Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law
- Downloads：9134
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-28 03:19:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Mary Roach
- ISBN：1324001933
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Sarah
，
Mary is back with her distinctive inquisitiveness and desire to understand the world around her。 I laughed， I gasped， I went through all the emotions and more that I've come to experience with the reading of one of Mary Roach's books！ Mary is back with her distinctive inquisitiveness and desire to understand the world around her。 I laughed， I gasped， I went through all the emotions and more that I've come to experience with the reading of one of Mary Roach's books！ 。。。more
Geoffrey
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（Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley）Until now， I have kept away from Mary Roach’s books because I somehow got it in my head that as someone who traditionally never been all too interested in most sciences， I would inevitably find them to be mildly interesting， but still slogs overall。 But when given the opportunity to read Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law， I finally decided to give her work a try because the subject matter of this particular book intrigue （Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley）Until now， I have kept away from Mary Roach’s books because I somehow got it in my head that as someone who traditionally never been all too interested in most sciences， I would inevitably find them to be mildly interesting， but still slogs overall。 But when given the opportunity to read Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law， I finally decided to give her work a try because the subject matter of this particular book intrigued me so much。 However， I still assumed a somewhat dry and jargon-packed narrative。 Well， you know what they say about making assumptions。 As it turns out， all of my preconceived notions were so far off that I am now genuinely baffled as to how I managed to arrive at them in the very first place。 Roach’s writing is so incredibly approachable （not to mention packed with smart and funny insight） that I now feel like she could write a pamphlet on a random rock and it would end up being one of the most enjoyable things that I have read all week。 Fortunately for me in the case of this specific title， her subject matter is when animals and humanity encounter one another， as seen through the eyes of the women and men who manage that space。 It’s not only a genuinely fascinating topic that was such a blast to explore and learn more about， but Roach’s writing has also provided a fair amount of mental fodder that I am still chewing on， especially on my recent evening walks where local wildlife often crosses my path。 Fuzz lies directly at the intersection of educational and enjoyable， and is perfect for both old fans of Mary Roach and newcomers such as myself。 And now that I have finally learned what I have been missing out on， it’s definitely time for me to add a few new titles to my to-reads list。 。。。more
Kate TerHaar
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Wildly entertaining book by Mary Roach on the intersection of wildlife and humanity。 Roach follows wildlife professionals to learn how they attempt to control animals in nature using all manner of approaches （even zoning rules in Aspen）。 Fascinating and funny。
Chris Boutté
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Personally， I just want to know how Mary Roach does it。 How in the world can Mary take any random topic and not only make me interested in it， but make me care about it？ Mary was kind enough to send me an early copy of this book， and I had no clue what it was going to be about。 The only book I’ve read from her so far is Stiff， but after she made me care about dead bodies with her incredible writing， I knew I could read just about anything from her。 From the start of Fuzz， she had me hooked。 As s Personally， I just want to know how Mary Roach does it。 How in the world can Mary take any random topic and not only make me interested in it， but make me care about it？ Mary was kind enough to send me an early copy of this book， and I had no clue what it was going to be about。 The only book I’ve read from her so far is Stiff， but after she made me care about dead bodies with her incredible writing， I knew I could read just about anything from her。 From the start of Fuzz， she had me hooked。 As someone who enjoys true crime， I was extremely interested to learn about those who investigate when people are killed by animals。 I didn’t even realize this was a thing， but it made perfect sense as Mary explains why it matters。 And as the book goes on， you’re introduced to this entire world of the people who work with wildlife and all of the ethical and logistical challenges they face on a regular basis。I love animals， but I was completely unaware of so many different topics Mary covers in this book， and it really opened my eyes。 I don’t want to spoil the book and everything Mary covers， but animal lovers and people who love to learn about interesting topics need to pick up this book。 As per usual， Mary has her unique sense of humor throughout the book but knows when to break down a serious and complex topic and explain it in a great way for the average person to understand。 。。。more
Paperclippe
