[Coral-List] A new book about coral reefs.

[Peter Sale]

Coral-listers: Some of you will already know that Yale UP has just published my new book: Coral Reefs - Majestic Realms Under the Sea.  Many of you may not have heard this truly sensational news - so I'm telling you now!  It's real, it's now, you can buy it from Yale or from any bookstore.
But what is it really about, and why did I write it?  (For a lengthier explanation go to my blog: http://www.petersalebooks.com/?p=3086 )  First, it's not a technical book for science nerds - I tried my best to write for real people.  Second, it does not focus on the terrible things that are happening to coral reefs now, because of us.  It took me a long time (and I am not alone) to realize that telling people all the terrible news does not galvanize action to correct our behavior, cut greenhouse gas emissions, clean up pollution of waters, stop overfishing, and on and on.  As a scientist, I always thought that if we patiently explained all the problems, and what would be required to fix them, people would act appropriately.  That's not the way we respond to bad news.  Mostly we change the channel; sometimes we just curl up in a fetal position and hope this doom and gloom world will just go away.
Another thing that took me a long time to figure out is that while I, and people on this list, are all quite familiar with what reefs are, most people on this planet have never seen a reef.  Of those who have seen one, most have been tourists who saw a reef once on a busy sun-and-sand vacation.  Sure, we all see reefs regularly in the media - amazing photos, fantastic videos, inspiring images at all spatial scales - but we don't really know what they are or why they should matter to us.  Reefs are part of the Other.
So, in this book I have tried to tell stories that reveal how utterly wonderful coral reefs really are.  How they are the ultimate improbable ecosystem.  How they are a process (really a suite of competing processes) rather than a thing.  How they are filled with creatures doing amazing things in the course of their lives.  If coral reefs had never existed, we would never have imagined them.  Far beyond their very substantial economic value, reefs have immense value for our quality of life.  They can inspire us.  They contribute to making this planet a wonderful place in which to live our own lives.
My stories are about the reefs, about the science and scientists who have worked so hard to discover what little we now know about reefs, about the joy one can find in being a reef scientist.  And I use these stories to talk gently about how we need to revise our perspective on the biosphere.  We don't own it.  It does not exist simply so we can use the resources it generates, or dump our unwanted garbage.  The biosphere makes it possible for us to live here, and coral reefs are one of the most amazing parts of that biosphere we share.
Writing a book is one thing.  Getting people to read it is something else.  If you think this book might interest you, read it.  It's at https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300253832/coral-reefs .  If you like it, please tell your non-reef-scientist friends.  I hope they will like it too.  And my apologies for turning coral-list into a soapbox, but Randy Olson made me do it.
Peter Sale
www.petersalebooks.org<http://www.petersalebooks.org>
@PeterSale3
https://www.amazon.com/Peter-F-Sale/e/B095W3ZTXH/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1