship its root tips share with fungi and the chemical defenses it deploys against insects. It even releases warnings to other trees when disease strikes.

Pleasantly meandering discussions in the book wander into the science of genetics, pollen distribution, bird, squirrel and salamander activity, how salmon improve forests, and the growth of botanical science over the centuries. All these topics — tread upon lightly but addressed satisfactorily — fit into a slim volume. I haven’t enjoyed a popular science book as much as this one in a long time.

Trees live longer and grow larger than any other organisms on earth, but they literally blend into the scenery unless you stop to notice the often small-scale, slow-motion activity feverishly taking place in and around them. By the time you reach the last page of Tree, even a rotted-out nurse log might stir your thoughts.

Find more of my reviews at Mostly NF.

This book will change your mind about sustainability.