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Y'know， it's really hard to review a Mary Roach book。 I realized this when I was trying to explain my utter delight while reading Fuzz to a bunch of folks whom I would normally recommend books to， and the conversation would inevitably start off with， "You know Mary Roach？ The science wri。。。 well， not science exactly， it's more like。。。 Well， she wrote that book， Stiff， about all the things you can do with your body when you're dead？" That's a conversation starter。Anyway， you either know Mary Roac Y'know， it's really hard to review a Mary Roach book。 I realized this when I was trying to explain my utter delight while reading Fuzz to a bunch of folks whom I would normally recommend books to， and the conversation would inevitably start off with， "You know Mary Roach？ The science wri。。。 well， not science exactly， it's more like。。。 Well， she wrote that book， Stiff， about all the things you can do with your body when you're dead？" That's a conversation starter。Anyway， you either know Mary Roach， or you don't。 And if you know Mary Roach， then please know that Fuzz had maybe the most back-to-back laugh-out-loud Mary Roach moments of any of her books that I've had the please to reading， and if you know Mary Roach， you know that that's a lot。 A lot。As always， too， Roach is well-researched， informative， humble， humorous， and endlessly readable， even when talking about， okay let's be real， people sometimes being eaten by wild animals。。。Which I guess is one more thing you can do with your body after you die？ 。。。more
Annie
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Mary Roach’s latest dive into the interesting and odd is Fuzz， in which she pesters experts and government officials in four different counties to ask all kinds of inappropriate questions about human-animal conflict。 She talks to wildlife rangers who determine if people were killed by animals， other humans， or by accident。 She attempts to get straight answers out of officials who really don’t want to talk about India’s monkey overpopulation problem。 And she talks to lots and lots of biologists w Mary Roach’s latest dive into the interesting and odd is Fuzz， in which she pesters experts and government officials in four different counties to ask all kinds of inappropriate questions about human-animal conflict。 She talks to wildlife rangers who determine if people were killed by animals， other humans， or by accident。 She attempts to get straight answers out of officials who really don’t want to talk about India’s monkey overpopulation problem。 And she talks to lots and lots of biologists who study species they clearly enjoy， but that they are tasked with finding ways of eradicating。 The result of this tension is that Fuzz might be the most melancholy of Roach’s books。 Thankfully， it is packed with irrelevant facts， fun vocabulary， and plenty of silliness。。。Rea the rest of my review at A Bookish Type。 I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley， for review consideration。 。。。more
Marika
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Science writer Mary Roach turns her pen to the intersection of humans and animals。 Did you know that there are forensic investigators for animal attacks？ Neither did I。 And what to do about animals who are seemingly a nuisance like squirrels destroying your garden。 Should anything BE done or are humans the one encroaching on *their* world。 There is so much in this book that will make readers pause and think。。。and be entertained。* I read an advance copy and was not compensated。
Sarah
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All kinds of info you didn't know that you wanted to know。 Mary Roach is back in good form！ This read is quick and feels light while actually packing in a lot of facts and examples。 Heartily recommended for nature lovers of all types。 This is a great example of nonfiction that doesn't "feel" "nonfiction-y。" 4。5 stars！ All kinds of info you didn't know that you wanted to know。 Mary Roach is back in good form！ This read is quick and feels light while actually packing in a lot of facts and examples。 Heartily recommended for nature lovers of all types。 This is a great example of nonfiction that doesn't "feel" "nonfiction-y。" 4。5 stars！ 。。。more
Emmy
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I really like Mary Roach， but I just could not get into this one。 While her books are always incredibly funny， I found Fuzz to be dry in the extreme。 The opening introduction talks about hilarious animal court cases from the distant past， such as caterpillars being put no trial for destroying the crops （and then shockingly not answering the court summons！）。 But， the book itself is mostly tales of people killing or transporting "problem" animals。 There's no real story， no laugh-out-loud interpret I really like Mary Roach， but I just could not get into this one。 While her books are always incredibly funny， I found Fuzz to be dry in the extreme。 The opening introduction talks about hilarious animal court cases from the distant past， such as caterpillars being put no trial for destroying the crops （and then shockingly not answering the court summons！）。 But， the book itself is mostly tales of people killing or transporting "problem" animals。 There's no real story， no laugh-out-loud interpretations of the events， just "and this is how they tried to get rid of this animal， but it didn't work" or perhaps it did， but now that creature is endangered， etc。 What a downer。 Marking DNF at 63% 。。。more
Whitney Harper
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Mary Roach never fails！
Emily
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I loved it。 It was like reading an entertaining nature podcast that is packed with interesting information but does not take itself too seriously to the point of becoming dry and boring。 Mary Roach is delightful。
Izzy Mumm
