Perhaps the highest compliment I can give a nonfiction book is: It reminded me of Mary Roach. Like Roach, Milman approaches his subject matter through a series of fascinating essays that give readers a small piece of the big picture.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was a very fascinating book, loved all the info it! would reread or buy for sure, might even buy it as a gift for my dad. can easily say i have a different outlook on insects after this.

The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the World was written by Oliver Milman and the audio version was narrated by Liam Gerrard. From ants scurrying under leaf litter to bees able to fly higher than Mount Kilimanjaro, insects are everywhere. Three out of every four of our planet's known animal species are insects. In The Insect Crisis, Oliver Milman dives into the torrent of recent evidence that suggests this kaleidoscopic group of creatures is suffering the greatest existential crisis in its remarkable 400-million-year history. What is causing the collapse of the insect world? And what can be done to stem the loss of the miniature empires that hold aloft life as we know it? Milman explores this hidden emergency, arguing that its consequences could even rival climate change. He joins the scientists tracking the decline of insect populations across the globe, including the mountains of Mexico that host an epic, yet dwindling, migration of monarch butterflies; the verdant countryside of England that has been emptied of insect life; the gargantuan fields of US agriculture that have proved a killing ground for bees; and an offbeat experiment in Denmark that shows there aren't that many bugs splattering into your car windshield these days. These losses not only further tear at the tapestry of life on our degraded planet; they imperil everything we hold dear, from the food on our supermarket shelves to the medicines in our cabinets to the riot of nature that thrills and enlivens us.

The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the World opened my eyes to the threats to insects I have never considered and how valuable even some of the least thought about or liked insects can be to the environment. Between climate change, industrial farming, and the ever stronger chemicals we have been using to limit weeds and pests insects are facing challenges they have never had to deal with before. Numbers of a wide variety of insects are declining and while some are latching on to the plight of bees and butterflies, the majority of the decline is ignored, considered a good thing, or simply forgotten because fighting to save the population of dung beetles is less publicity friendly than saving the pandas or whales. I enjoyed getting a look at the science involved in documenting this problem, and I thought the descriptions of the researchers involved were very amusing and interesting. The tone of the book was entertaining, with humor through out the book, but never making light of the seriousness of the problem. I thought that the narrator, Liam Gerrard, did a wonderful job of conveying the import and intent of the book. I also like that the book described some simple things we can do, things that farmers and governments can do, and things we all should do to protect insects and life as we know it. I also like that it was pointed out that even if mankind fails to change, as we have proven we are reluctant to do without financial gain, some insects will still survive and possibly thrive long after we have destroyed every way possible for our species to do the same. They just wont be the insects that we venerate and depend on for pollination, waste clean up, or other vital tasks around the would that we often forget about.

The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the World is a well research and written book that I found to be thought provoking and enlightening.

This is such a well researched book. The information is presented in ways that are very palatable and easy to understand for someone without a lot of previous knowledge on insects. I thought the narration was a little dry, though, and found it difficult to feel fully engaged.

This book is terrifying. It's definitely an introduction to the problem of what is happening to insects and how that will affect the planet, and doesn't go far into presenting solutions, but considering how much of the data here was unknown to me, even if I knew the general 'idea' (Like that bees are dying), I think it's important to read. The information is presented well and clearly, and is not bogged down with anything except the stuff the reader really needs to know. I would recommend this book to mostly everyone.

Near the end of the book, Milman goes into how butterflies are dying off in large numbers for essentially a whole chapter and then ends with something that really affected me. I did the audiobook so I can't quote it exactly, but to paraphrase it- "It's actually incredible that for all the efforts going into saving the butterfly population, butterflies are perhaps the only insect we don't need. They aren't a major food source for other animals, and won't really have a noticeable effect if they were to be driven to extinction. But they are pretty, they are harmless, and most people like them. This recalls to mind Winston Churchill's response in WW2 when it was suggested he cut funding to the arts, he responded "Then what would we be fighting for?"

So yeah, read this book if you want an even better idea of how we're destroying the planet and gain some more anxiety you can do nothing about!

A great book for anyone who appreciates insects of all kinds!
The narration was very clear and easy on the ears.
I learned so much from this book about bees and butterflies, among other insects. The final chapters really kept my attention with the vast amount of facts being thrown at me from every angle. It was so fascinating. Would even consider re-reading, which I rarely do.
This book is certainly not for everyone, but I gave it a chance and really enjoyed it.

(ALC received from NetGalley in exchange for honest review.)

