Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law
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- Create Date：2022-09-25 03:19:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Mary Roach
- ISBN：1324036125
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Summary
What’s to be done about a jaywalking moose？ A bear caught breaking and entering？ A murderous tree？ Three hundred years ago， animals that broke the law would be assigned legal representation and put on trial。 These days， as New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach discovers， the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict， a discipline at the crossroads of human behavior and wildlife biology。
Roach tags along with animal-attack forensics investigators， human-elephant conflict specialists， bear managers， and "danger tree" faller blasters。 Intrepid as ever， she travels from leopard-terrorized hamlets in the Indian Himalaya to St。 Peter’s Square in the early hours before the pope arrives for Easter Mass， when vandal gulls swoop in to destroy the elaborate floral display。 She taste-tests rat bait， learns how to install a vulture effigy， and gets mugged by a macaque。
Combining little-known forensic science and conservation genetics with a motley cast of laser scarecrows， langur impersonators， and trespassing squirrels， Roach reveals as much about humanity as about nature’s lawbreakers。 When it comes to "problem" wildlife， she finds， humans are more often the problem—and the solution。 Fascinating， witty， and humane， Fuzz offers hope for compassionate coexistence in our ever-expanding human habitat。
Roach tags along with animal-attack forensics investigators， human-elephant conflict specialists， bear managers， and "danger tree" faller blasters。 Intrepid as ever， she travels from leopard-terrorized hamlets in the Indian Himalaya to St。 Peter’s Square in the early hours before the pope arrives for Easter Mass， when vandal gulls swoop in to destroy the elaborate floral display。 She taste-tests rat bait， learns how to install a vulture effigy， and gets mugged by a macaque。
Combining little-known forensic science and conservation genetics with a motley cast of laser scarecrows， langur impersonators， and trespassing squirrels， Roach reveals as much about humanity as about nature’s lawbreakers。 When it comes to "problem" wildlife， she finds， humans are more often the problem—and the solution。 Fascinating， witty， and humane， Fuzz offers hope for compassionate coexistence in our ever-expanding human habitat。
Reviews
Shellie
，
Well she does it again！ Entertains and teaches。So much in this book！ So much。 I’m not going to pick a favorite chapter， but I really did enjoy chapters 3， 7， 1， and the footnotes at the end were delightful， don’t miss those。 If you’re familiar with Ms。 Roche‘s work you get it。 If you’re not familiar， might I suggest getting familiar。 She’s an energetic author。 I have enjoyed every book by her I’ve read。 I have not yet read all of them， but it is my intent to。
Holly
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Welp， don't judge a book by it's cover。 I was under the impression this one would be different。 In a nutshell it felt like Bill Nye was interviewing scientists and specialists with "animal disturbances" in their community。 I liked the first few accounts of the problem behaviors of the large animals- the bears， mountain lions， and elephants were interesting to read about。 But overall it just did not hold my interest discuss overpopulations of feral cats， monkeys， rats， and toxic plants。 I wish I Welp， don't judge a book by it's cover。 I was under the impression this one would be different。 In a nutshell it felt like Bill Nye was interviewing scientists and specialists with "animal disturbances" in their community。 I liked the first few accounts of the problem behaviors of the large animals- the bears， mountain lions， and elephants were interesting to read about。 But overall it just did not hold my interest discuss overpopulations of feral cats， monkeys， rats， and toxic plants。 I wish I did enjoy this book， I got my feet wet with some non-fiction reading， but now I am more than ready to delve back into some psychological thrillers。 I think it's safe to say that I am not a fan of "nonfiction animal biology books" 。。。more
Lizzie （Dizzy Lizzie’s Book Emporium）
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Favorite chapters: Maul CopsBreaking and Entering and EatingThe Terror Beans
Jessi H
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My first real foray into popular science writing。Unfortunately， I felt a bit bait-and-switched with this one。 The premise was animals who broke human law， but instead， I got a bunch of loosely related essays about wildlife conservation efforts by humans。The big takeaway I got from the book was this: humans are rubbish at taking care of wildlife。 We tend to overcorrect （or just be prejudiced）。 （Don't like a species？ We introduce a known predator to take care of it。 Oops， known predator has no oth My first real foray into popular science writing。Unfortunately， I felt a bit bait-and-switched with this one。 The premise was animals who broke human law， but instead， I got a bunch of loosely related essays about wildlife conservation efforts by humans。