So amazingly written! I was immediately pulled in, it doesn’t read as a dry academic text as some science books can. There were parts in the middle that started to slump a little, in part because of my burnout but also because the science info could become a little heavy.

A look at the past and present of the ocean and the animals/wildlife that live there, using this information to see how we can save it! Great intro about how we can be fearful but also hopeful and use both those feelings to take action before it’s too late 🤍

Explores some of the dangers facing the future of the oceans and marine life including overfishing, microplastics, and climate change. Each chapter focuses on one of the issues we are facing, a few species that are affected, and what is being done/can be done to stop or sometimes reverse the damage being done.

The last couple of chapters especially focus a lot on different methods being tried to save the ocean! Throughout the book and in the end, we learn about marine reserves, reef restoration, and that no matter what method scientists use the only thing that can have enough of an impact is cutting carbon emissions and having stricter restrictions on fishing industries.

Scales also reminds us that boycotting and using our voices can help make changes in whatever ways we can, but to not feel bad for what we can’t do because it’s ultimately up to governments and corporations to make the biggest changes since they’re the ones causing the most damage.

I’ve looooved the ocean since I was a kid! I hated science classes but the ocean, I fuck with 😂 i am terrified of the deep ocean/waters in general (the phobia thing) but my arguably healthy fear is also paired with a very deep respect for ocean life 🌊

Love that the author uses indigenous names for places/settings! Like Aotearoa is the Māori people’s name for what is New Zealand. She also points out the issues we are facing are mostly due to colonialism and colonial countries in power that don’t have to rely on ocean life the way indigenous peoples do. It’s a reminder that everything is connected and none of us are safe and protected until all of us, including ocean life, are free and protected!

I do hope the final version will have photos of the animals mentioned because I did have to look some of them up because I didn’t know what they were/looked like.

Overall it was informative without being dry/boring and kept me engaged for the most part! It reinforced my love of the ocean and wanting to save it, while also teaching me about its history. I’d highly recommend to anyone who enjoys science books (or doesn’t as much, like me) and has an interest in environmental justice, marine life, or the affects of climate change and how we can do better!

“An alternative view is to think of fish and other sea life not as a resource to profit from but as animals that have their own right to exist.”

“Unhitching humanity from business as usual, shifting the underlying drivers that cause so many problems, and finding new ways of living with the changing ocean is where truly radical views of the future lie.”

“We all depend on healthy seas for the air we breathe, for the falling rain, for the livable world we inhabit. For millions of people, a healthy ocean means food and jobs.”