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What happens when a bear breaks into your Aspen mansion？ What happens when a monkey kills a person？ How can you bring an elephant to justice？ Mary Roach writes about how or if human laws apply to the wild animals we live with。 She travels around the world to explore how human-animal conflicts are resolved and how this changes depending on the cultural context。 This fascinating subject is made even more accessible with Roach’s humor and frank writing style。Fuzz is full of facts for you to whip ou What happens when a bear breaks into your Aspen mansion？ What happens when a monkey kills a person？ How can you bring an elephant to justice？ Mary Roach writes about how or if human laws apply to the wild animals we live with。 She travels around the world to explore how human-animal conflicts are resolved and how this changes depending on the cultural context。 This fascinating subject is made even more accessible with Roach’s humor and frank writing style。Fuzz is full of facts for you to whip out at your next happy hour， but more importantly， it is a joy to read。 。。。more
amanda eve
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Exactly what you'd expect from Mary Roach: funny， weird， and accessible science writing。 Exactly what you'd expect from Mary Roach: funny， weird， and accessible science writing。 。。。more
Elysa
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Like Mary Roach's other books， I adored the concept but felt the book was okay。 The summary makes it seem like it's going to be significantly weirder， but it's really about how wildlife experts deal with animals when they mix with humans。 The stories are unsurprising （some attacks， food stealing， etc。）， but if you're interested in wildlife interactions， it will be interesting。 I ended up hopping around the book because some of the details didn't grab me。 If you like Mary Roach's work， you'll enj Like Mary Roach's other books， I adored the concept but felt the book was okay。 The summary makes it seem like it's going to be significantly weirder， but it's really about how wildlife experts deal with animals when they mix with humans。 The stories are unsurprising （some attacks， food stealing， etc。）， but if you're interested in wildlife interactions， it will be interesting。 I ended up hopping around the book because some of the details didn't grab me。 If you like Mary Roach's work， you'll enjoy this book。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing and eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Coloradobetta
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I just love Mary Roach！
Kerri
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For years people have recommended Mary Roach to me， I'm sorry I waited until now to pick up her books。 Fuzz compiles tales of wildlife and nature meeting humans with disastrous consequences。 Subtitled: "when nature breaks the law，" I would argue it's more about when nature and humans collide。 Because after all， who makes the law？ We do。 Bears don't know they are invading our territory。 Trees don't intend to fall on a car。 Birds are eating crops that look like food to them。 BUT in the voice of Ma For years people have recommended Mary Roach to me， I'm sorry I waited until now to pick up her books。 Fuzz compiles tales of wildlife and nature meeting humans with disastrous consequences。 Subtitled: "when nature breaks the law，" I would argue it's more about when nature and humans collide。 Because after all， who makes the law？ We do。 Bears don't know they are invading our territory。 Trees don't intend to fall on a car。 Birds are eating crops that look like food to them。 BUT in the voice of Mary Roach， she's able to present these stories with stunning detail and background information that will have you rethinking what you initially expect with each tale。 I highly recommend FUZZ and I look forward to going back and reading Roach's other works。 。。。more
Marna
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I have consistently enjoyed the books that Mary Roach writes。 We seem to have similar interests （about anything）， and she has so much fun doing first hand （as much as possible） research。 Were I not several years older than she， I would wish to be her when I grow up。 Then again， there may still be time。。。
Shawn
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I love Mary Roach's writing （I have read all her books） and when I saw this book was available I got super excited。 Reading the description， I was ready to laugh out loud while learning science。 This wasn't what I really got however。 The book was good。 There were interesting stories of travel to places where humans and animals interact。 There was learning about how those interactions can go wrong and what some people are doing to prevent them from doing so。 It was a solid book with some humor。 I I love Mary Roach's writing （I have read all her books） and when I saw this book was available I got super excited。 Reading the description， I was ready to laugh out loud while learning science。 This wasn't what I really got however。 The book was good。 There were interesting stories of travel to places where humans and animals interact。 There was learning about how those interactions can go wrong and what some people are doing to prevent them from doing so。 It was a solid book with some humor。 It just didn't blow me away like he other books have。 My wife put it like this， "Whenever you start a Mary Roach book， it prepare for 'I have to read you this。。。' over and over。 That didn't harken this time。" The fact is that I did tell her a couple anecdotes here and there， but I never was so enthralled that I would insist she stop what she was doing and listen。 Mary did a good job bringing the important issue of human-animal interactions to life and helping people understand how they can be a detriment。 What I felt like was missing was the depth of science and the triggers to get people to desire to explore past her pages that have so often characterized her writing。 Overall， a solid book， but this far the least fascinating of her ouvere。 Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange of an honest review。 #maryroach #fuzz #netgalley 。。。more
Eva
