The Last Beach: Review

The Last Beach by Orrin H. Pilkey provides engrossing insight into the fate of the worlds beaches. I enjoy the beach as much as the next person, preferring preserved and “natural” beaches; what I never realized was just how much of a negative impact humans are having on the natural beaches of the world.

This book focuses on beaches across the world, from developed nations to developing nations to untouched islands, and discusses the impacts humans are having on the beaches from erosion causing seawalls to pollution and beyond. This book really provides a comprehensive look into everything that harms beaches before discussing what we can do to preserve/revert beaches to their natural state.

The writing in this book is very easy to read. The author writes in a manner that, while scientific, is still extremely clear and easy to read. Each term that the reader might not know about is defined within the text, in a manner that doesn’t interrupt the flow of the writing. The overall flow of the writing is smooth and each chapter or section transitions fluidly to the next.

I am really glad that I read this book. I felt that I learned a lot about the world’s beaches and what we need to do to protect them in their natural state. I hadn’t realized the extent that the world’s beaches were harmed by human actions and this book will definitely make me think further the next time I set foot on a beach. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the environment or who spends a lot of time at the beach; this is definitely a book that will make you think.

I received this book for review purposes via NetGalley.