Jungle - by Patrick Roberts (Hardcover)
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<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>"Jungle tells a deep new history of the world, arguing that tropical rainforests played an outsize and overlooked role in our lives. Although we now recognize the crucial role tropical forests play in regulating planetary systems like the atmosphere, we still tend to think of them as a kind of "green hell," as inhospitable, prehistoric wildernesses, largely irrelevant to our lives. This has made it easier for private interests to exploit rainforest resources, but it also influences environment policy. We treat rainforests as either raw commodities, or as landscapes that are unfit for human life and should be left alone. But in recent years, new developments in archaeology and anthropology have cast doubt on this narrative. Patrick Roberts is one of the leaders of this growing area of research, and in Jungle, he reveals mounting evidence that the rainforests have always been intimately connected to life on Earth. They made the planet habitable for the first land animals, oversaw the rise and fall of the dinosaurs, disseminated the first flowering plants around the globe, and played host to the emergence and development of human societies. This last point is especially provocative, as Roberts challenges the dominant narrative that homo sapiens evolved in the East African savannahs. These findings shed new light on the first humans, as well as the cultural biases we bring to studying them. Roberts argues that, in part, we have missed signs of human life in the rainforests because it was markedly different from our own. Western archaeologists and anthropologists historically look for signs of cultures that dominated and permanently altered landscapes. (Which is to say, cultures that look Western.) But life in the rainforests reveals a more flexible, less domineering relationship with the land. Because we were looking for the wrong things, we simply missed some of the earliest signs of farming practices in Papua New Guinea, and Mayan cities that were arguably some of the largest urban structures in the pre-industrial world. Roberts reevaluates the assumptions that we bring to the study human evolution, what counts as "wilderness," and how human societies can be organized. It could not come at a more important time, as both the capitalist destruction of tropical forests and misguided conservation efforts push these environments to the point of collapse, Blending cutting-edge research and incisive social commentary, Jungle offers a bold vision of what the rainforests can teach us about who we are and where we come from"--<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><b>"A bold, ambitious and truly wonderful history of the world"--Peter Wohlleben, author of <i>The Hidden Life of Trees</i></b> <p/><b>From the age of dinosaurs to the first human cities, a groundbreaking new history of the planet that tropical forests made. </b> <p/>To many of us, tropical forests are the domain of movies and novels. These dense, primordial wildernesses are beautiful to picture, but irrelevant to our lives. <p/><i>Jungle </i>tells a different story. Archaeologist Patrick Roberts argues that tropical forests have shaped nearly every aspect of life on earth. They made the planet habitable, enabled the rise of dinosaurs and mammals, and spread flowering plants around the globe. New evidence also shows that humans evolved in jungles, developing agriculture and infrastructure unlike anything found elsewhere. <p/>Humanity's fate is tied to the fate of tropical forests, and by understanding how earlier societies managed these habitats, we can learn to live more sustainably and equitably today. Blending cutting-edge research and incisive social commentary, <i>Jungle </i>is a bold new vision of who we are and where we come from.<p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br>"<b>Remarkable</b>... In <i>Jungle</i>, Roberts builds <b>a powerful, comprehensive narrative</b> <b>of the origin and plight of tropical landscapes and the people who call them home</b> by integrating insights from archaeology, biology, geology, and political economy." <br> --<i><b>Science</b></i><br><br>"[A] thrilling reappraisal of our origins and our dependence on tropical forests... Many European and American books and films imply that tropical forests are incapable of sustainably supporting large human societies. <i>Jungle</i> provides a superbly argued refutation of this long-held view... a brilliant exploration of the importance of tropical forests to human evolution and our survival."--<i><b>Literary Review</b></i><br><br><i>"Jungle</i> is a bold, ambitious and truly wonderful history of the world that shows the vital importance of tropical forests to life on Earth."--<b>Peter Wohlleben, author of</b>, <i><b>The Hidden Life of Trees</b></i><br><br><i>"Jungle</i> sweeps the reader into the primordial heart of the earth, as if the crucible of life welcomed you to its sanctuary. Its revelations and stories will stir, rearrange and populate your mind for years to come. As a book, it is a joy, pure intellectual chocolate."--<b>Paul Hawken, author of</b>, <i><b>Drawdown</b></i><br><br>"A fascinating story and a crucial revision of the momentous importance of tropical forests to human history. Spanning from our very evolution as a species, to the early stages of globalisation and how we fill our kitchen cupboards today, we all owe far more to jungles than we realise."--<b>Lewis Dartnell, author of</b>, <i><b>Origins</b></i><br><br>"An enthralling jungle-journey from the origins of life on this planet to the present day, <i>Jungle</i> provides a brilliant new perspective on our interaction with tropical forests, placing them at the centre of human experience - and it delivers a timely warning about our abuse of the environment."--<b>David Abulafia, author of</b>, <i><b>The Great Sea</b></i><br><br>"Finally, a book on rainforests that does justice to their majesty and importance. Patrick Roberts skilfully and lucidly shows why tropical forests matter. He builds the case that people and tropical forests are intimately linked, whether you live in the rainforest or seemingly a world away. Those intricate links are more important than ever today, with ending deforestation playing a key role in solving the twin climate and biodiversity crises we face this century."--<b>Simon Lewis, author of</b>, <i><b>The Human Planet</b></i><br><br>"There are many books on the history of trilobites and dinosaurs and other animals, but so few on the history of plants. Here the dynamic young scientist Patrick Roberts tackles the history of the tropics, from the coal swamps of 300 million years ago, through the co-evolutionary dance of dinosaurs and mammals and flowers, to how our own human history has been shaped by vegetation. As environments are changing rapidly around us today, this is a timely, readable and highly relevant history that celebrates the wonder and importance of jungles."--<b>Steve Brusatte, author of</b>, <i><b>The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs</b></i><br><br>"Welcome to the 'Jungle' - a breath-taking book showing that tropical forests were key to our evolution, provide fossil fuels for our modern carbon-hungry society and ultimately must be protected and restored if we are to have a future. This insightful and captivating book will ensure you never take our jungles for granted ever again."--<b>Mark Maslin, author of</b>, <i><b>How to Save Our Planet</b></i><br><p/><br></br><p><b> About the Author </b></p></br></br><b>Patrick Roberts</b> is a W2 research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. He is a <i>National Geographic</i> Explorer and has received numerous awards for his research on human evolution, including a 1.5 million European Research Council Starting Grant. He lives in Jena, Germany.
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