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Mary Roach’s newest book is about “problem wildlife” and the unpredictable and frequently dangerous interactions between nature and civilization。 Her work is as interesting， funny， and delightfully weird as ever， and impeccably researched， with Roach interviewing experts in obscure fields， going along on predawn mountain lion tracking missions， and baiting wild macaques into stealing food just to see what it's like to be robbed by a monkey。 Also included: an exploration of deer vs vehicles （incl Mary Roach’s newest book is about “problem wildlife” and the unpredictable and frequently dangerous interactions between nature and civilization。 Her work is as interesting， funny， and delightfully weird as ever， and impeccably researched， with Roach interviewing experts in obscure fields， going along on predawn mountain lion tracking missions， and baiting wild macaques into stealing food just to see what it's like to be robbed by a monkey。 Also included: an exploration of deer vs vehicles （including the headlight phenomenon）， the next generation of bird deterrents （less scarecrows， more lasers）， and death by elephant （more common than you’d think。） As with everything else by Mary Roach， this book is highly recommended。 I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Megan
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Roach is known for her irreverent， witty， and accessible approach to science and Fuzz is no exception。 Her latest endeavor takes you into the world of flora and fauna behaving badly， starting with bears dumpster diving and housebreaking in Aspen and leading you across the world to pickpocketing monkeys in India and invasive alien species in New Zealand。 Roach explores the issues posed by various creatures， how they have been dealt with in the past， present， and possible future solutions。 Fuzz is Roach is known for her irreverent， witty， and accessible approach to science and Fuzz is no exception。 Her latest endeavor takes you into the world of flora and fauna behaving badly， starting with bears dumpster diving and housebreaking in Aspen and leading you across the world to pickpocketing monkeys in India and invasive alien species in New Zealand。 Roach explores the issues posed by various creatures， how they have been dealt with in the past， present， and possible future solutions。 Fuzz is a simultaneously hilarious and sobering look at the difficult choices wildlife organizations must make in order to humanely control out-of-control populations， appease those suffering the nuisance， as well as defenders of animal rights。 。。。more
Stephanie
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I am such a fan of Mary Roach。 I discovered her and her special brand of quirky science nonfiction a few years ago when I picked up her book "Stiff: The Curious Life of Cadavers。" Her bubbling curiosity， thorough research， and accessible writing style make unconventional subjects so fascinating！"Fuzz" continues the trend。"Fuzz" examines human/animal conflict and the various ways different countries and cultures are negotiating space between the two groups。 Lots to think about - our relationship I am such a fan of Mary Roach。 I discovered her and her special brand of quirky science nonfiction a few years ago when I picked up her book "Stiff: The Curious Life of Cadavers。" Her bubbling curiosity， thorough research， and accessible writing style make unconventional subjects so fascinating！"Fuzz" continues the trend。"Fuzz" examines human/animal conflict and the various ways different countries and cultures are negotiating space between the two groups。 Lots to think about - our relationship to animals and encroachment on their habitats， and how we can live harmoniously？ A big question mark for sure。 。。。more
Jeannine
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Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law explores from predators to pests to trees crashing down the world of nature rudely intersecting human "civilization" with both dire and sometimes hilarious consequences。 Roach relates stories of intentional predators such as leopards and tigers as well as the not so intentional dangers of hungry bears， poisonous beans， pesky monkeys， the ever popular rat， the hazardous combination of birds and airports， and the Danger Tree， and explores how people seek to "solve" Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law explores from predators to pests to trees crashing down the world of nature rudely intersecting human "civilization" with both dire and sometimes hilarious consequences。 Roach relates stories of intentional predators such as leopards and tigers as well as the not so intentional dangers of hungry bears， poisonous beans， pesky monkeys， the ever popular rat， the hazardous combination of birds and airports， and the Danger Tree， and explores how people seek to "solve" the problem。 This is the first time I have read one of Roach's books， so I cannot compare it to one of her other's， but it was as entertaining as her reputation favors her。 The book flows like one long narrative。 I had to go back to see how it was organized （the disadvantage of the ebook）。 While filling the book with reams of facts and footnotes， Roach uses all the most interesting and entertaining stories and incidents to make learning as painless as did your favorite teacher。 Anyone the least bit interested in animals or nature will enjoy （most of） this immensely。 （There were a few icky bits！ But you were expecting that， right？） Highly recommended。 。。。more
Barbara Adde
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Finally！ Another Mary Roach book。 I cannot wait。
Suzanne LaPierre
