Jeff Corwin

100 Heartbeats Club is what conservationists call species that are so endanger of extinction that there are less than 100 individuals left in the wild. In this book, Jeff Corwin gives the reader an overview of some of the major causes of species extinction and endangerment and provides the reader with examples and case study to illustrate the challenges. Despite the title of the book, Corwin does not focus on species that are members of the 100 Heartbeats Club, although he does mention a few. I would recommend this book to someone that wants to know something about endangered species conservation who does not already know a lot about it. I studied endangered species conservation in college and graduate school, so there was nothing new or interesting for me in the book. Most of the animals (he does not discuss any plants) are those whose story I am already familiar with and the issues he addresses (climate change, pollution, habitat loss, human population growth, etc.) are those I already know a lot about. However, it is presented in a clear and interesting way that those without my background in conservation biology would get a lot out of. I did like that in each section, at least one of the stories is a tentative success story where the species population is improving. It is nice that the message isn't all doom and gloom. Overall, for me it was just OK, but others would probably learn a lot from the book.… (meer)

I have always been more of a fan of Jeff Corwin even over Steven Irwin, may he Rest In Peace. Corwin has a great way of being educational but is light enough about it that you are having fun and laughing but still learning, which is also conveyed within this book itself.

Although Corwin is known for his bits of comedy and making you laugh he seems to save it mostly for the captions of his pictures within the book where he uses modern imitations of his joke. The rest of the book for the majority is given in a practical yet easy-to-read format while the seriousness of the subject matter is broken up with episodes and personal stories of Corwin whether from his boyhood days to preparing for marriage or even taping for his shows.

The main thing I have to comment on that I loved the most was the Table of Contents for in this particular one it doesn't only give you the section with a page number but a short summary. In a big book like this where it can be broke down into individual readings it allows you to find what you are wanting to read instead of random guessing or just reading cover to back cover.

From there Corwin takes us into four separate biomes where you are introduced into the battle for survival whether living in the deserts, the rainforest or the grasslands under whatever name they may be called. Furthermore coming from a guy who specializes in herpetology you get a chance to meet what would be considered the minor or forgotten players of other non-fiction books about the same biome so providing you with a new standpoint altogether.

The book for me has a bunch of emotional undertow for me, which automatically gives it the full stars. I was cheering for the young coyote, agonizing with the zebra stallion in his deadly lock and breathlessly exploring the other chapters. The book will catch your attention and pull you in but since it is about the natural world there is one complaint, which can't be helped.

Corwin is graphic, sometimes too graphic, but that is the way of the natural world. You want to know but when he passes you what you want you cringe back from the facts. If you can read and clean up the reading it may be a good book for somewhat younger kids but I wouldn't recommend it much for any younger audiences for that fact although they may just like the pictures.… (meer)