The big takeaway I got from the book was this: humans are rubbish at taking care of wildlife。 We tend to overcorrect （or just be prejudiced）。 （Don't like a species？ We introduce a known predator to take care of it。 Oops， known predator has no other predators and becomes a pest itself， worse than the original problem。 Looking at you， New Zealand。）We're also specie-est。 There's a reason children have teddy bears， not teddy goats， Roach says at one point。 We like big and pretty animals。 We don't really care about ugly ones。And finally， I gained a deeper understanding of the stupidity of humans。 In a chapter about killing trees， conservation parks will hire tree experts to determine if the trees are healthy and not in danger of falling and killing people。 However， people don't stop to think of "why" people might have to cut down old historic trees and jump straight to lunacy:"No surprise， then， that Dazy’s work in this grove has from time to time drawn complaint。 He once tried to talk to a protester， to explain that these trees were dying， and that they’d be coming down soon（ish） anyway。 To which the protester replied， 'We think the trees know when it’s their time to fall down。' Of course， it is not knowledge that prompts a tree’s fall， but some fatal brew of wind and gravity and damage and rot。"Roach writes with humor， which can sometimes be a little corny， but I was laughing throughout my read。 （Quite impressive， considering I was reading this late at night。） Read this for the footnotes alone。 Consider:"Though turkeys， too， have crashed into planes。 But only wild ones。 Supermarket turkeys have never hit planes， but supermarket chickens have， because they are fired at jet parts to test their ability to hold up to birds strikes。 The device that fires them is called， yes it is， the chicken gun。""Major Meredith believed hundreds more had been hit but survived。 He credited the emu with an almost supernatural ability to 'face machine guns with the invulnerability of tanks。” He sounded wistful。 “If we had a military division with the bullet-carrying capacity of these birds it would face any army in the world。'"In short， I enjoyed this book for the random tidbits of knowledge I acquired throughout。 I wish it would've felt more cohesive -- as it was， it felt like a series of essays thrown together。 Even an afterward or a here's-what-we-learned chapter would be helpful。 I'm also a bit annoyed by the bait-and-switch still。 And I would kill to have Mary Roach's job。 。。。more
Deirdre
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I love Mary Roach’s style of writing。 You get to learn so much by her interviews with interesting experts that finds along the way。 Her sense of humor is such that I found myself laughing out loud on almost every other page。 Do not miss reading the footnotes。 They contain some of the funniest stories。 I would love to go out and have drinks with her and hear some of her stories。 Just the way she looks at life is a riot。 Keep on riding please。
Sasha Balazic
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Nature - more like neat Honestly so neat - I learned so many facts to provide useful anecdotes at dinner table conversation。 To make people go - Hmm - yeah！ WOW
Hailey
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i've never been a huge nonfiction reader but this book really was a good one。 made me laugh， smile， and question why i hate mice so much。 it's very easy to digest and i feel bad for anyone around me who had to deal with my never ending animal facts the past week。 i've never been a huge nonfiction reader but this book really was a good one。 made me laugh， smile， and question why i hate mice so much。 it's very easy to digest and i feel bad for anyone around me who had to deal with my never ending animal facts the past week。 。。。more
Amy Polk
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4。75*。 In-depth， often humorous， and very well-written exploration of the efforts across the globe to cohabitate， and， many times attempt to eradicate， species we share the planet with but often don’t want to live with。
Janice
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Roach investigates what happens when humans invade another species’ territory。 From bears to monkeys and more， how they’ve adapted to our habitats to live。 Plus philosophical thinking on gene manipulation and more。 Always enjoy Roach’s research and humor。
Elizabeth Swindell
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6/10: not my fave but still good！ I love how she incorporates historical events into her books as day to day examples such as 9/11; you can tell she does extensive research
Mac Marland
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I have read all of Mary Roach's books and loved almost all of them。 She is a superb writer with the nack to take complex science and break it down to simple explainations， oftimes with a good serving of humor。 I did not enjoy Fuzz。 There was less of her wit and humor but I think what bothered me the most was the subject matter。 Much of the book deals with "controlling animal pests。" That means， many times， killing them。 A good portion of the book is detailing different ways to do this and that w I have read all of Mary Roach's books and loved almost all of them。 She is a superb writer with the nack to take complex science and break it down to simple explainations， oftimes with a good serving of humor。 I did not enjoy Fuzz。 There was less of her wit and humor but I think what bothered me the most was the subject matter。 Much of the book deals with "controlling animal pests。" That means， many times， killing them。 A good portion of the book is detailing different ways to do this and that was just not appealing or interesting to me。 The few chuckles and many smiles I got from her humor just did not make up for the unpleasant subject matter too often present in the book。 Sadly， I would not recommend to any of my friends。 。。。more