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Lions and tigers and - caterpillars？ Oh my！ I finished the ARC I received from the publisher， and enjoyed it so much I intend to read some of the author's previous books。 It's a humorous yet informative look at how mankind tries to control nature when flora and fauna refuse to abide by our laws- whether it's rampaging elephants trampling civilians， flocks of hungry blackbirds eating farmed sunflower seeds， or killer trees falling on tourists。 Roach follows the professionals in wildlife control t Lions and tigers and - caterpillars？ Oh my！ I finished the ARC I received from the publisher， and enjoyed it so much I intend to read some of the author's previous books。 It's a humorous yet informative look at how mankind tries to control nature when flora and fauna refuse to abide by our laws- whether it's rampaging elephants trampling civilians， flocks of hungry blackbirds eating farmed sunflower seeds， or killer trees falling on tourists。 Roach follows the professionals in wildlife control to learn how to keep monkeys on birth control and other curious and hilarious examples of our often futile attempts to control the natural world。 。。。more
Sydne
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As always， a fun， informational read from Roach。 about "pests" and nuisance animals and the abysmally ineffective ways humans try to eliminate them As always， a fun， informational read from Roach。 about "pests" and nuisance animals and the abysmally ineffective ways humans try to eliminate them 。。。more
Lisa
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3。5 rounded up I can walk about ten minutes from my home to a subway station， and yet I am surrounded by wildlife。 Deer， tree squirrels， chipmunks， birds， foxes， rabbits， mice， rats， and even an occasional coyote or black bear make their homes nearby。 These animals eat many of the vegetables and flowers we grow; however， we don’t have to depend on what we grow in order to eat。 It must be heartbreaking for the Indian villagers whose hard-won crops are ruined by an elephant herd and for all the fa 3。5 rounded up I can walk about ten minutes from my home to a subway station， and yet I am surrounded by wildlife。 Deer， tree squirrels， chipmunks， birds， foxes， rabbits， mice， rats， and even an occasional coyote or black bear make their homes nearby。 These animals eat many of the vegetables and flowers we grow; however， we don’t have to depend on what we grow in order to eat。 It must be heartbreaking for the Indian villagers whose hard-won crops are ruined by an elephant herd and for all the farmers who must cope with encroaching wildlife。 Mary Roach explores the conflict between humans and wildlife including bears， elephants， leopards， monkeys， cougars， Douglas Firs and falling trees， beans， plants and biological terrorism， birds， deer， and turkey vultures。 She describes what she learned about techniques to scare them away， effigies， euthanasia， relocation， humane traps and gene modification。 The subject is thought-provoking， but Roach’s tone doesn’t come across as judgmental or overly moralizing。 Some readers may find some of the writing too much for them; there are definitely triggers here。 Sometimes it’s a little gritty; sometimes Roach is humorous and self-deprecating。 It took me several weeks to read Fuzz as it is a leisurely-paced book with distinct chapters and good stopping points。 This is the first Mary Roach book that I’ve read， and I recommend it for readers who like science， society and history nonfiction narratives。 You’ll definitely learn something and may reconsider how you interact with nature。 Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC。 。。。more
Cathy
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*ARCAbsolutely a must read for anyone who has ever been on a hike and been a bit afraid of what is rustling in the brush。 A refreshing and encompassing look at how we as a species deal with other animals we deem pests or dangers。
Katra
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If you've ever read a Mary Roach book， you probably have high expectations going into this book。 You won't be disappointed。 Once again， she delivers an in-depth， scientific analysis of something you probably haven't thought a great deal about and provides continual amusement along with the learning。 Whether it's a history of war between albatross and fighter jets， the best location to explode a killer tree， or the bad rap of blackbirds， Roach entertains and educates with equal skill。 Here's anot If you've ever read a Mary Roach book， you probably have high expectations going into this book。 You won't be disappointed。 Once again， she delivers an in-depth， scientific analysis of something you probably haven't thought a great deal about and provides continual amusement along with the learning。 Whether it's a history of war between albatross and fighter jets， the best location to explode a killer tree， or the bad rap of blackbirds， Roach entertains and educates with equal skill。 Here's another great addition to your Mary Roach collection！ 。。。more
Alicia
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An entertaining Roach-like investigation of something that made her curious and how she fell down the rabbit hole and let all of us go with her。 What does happen when animals go awry and their interactions with humans make everyone scared， uncomfortable， and have created an entire industry designed to figure it out？ Well Roach will let us in on the secrets-- animals will be animals and humans will be humans-- but humans can try to do a little bit better。 I'm always here for one of her books beca An entertaining Roach-like investigation of something that made her curious and how she fell down the rabbit hole and let all of us go with her。 What does happen when animals go awry and their interactions with humans make everyone scared， uncomfortable， and have created an entire industry designed to figure it out？ Well Roach will let us in on the secrets-- animals will be animals and humans will be humans-- but humans can try to do a little bit better。 I'm always here for one of her books because it includes both humor and science and a deep curiosity for understanding the world whether it's bears and forensic evidence or elephants or albatross。 。。。more
Meg C
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