Review by Booklist Review
Moore's life is a blend of science and activism, making him the perfect choice for a title that combines high-seas adventure and precision analysis of minute evidence. Credited with bringing the existence of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to the public's attention, Moore chose to doggedly pursue the scientific ramifications of its existence rather than rely on sound bites and plaintive warnings to sympathetic audiences, a decision that makes him a model citizen-scientist. From studying the impact of floating plastic on the diets of seabirds to tracking discharge from plastics processing plants to decrying the casual way in which the heroes of Deadliest Catch toss bleach bottles into the ocean (what are they thinking?), Moore is relentless in his pursuit of truth and dedication to effecting positive change. He packs a mighty amount of history into this chronicle along with a fascinating (sometimes depressing) record of the many paths he has taken to get the job done. Highly readable, thoughtful, honest, and determined, Plastic Ocean is a book with staying power.--Mondor, Colleen Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In 1997, Moore, captain of the oceanographic research vessel Alguita, discovered what became known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a massive "plastic soup... lightly seasoned with plastic flakes, bulked out here and there with 'dumplings': buoys, net clumps, floats, crates and other 'macro debris' " floating between Hawaii and California. This now-famous discovery led Moore, already a long-time environmentalist, to become a scientist-activist focusing on what others concerned with oceanic plastic proliferation had ignored: the "plastic confetti" created by ultraviolet light and ocean chemicals granulating the hundreds of millions of tons of plastic waste that have washed, blown, or been dumped into the ocean. In this sobering, impassioned book, Moore chronicles his attempts to mitigate the insidious effects of these bits, which are ingested by ocean creatures and can work their way up the food chain to poison humans. Moore, the grandson of a president of Hancock Oil, is also able to guide the reader through a history of plastic, the chemical process of plastics production, and its indestructibility and threat to our world. He covers some of the same ground as Susan Freinkel's Plastic, but his scientific background takes his investigation deeper. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
As any good sea captain should, Moore (founder, Algalita Marine Research Fdn.) can tell a compelling story with the right balance of color and fact. His book details his struggle to document the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (a floating island of plastic garbage in the North Pacific) while raising public and government awareness of its dangers. The narrative style of the book is difficult to describe but remarkably effective as it drifts back and forth from his personal history as an environmental activist, to his discovery of and attempts to catalog the ocean debris, to his reflections on society's reliance on the nonbiodegradable chemistry of plastic. Moore warns that his story is not chronological but instead is an attempt to connect the dots of his life. He admits that even he, a highly engaged and educated environmentalist, did not immediately understand the insidious nature of the floating plastic that became more common over a decade of sea travel. Verdict Reading a little like a certain other sea captain's epic struggle with an indefatigable foe, this book will be worthwhile to anyone with an interest in protecting the environment. Recommended.-Marianne Stowell Bracke, Purdue Univ. Libs., West Lafayette, IN (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
