A fascinating vision of the world as a kaleidoscope of patterns on the smallest and largest scales.
The intricate dynamics of everything from chemical interactions to elementary schools have deep underlying unities, according to Rasmussen’s searching primer on systems theory.
The author, founder of the Maui Institute and author of Men Are Easy (2007), lays out basic concepts of systems theory and complexity theory from the last half-century and integrates them into a grand framework based on Lenard Troncale’s systems processes theory, uniting physical, biological, and cultural aspects of the world. Rasmussen covers ideas including self-organization, the process by which simple individual actions yield complex, emergent group behaviors (as when individual birds that instinctively follow a few rules on how to position themselves beside each other become exquisitely coordinated flocks); the structure of networks; chaotic systems like weather and financial markets, in which tiny changes in inputs can generate huge, unpredictable storms or sell-offs; nested fractal patterns visible in everything from lightning strikes to broccoli to bitcoin values; and the breakthrough process of “systems ontogenesis,” in which low-level complexity makes a quantum leap to higher-level complexity (as when an assortment of organic molecules assembles itself into a living cell, or farming villages organize themselves into a state). In later chapters, the author applies these notions to higher-order phenomena like consciousness—slime molds, she notes, can do impressive cognitive feats like navigating mazes. Rasmussen’s treatise unfolds in concise, well-organized chapters that contain a wealth of instructive photos and charts. She conveys sometimes abstruse scientific concepts in prose that’s admirably lucid, straightforward, and intuitively appealing. (“Self-organizing criticality is the point of catastrophic change to the system…The sandpile after an avalanche has flattened, and its parameters have changed. A pandemic spreads until enough people either die or are immune, and the pandemic ends. A spark leads to a forest fire, leaving ash and debris.”) The result is a fine introduction for lay readers to systems theory that reveals its fertile insights in many ingenious guises.
A fascinating vision of the world as a kaleidoscope of patterns on the smallest and largest scales.Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2024
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 354
Publisher: The Maui Institute
Review Posted Online: June 6, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ebullient nature lover’s paean to birds.
A charming bird journey with the bestselling author.
In his introduction to Tan’s “nature journal,” David Allen Sibley, the acclaimed ornithologist, nails the spirit of this book: a “collection of delightfully quirky, thoughtful, and personal observations of birds in sketches and words.” For years, Tan has looked out on her California backyard “paradise”—oaks, periwinkle vines, birch, Japanese maple, fuchsia shrubs—observing more than 60 species of birds, and she fashions her findings into delightful and approachable journal excerpts, accompanied by her gorgeous color sketches. As the entries—“a record of my life”—move along, the author becomes more adept at identifying and capturing them with words and pencils. Her first entry is September 16, 2017: Shortly after putting up hummingbird feeders, one of the tiny, delicate creatures landed on her hand and fed. “We have a relationship,” she writes. “I am in love.” By August 2018, her backyard “has become a menagerie of fledglings…all learning to fly.” Day by day, she has continued to learn more about the birds, their activities, and how she should relate to them; she also admits mistakes when they occur. In December 2018, she was excited to observe a Townsend’s Warbler—“Omigod! It’s looking at me. Displeased expression.” Battling pesky squirrels, Tan deployed Hot Pepper Suet to keep them away, and she deterred crows by hanging a fake one upside down. The author also declared war on outdoor cats when she learned they kill more than 1 billion birds per year. In May 2019, she notes that she spends $250 per month on beetle larvae. In June 2019, she confesses “spending more hours a day staring at birds than writing. How can I not?” Her last entry, on December 15, 2022, celebrates when an eating bird pauses, “looks and acknowledges I am there.”
An ebullient nature lover’s paean to birds.Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593536131
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A heartwarming and inspiring story for animal lovers.
The third volume in the Elephant Whisperer series.
In this follow-up to An Elephant in My Kitchen, Malby-Anthony continues her loving portrait of the Thula Thula wildlife reserve, which she co-founded in 1998 with her late husband, South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony, who published the first book in the series, The Elephant Whisperer, in 2009. Following his death in 2012, Malby-Anthony sought to honor his legacy by continuing his vision “to create a massive conservancy in Zululand, incorporating our land and other small farms and community land into one great big game park.” At the same time, the elephants gave her “a sense of purpose and direction.” In the Zulu language, thula means quiet, and though the author consistently seeks to provide that calm to her charges, peace and tranquility are not always easy to come by at Thula Thula. In this installment, Malby-Anthony discusses many of the challenges faced by her and her staff, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. These included an aggressive, 2-ton rhino named Thabo; the profound loss felt by all upon the death of their elephant matriarch, Frankie; difficulty obtaining permits and the related risk of having to relocate or cull some of their animals; the fear of looting and fire due to civil unrest in the region; and the ongoing and potentially deadly struggles with poachers. Throughout, the author also shares many warm, lighthearted moments, demonstrating the deep bond felt among the humans and animals at the reserve and the powerful effects of the kindness of strangers. “We are all working in unity for the greater good, for the betterment of Thula Thula and all our wildlife….We are humbled by the generosity and love, both from our guests and friends, and from strangers all around the world,” writes the author. “People’s open-hearted support kept us alive in the darkest times.”
A heartwarming and inspiring story for animal lovers.Pub Date: April 25, 2023
ISBN: 9781250284259
Page Count: 320
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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