Even though I came to this book as a well-established environmental science nerd, I leave it with a completely new perspective on the insect world and my role in caring for it. This book is endlessly informative and utterly readable, filled with such an interesting variety of facts, studies, and calls to action that keep readers engaged. This book took the time to discuss insects from all over the world, rather than excessively prioritizing one region. I highly recommend this book to everyone, because every single one of us has a role to play in the preservation of these creatures whose lives we often take for granted or even make concerted efforts to snuff out.

This is a very well-researched and thorough book, although I found it slightly disorganized and not terribly engaging. I know it’s a scientific topic, but I had a hard time focusing because it kind of felt all over the place.

The research and stats were top-notch, though.

I received this digital ARC to provide my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

I was a bug kid, as in I could often be found collecting and carrying around live bugs that I thought were interesting. I outgrew this as peers made it clear that the hobby was “gross”. Nonetheless, I still have a soft spot for the smaller creatures in our daily lives and this book provided an interesting take on how insects and climate change intersect. I found some parts a bit repetitive but overall I enjoyed learning about the most recent studies and potential implications, especially regarding food production and health. Regardless of your preconceived opinions on bugs, I think this book provides a lot to consider as far as how we as humans influence our shared world.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for this ALC.

Recommended for: anyone interested in the current state of the insect world or climate change.

Categories: Nonfiction, Science, Climate Change

I was drawn to the cover art of the audiobook. I've since seen the cover art for the physical book and I don't like it as much as the audiobook one.
I didn't love the narrator of this but couldn't pinpoint what it was that I didn't think was the right fit.
This book is an in depth look at the dangers to insect populations, and I learn a lot from the book. It reminded me and taught me about many important factors that affect insects as well as how their population counts affect us as humans. At times the explanations were almost too heavy on the science and sometimes my mind would wander as I listened.
I'm glad I listed to this as an audiobook though. Not sure I'd have finished it as a physical book. However I could see this making a fantastic illustrated edition with either realistic illustrations of the insect species being discussed or macro photography of them (in colour of course).
This would make a great listen or read with a biology class!

I listened to this as an audiobook, thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I find insects fascinating so I was intrigued by the topic, title and cover of this book. Overall, the narrator was ok but the reading was hard to follow and lacked structure in this format.

I'd imagine that a physical version of this might be easier to understand and re-read where necessary so I wouldn't count it out entirely.

Overall, there were some very interesting tidbits in this book and I do think it is a valuable read for anyone interested in gardening, the environment, nature, etc.

I work in a sister field to conservation so it is a close topic to my heart and I have to say that I did not know or think about conservation of insects almost ever beyond the headline grabbing “Save the Bees” campaign or monarch butterflies.

This book was really eye opening and I think it is accessible to almost anyone. It definitely gave me messaging that I can use in my interactions with people through my job. If you want to help native animals including birds then you can help BUGS. And its not even that hard. There is a part in this where they talk about a campaign of ‘doing less’ so you don’t even have to do anything! Just do less: less lawn maintenance and less pesticides and herbicides. You can have your own conservation project in YOUR YARD. It was just a super cool idea and I totally plan on using it to encourage people on how they can help. Bugs feed other animals. By helping their population you are helping conservation.

There was super cool insect facts throughout. The author had a good sense of humor and the writing style and formatting kept it interesting and never too repetitive or dull which can happen with even interesting non-fiction sometimes. Hearing about how windshields used to be covered in bugs on road trips and thinking about how it just doesn’t happen anymore was pretty shocking to think about. Lots of numbers that are plummeting and depressing but overall there is such a good message of hope and what you can do in this book.

There are also chapters about the ‘save the bees’ and monarchs if that is all you know, you probably don’t know all of it. I found myself super interested in the bee industry and sad about the future of monarchs.

But anyways, buy native plants! Let your yard be a little more natural! You can help the world be a slightly more buzzy place (which is annoying for us but great for literally everything else).

Thank you to Netgalley and Highbridge audio for this audiobook copy. This was narrated by Liam Gerrad who did great and I would recommend the audiobook format.

2.5/5

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced audio copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I don't have much to say about this title. I learned some interesting things about insects and climate change, but the overall narrative of the story was completely disjointed and hard to follow. I felt like every time the author wanted to make a point, he used 12 scenarios to make his point when 2-3 would have sufficed.

In addition to being hard to follow, the narrator wasn't great. He narrated the book like it was a soap opera and not a nonfiction title about climate change and insect population crash. It was hard to take the content seriously when the narrator was so melodramatic.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this title unless you're a huge science nerd, and even then I would recommend this as a physical read and not an audio one.

What an interesting read. Who would have through creepy crawlies would have such an impact on humans?