H R Koelling
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Very entertaining and thoroughly researched。 The author's quirky and deadpan humor took a little getting used to， but ended up breathing an extra element of fun into the topics she covered。 Very entertaining and thoroughly researched。 The author's quirky and deadpan humor took a little getting used to， but ended up breathing an extra element of fun into the topics she covered。 。。。more
Rebecca
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The first chapter， about a forensics course for people trying to figure out which species of animal is responsible for various murders， maimings， and property destruction， is hilarious。 The rest is still interesting if somewhat less witty。
Jan
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In her unique style， Roach investigates the intersection of animals （and some vegetation） and humans bringing inevitable conflict and consequences。 She shares lot of information made accessible by her clear explanations and witty asides。 “In each case， the birds were exonerated by their stomach contents， a happy outcome or all except of course the individuals examined， who gave their stomachs that others might live。” Roach offers information on forensics， and animal encounters including bears， e In her unique style， Roach investigates the intersection of animals （and some vegetation） and humans bringing inevitable conflict and consequences。 She shares lot of information made accessible by her clear explanations and witty asides。 “In each case， the birds were exonerated by their stomach contents， a happy outcome or all except of course the individuals examined， who gave their stomachs that others might live。” Roach offers information on forensics， and animal encounters including bears， elephants， leopards， monkeys， cougars， trees， beans， and humans’ often absurd， mostly futile attempts to control animal populations （usually caused by humans putting animals where they shouldn’t be in the first place。） She encourages science based solutions and highlights cultural issues as well。 Fuzz is packed with information， entertaining， and thought provoking。 She includes Resources for Homeowners and a bibliography。 Highly recommended。Readalikes:Frans de Waal – Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are？; Elena Passarello – Animals Strike Curious Poses; Rachel Love Nuwer – Poached; Marlene Zuk – Dancing Cockatoos and the Dead Man Test; John A。 Shivik – Mousy Cats and Sheepish Coyotes; Lee Alan Dugatkin – Power in the Wild; Simon Barnes – Ten Million Aliens; Elsa Panciroli – Beasts Before Us; Jeffery Moussaieff Masson – Altruistic Armadillos， Zenlike Zebras; books by Bill Bryson， and the science writing of Jennifer Ackerman。Pace: Fast-pacedWriting style: Accessible; Engaging; WittyRed flags/Trigger warnings: Some description of animal testing and treatment 。。。more
Jeremy
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The author is definitely into her craft when it comes to knowing how to engage a reader。 The story line is set to have the “lack there of” knowledge on animal and human interactions。 It is sad to say that our species is not as inviting or understanding to the nature of the life before us。 We come in and invade， but we lack the effort to understand other natural cultures around us。 A well written book， but a sad truth to the meaning of human errors in how to respect the world around us that we ar The author is definitely into her craft when it comes to knowing how to engage a reader。 The story line is set to have the “lack there of” knowledge on animal and human interactions。 It is sad to say that our species is not as inviting or understanding to the nature of the life before us。 We come in and invade， but we lack the effort to understand other natural cultures around us。 A well written book， but a sad truth to the meaning of human errors in how to respect the world around us that we are not alone in！ Great read！ 。。。more
Luke
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If you like Mary Roach's other books， then you will like this one too。 If you like Mary Roach's other books， then you will like this one too。 。。。more
Mknawrocki
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Enjoyable， funny ， well researched book about humans trying to manage wild animals。
Olga Kraineva
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Some chapters were amazing and thought provoking （I learned a lot for example about trees dying and bear control！） while others seemed insipid and a way for Mary to travel around the world on her publisher’s dime。 Also this nonfiction book has one of my biggest pet peeves in which the author inserts herself into the narrative when she has no expertise in what she’s talking about。 Entirely skippable :/
