I liked the idea of telling the story of the reef through notable people... but I just felt like it unfolded in a strange way. First half covered history of white settlement and second half tried to cover the emergence of a conservation mindset and the evolution of the science. Just didn't quite work for mine. ( )

I have a fairly balanced amount of non-fiction in my reading diet, making up a consistent 25% or so of what I read. But it tends most often to be philosophy/theory or some kind of personal history/memoir, and not as much of the pure history or science. This book combines the two, really, providing an account of historical interactions with and scientific explorations of the Great Barrier Reef. It's very well-written and with the deeply personal narrative drive of the book it's easy to become invested in. Each chapter introduces us to a new figure, detailed in around 20 pages, while we linger in or return to our familiar (though vast and changeable) setting.

I'd been a little misled by the introduction and thought that the second part of the book would feature more accounts of indigenous people interacting with the Reef, and I was quite excited to hear some of these stories. However, the second part was more about the white travellers interacting with or reacting to indigenous groups. I understand, because there is far more written material for McCalman to work with, and he does give due mention of the unintended misunderstandings between the players, as well as the intentional misinterpretation recorded by whites with political or economic agendas. Still, I feel a bit bereft with having this history of interactions with an amazing geological feature, one which must have been significant in the lives of the people on Australia's north-east shore, that never fully explores how indigenous peoples understood it. McCalman makes a vague mention of a different geo-spatial understanding of the Reef, of ocean and land, and how our understanding of what the Reef is is still only a construct, a view through a frame we take for granted, but he never follows that thread. ( )

Joy's review: The story of the Great Barrier Reef as told the biographies of 12 individuals for whom the Reef featured prominently in their life. I thought this was a great way to present the cultural, natural and geographical history of this fantastic natural phenomenon. It's an incredibly interesting cast of characters and a wonderful book. ( )

Reads like a fascinating account of those who researched the GBF since Captain Cook, but ends with the inevitable consequence that modern scientists continue to reach, namely that coral is the canary in the coal mine we have been watching slowly perish.
If there was a more blatant example of the stupidity, greed and complacency of humans I'd be surprised. And now it's too late.
Go and see it soon for by 2050 it will be no more. ( )