The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know®

Lots of interesting information

If you loved watching the Planet Earth series on Netflix, you will love reading this book. I expected this book to be informative, which it definitely was. I was not prepared for this book to fill my imagination so colorfully or to give me an actual feeling of excitement when I had the chance to pick it up again each night. Even as a lover of nature, this book made me fall in love with it all over again through stories of a place I've never been.I recommend this book to anyone interested in incredible stories about nature. I also recommend this book to high school and university teachers who want to give their students a readable but well-researched text that shows the connections between humans and their environments. It is at once a history, social studies, anthropology, ecology, geology, biology and zoology text that would be a favorite in many classrooms. And, if you liked Plotkin's classic, "Shaman's Apprentice," be prepared: this one may even be better.The book is organized by chapters that begin with the place itself: Geology, Soils, Vegetation, and Rivers, then moves through its inhabitants- Plants, Animals, People and into a message about the future of the Amazon. I liked that the book was organized by questions. Many of these questions were ones that I would have no idea to ask, and simply reading the question raised my interest about the answer. Plotkin is a scholar- he's meticulous about his sources and scientific identification. But, on top of being a historian, ethnobotanist, and long-time expert in the people and places of Amazonia, he's also an incredible storyteller. His writing is approachable and often hilarious,"The rivers of Amazonia contain the ichthyological equivalent of the Mos Eisley cantina in the Star Wars universe: a collection of bizarre and improbable creatures that sometimes defy belief." He then goes on to list dozens of species of fish by their scientific and common names as well as their incredible features: some stand on their heads, eat people, shock people, talk, walk, swim backward and more.Honestly, I picked up this book on recommendation of a friend. I don't consider myself a particular "Amazon buff" and thought the topic might be too specific for my taste. To my delight, this book became hands-down my favorite summer read (fiction or non-fiction). It was fascinating and informative in a swiftly paced easy-to-digest narrative. I recommend this to anyone who cares about the earth or just wants a great read.

For all of us who have been isolated at home, the rabbit holes of social media are potent time-killers, and shopping online is just a fantastic way to melt down your bank account. Instead, why not while away the hours in a very different kind of Wonderland, one that will increase your knowledge and enrich your imagination?This is the book. The format is fantastic, allowing a reader to dip in and out at will. The chapters cover a mind-boggling range of info; though the chapters are short and entertaining, they are not lite (and you can follow the footnotes into a scholar's rabbit hole). In fact, for those who loved Plotkin's Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice, you will find Amazon stories galore embedded throughout. It's educated armchair travel at its finest.If your bucket list includes a trip to the Amazon, definitely read this book ahead of time! That way, if the boat captain wakes you at 5 am to see the pink river dolphins, you will jump out of bed and understand why a sighting is so rare and wonderful. In addition, the rainforest is so dense and so diverse that it can appear as just a mass of green. Do yourself a favor and learn what you are looking at. Of course, if you've been to the Amazon, you will lose yourself in its spell once again - thanks to this marvelous book.

The two main aspects that are very appealing about the book are 1) comprehensive presentation about all aspects of the Amazon--from the nature of a tropical rainforest to its human history; and 2) an easy to read manner of the content. Written by someone with decades of experience in the Amazon, especially the intersection of the humans living there and the plants, the book provides an excellent resource for people wanting to learn about this amazing place, and also provides a comprehensive discussion about the risks it moving forward.

This book has allot of great information, but no pictures. If you're looking for a book with amazing pictures of the Amazon rain forest and/or it's animals, there are none in this book.

I am a devotee of Dr. Plotkin. I work in the Amazon and require my students to read his books. He is one of the foremost scholars today on Amazonian studies. Thank you for another great resource.

Reads like a textbook

Book was USED (had dirt marks inside, cover was beat up), when I paid for NEW.

Learned a whole lot thanks.