This book was a great read there was a lot of thought and research put into it which I really appreciate. The data Oliver Mailman was really frighting as well, it just looks like everything is going downhill. Very eye opening.

I highly recommend this read to anyone that wants to learn about insects and why we need to keep them around even if we think they are disgusting/ or scary.

Thank You to Oliver Milman and Highbridge Audio, for the audio digital ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

I love science, particularly biology and ecology. So I'm always looking for new books and I almost missed this one. Like many of you when I think about insects, I think of the pests that chase me inside (or reaching for the bug spray) on warm summer evenings or the creepy crawlies that interrupt picnics. In my professional life, insects are usually discussed in terms of vectors for diseases. And with my homestead group, we focus on pollinators - particularly the honeybee. All these, and more, are discussed in Oliver Milman's new book The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the World (I love that tag line!)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free audiobook was provided for an honest review.

The Insect Crisis
March 2022; HighBridge; 9781696607445
audio (8h 9m), ebook, print; nonfiction

Oliver Milman is a journalist who covers the environment for The Guardian. So while the book covers a lot of science you don't have to have a science degree to understand it. Milman does a great job making the topic easily accessible to the general public.

I was lucky to snag the audiobook from Netgalley and I have to say Liam Gerrard is perfect as the narrator. I grew up watching nature shows with David Attenborough. And while Gerrard doesn't sound like Attenborough, he does seem to have a voice made for describing the natural world around us.

I thought this book was well balanced. It's easy to jump to the "all bugs are bad" conclusion, but Milman points out the many benefits that we derive from insects, without glossing over the more pesky insects. Even mosquitoes, those horrible harbingers of disease, are not all bad. While I knew only a few species actually carry disease, I didn't know there were actually some beneficial species of mosquito.

The Insect Crisis is more of an environmental book than an entomology book. So there is a good deal of focus on conservation. Climate change, agriculture practices, and industrialization are all discussed in terms of how they impact insect biodiversity. He even discusses how good intentions have had some unintended consequences, such as people wanting to save monarch butterflies by planting milkweed. Unfortunately, many people mistakenly planted an exotic variety instead of the native species of milkweed. The exotic variety can actually weaken monarch butterflies.

Insects are an important, but often overlooked, element of ecological biodiversity. If your first reaction to the buzzing, flying, creeping crawlies is to reach for the fly swatter, bug spray, and pesticides, then you need to read this book to get a new perspective, and dare I say fondness, for this largest group of animals.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Thursday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2022/03/the-insect-crisis-by-oliver-milman.html

This gave me a different viewpoint of the climate crisis we are facing right now. Insects and bugs are such an important part of our ecosystem and as usual, humans have managed to destroy the things they come in contact with. I really enjoyed reading this, but it definitely made me go on a doom spiral. The question how can we fix this? came to mind. I don't think any of us have a true answer, but it can't be what we're doing.
The section on the honeybee, and its use as almost a type of livestock, was intriguing and I had never thought of bees like that before.

I'm certainly interested in reading more about insects as well as more by Oliver Milman.

I really enjoyed the narrator, I think he did a really good job and I found his voice pleasing to listen to.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review!
A very well researched book that made me realize there are issues regarding insects beyond the honeybees. The book is rather disheartening to listen to/read since it packs a lot of sad data in a short length regarding the impending crisis. The statistics feel too much after a while, so it might be better to listen to in smaller bits. The narrator has a great voice to convey all this information. Overall it made for an interesting listen.

I don’t normally read non fiction,but this was an interesting read and I’m happy I picked it up. Made me think about what us as humans do to our environment and how we can help keep it from dying. Also how the smallest members help shape it and keep it alive.

Thanks to Netgalley, W.W Norton & Co and Highbridge Audio for the ARC/audio ARC of this!

This was fascinating and just the right tone for me for non-fiction. Conversational, easy to follow and a little bit snarky almost? I definitely learned some new facts and gained appreciation for some insects that I’m otherwise a little squicked out by! Totally recommend if you’re interested in climate change, extinctions, insects, or just want to dip your toes into non-fiction.

The audio was well done, though I personally always struggle a bit with British accents, so I had to slow it down a bit from my typical speed. I really liked the tone that the narrator took with it,

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook copy of The Insect Crisis by Oliver Mailman in exchange for an honest review. This was such a fascinating and eye opening book. It's scary to look at the big picture and see that the decline in the insect population will lead to the decline in civilization. Listening to this I was made aware of how even in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in my lifetime, there has been a steady decline of bees, grasshoppers, birds, bats and more. When we used to drive over Pacheco Pass our car would be painted in bugs every summer, and barely is now. This is all very disheartening.