Jennifer
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My interest in this book varied from chapter to chapter。 Learned a lot， but did not find this book to be as humorous as other Mary Roach books。
Carol Tilley
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A pleasure as always。
Cristina Benavides
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Interesting topic but a little too "pop science" for me， and the narrator's voice is stronger than I'd want it to be。 Interesting topic but a little too "pop science" for me， and the narrator's voice is stronger than I'd want it to be。 。。。more
Julia
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Interesting read， funny at times and if you like weird quirky facts， you'll be served。 Some chapters drag out but all in all a good read。 Also makes you think quite a bit which I really appreciate， but it seems like the more we try to fix a problem we created， the worse we make it。。。 So not exactly a light read but food for thoughts！ Interesting read， funny at times and if you like weird quirky facts， you'll be served。 Some chapters drag out but all in all a good read。 Also makes you think quite a bit which I really appreciate， but it seems like the more we try to fix a problem we created， the worse we make it。。。 So not exactly a light read but food for thoughts！ 。。。more
Katie
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I enjoyed learning a few new things from this book and generally liked the first part of the book， but overall I was not a big fan of her writing style and did not enjoy the last part of the book where the focus seemed to shift on the many different ways to kill animals。
Gloria Chen
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very funny and informative book！ i loved the way mary roach writes， interviews and conveys science。 i wish papers were written more this way。 the gene drive part was more difficult， but it overall was totally enjoyable。 i’ll be looking for her other books
Jean Adie
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Great humor - deep message about our world and the community in it - excellent writer！ An enjoying read that makes you think and laugh at the same time！
Jonatan Billiau
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Mary Roach is one of my favourite authors and she knocks it out of the park again。 Wasn't sure about the subject at first， but it is killer。 Hilarious， informative & thought provoking。 Mary Roach is one of my favourite authors and she knocks it out of the park again。 Wasn't sure about the subject at first， but it is killer。 Hilarious， informative & thought provoking。 。。。more
Nicki
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DNF， so weird。
Meredith
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4。5 stars， rounded downMary Roach， curious regular person who enjoys the irony and hilarity of all things scientific and science-adjacent， gives the world of human-animal conflicts a go in Fuzz。 Previously conquering the topics of cadavers， sex research， the afterlife， the alimentary canal， war and armaments， and even space travel - all from a scientific perspective - this foray into the scientifically weird world of animals is bit darker than her previous books， but no less fascinating。While th 4。5 stars， rounded downMary Roach， curious regular person who enjoys the irony and hilarity of all things scientific and science-adjacent， gives the world of human-animal conflicts a go in Fuzz。 Previously conquering the topics of cadavers， sex research， the afterlife， the alimentary canal， war and armaments， and even space travel - all from a scientific perspective - this foray into the scientifically weird world of animals is bit darker than her previous books， but no less fascinating。While this book is laugh-out-loud， snarf- your-coffee-through-your-nose funny at times （the footnotes are GOLD）， there is also an ethical dilemma that courses throughout the book: how far can we/should we go to protect our property， farms， loved ones， and livelihoods？ If we choose to eliminate the "pests" - be they bugs， birds， or bears - what is the most humane way， that isn't too expensive， and doesn't cause too much collateral damage to other species or delicate ecosystems？ This undercurrent made this book feel both less funny and less science-y。It doesn't in anyway mean that I didn't enjoy it - I still love her approach， her descriptions， her passion， and her levity in odd situations - but compared to her other books， this felt more real， more urgent， and more dire。 Her other books were 5 full stars， this one is slightly less so。I think my favorite story was about the birds on Midway。 I strive for their *ahem* unflappability and disdain towards humans。 Oh， and her travels through India were particularly scary/funny。Highly recommend if you want to try something non-fiction that's also amusing/educational/thought-provoking。 。。。more
Melissa
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I like how Roach includes herself in her telling of her research， but it also gets to be - much - at points。
Jeff
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