This book is an accessible introduction to the important environmental problem of discarded plastic in the oceans, with a splash of adventure added. The raft trip across the Pacific is not a replay of Kon Tiki, but a serious effort to draw attention to the waste disposal issues. Be careful about how much disposable plastic you buy, how you dispose of it and think before you eat that seafood-. It is a real issue.

Good book overall. Interesting concept and story. ( )

Junk Raft tackles a wide range of myths about pollution, plastics, and recycling, painting a picture of our world's trash & plastics issues against a backdrop of grassroots organizations, a large raft made of 'junk', and hope for a sustainable world. And, yes, it's a lot. There are chapters here which are fast and easy to digest, as clear as they are powerful; there are just as many chapters, though, that readers will find harder to digest if they don't have any background in Eriksen's wide-ranging exploration that, fairly regularly, delves into details of chemistry, design, and even biology. In other words, although this book is powerful and worth reading, it's also not an easy read.

Still, at the center of the work is a sense of power and optimism that offers the work a certain inertia, and so I have to think that most readers will find this book worth the time and focus it requires. I will admit, I think it could have been stronger with a bit more time spent on the journey Eriksen took toward becoming the conservationist he is, offering the path behind him to make him feel more approachable and relatable, and the book might have benefitted from a bit more focus on the present moment of the journey to break up the science of plastics... but that doesn't lessen the book's insight and intelligence. This is a careful and smartly researched endeavor to inform interested readers of what should be common knowledge regarding plastics, recycling, and potential for change, along with all of the false myths perpetrated by big business. Readers who are interested enough to pick it up, and to stay engaged with it, will be glad they did. ( )

JUNK RAFT by Marcus Eriksen chronicles Eriksen's trek across the Pacific Ocean on a Raft made of repurposed/recycled materials (mostly plastic) in 2008. Eriksen couples the recounting of this event with an education on plastic; from creation, to consumption, to the end life of plastics and how the world is suffering on multiple levels because of the many misunderstandings and mishandling of plastics from creation to decomposition (or lack thereof).
I'll leave the heavy arguments to Eriksen about how we as a society and a world should deal with plastic, but my feelings on how we interact with, consume, and recycle plastics has totally changed after reading JUNK RAFT. Eriksen's passion is inspiring and he does an admirable job of explaining his thinking without coming off as a nutty environmental extremist. He is also realistic in acknowledging that while he believes there are an infinite numbers of changes to be made involving all aspects of plastic, only so much can be achieved at a time and that small steps in the right direction sometimes is all that can be done and that small step is still valuable and necessary. He throws in some stories for shock value, but really what fascinated me the most was the seemingly simple stories of how little things that every person can do to affect larger change.
A man you definitely want to meet because you will be inspired just by being around him, Eriksen's passion is infectious. JUNK RAFT is an adventure story for readers who want that and an education for readers who want that and Eriksen weaves both parts together in such a way that adventurists are inspired and actvitists are entertained.
I received this book as part of the Goodreads Giveaway program. ( )

I wish I could give this book a higher review, but I had a real problem with the format and organization of the writing. I really wanted to read about the trip on the raft, but the book goes back and forth in time between the trip and the past (and later?), weaves in scientific and other factual information, and it really becomes a jumbled mess. I had hoped for more of the Kon-Tiki like exploration, with more personal thoughts. At the same time, the author is so passionate about the subject and I strongly respect this. It was just that the reading experience became so fragmented. Of course the main thing, the overload and dangers of plastic in the world, has great consequences for the environment and future of the world, and the agree with the unsustainability of the use of these non-degradable plastics. The microplastics are the worst, and this is one very important thing I learned more about in this book. I encourage the author to keep writing, since the writing are great, it is the organization of text that pulls down this review. ( )