Synopses & Reviews
A former ocean scientist goes in pursuit of the slippery story of jellyfish, rediscovering her passion for marine science and the sea’s imperiled ecosystems.
Jellyfish are an enigma. They have no centralized brain, but they see and feel and react to their environment in complex ways. They look simple, yet their propulsion systems are so advanced that engineers are just learning how to mimic them. They produce some of the deadliest toxins on the planet and still remain undeniably alluring. Long ignored by science, they may be a key to ecosystem stability.
Juli Berwald’s journey into the world of jellyfish is a personal one. More than a decade ago, she left the sea and her scientific career behind to raise a family in landlocked Austin, Texas. Increasingly dire headlines drew her back to jellies, as unprecedented jellyfish blooms toppled ecosystems and collapsed the world’s most productive fisheries. What was unclear was whether these incidents were symptoms of a changing planet or part of a natural cycle.
Berwald’s desire to understand jellyfish takes her on a scientific odyssey. She travels the globe to meet the scientists who devote their careers to jellies; hitches rides on Japanese fishing boats to see giant jellyfish in the wild; raises jellyfish in her dining room; and throughout it all marvels at the complexity of these fascinating and ominous biological wonders. Gracefully blending personal memoir with crystal-clear distillations of science, Spineless reveals that jellyfish are a bellwether for the damage we’re inflicting on the climate and the oceans, and a call to realize our collective responsibility for the planet we share.
Review
“More than a mere look at jellyfish…[Spineless] provides plenty of food for thought for those seeking to make different choices in their treatment of the environment and in their own lives.” Library Journal
Review
“She swam with jellies, watched how quickly they disintegrate in fishers’ nets, ate them in Japan, and kept them in a home aquarium, and as she revels in these spineless animals, she teaches us to delight in them, too.” Booklist
Review
“In this lovely exploration of the mysterious jellyfish, Berwald both entrances and sounds a warning: pay attention to the messages sent by ocean life, and act to protect their environment, and ours.” Kirkus Reviews
Review
“In this memoir/science reporting mash-up, [Berwald] profiles one of the ocean’s most intriguing creatures — the unique contractions it uses to propel through water, its acidifying habitat, and its booming populations.” Scientific American
About the Author
Juli Berwald received her PhD in Ocean Science from the University of Southern California. A science textbook writer and editor, she has written for a number of publications, including The New York Times, Nature, National Geographic, and Slate.
Juli Berwald on PowellsBooks.Blog
One of the reasons I’ve loved writing about jellyfish for so many years is that jellyfish evoke unending examples of metaphor. Jellyfish are angelic in their transparency and grace. Jellyfish are demonic in their sometimes fatal sting. They are ancient ghosts of the past. They are harbingers of ecosystem destruction. The way jellyfish swim is like our breath...
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