I technically like science and nature but don't often read about it because the writings about them can be dense, but this waa really accessible and interesting. The first story was especially amusing. After that, some stories did stick out more than others (some a little too much! Wow!) but they all made me curious and want to learn more

Where else can a reader find in one place such a wide range of subject matter having to do with science and nature? This particular collection wanders from lead poisoning to human composting, from salmonberries to beavers, from the Irish language to microplastics in the ocean. Whatever your niche might be, it's probably in one of the presented essays.

The editor is a co-founder of a climate initiative and so this year's set of articles was bound to lean toward climate change. I found some of those essays discouraging, but this was more than offset by the inclusion of several articles on Indigenous wisdom and realistic futuristic solutions.

If you are a reader who loves science and essays, you are bound to enjoy this year's collection of writing.

An electronic advanced reader copy was kindly provided by NetGalley for my honest review.
#NetGalley #TheBestAmericanScienceandNatureWriting2022

This was a wonderful overview of standout nature and science essays of the year that I would have missed, if not for this collection. I appreciated the editors dedication to representing a wide variety of voices within the field.

My favorite essays in the collection were What Slime Knows by Lacy M. Johnson, Beavers are the Firefighters Who Work for Free by Lucy Sherriff, and A River Reawakened by Jessica Plumb.

The thing about science and nature writing is that its either brilliant or its deadly dull. Writers like John McPhee are in the brilliant category, but he can pretty much write about anything and make it interesting. The good thing about a collection like this is they sift through the dull stuff and give you the better writing like Julia Rosen's story on the phosphorus shortage. Sounds dull, doesn't it? Its not because its an important subject and her bang on writing makes it interesting.

I enjoyed many of the chapters in this anthology. Especially the one about the Elhwa River and the removal of the dam. I was fortunate enough to follow that story closely from my time living in the Pacific Northwest, and appreciate the efforts, and the subsequent surprising rebound of the salmon populations. As with all anthologies, some of the stories I found interesting, others less so. But all in all, a worthwhile read.

The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2022 is a well curated collection of essays and articles from the world of science from 2021/22 edited by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Released 1st Nov 2022 by HarperCollins on their Mariner Books imprint, it's 336 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is an interesting and very well rounded anthology full of layman accessible popular science articles. The selection is impressively broad, generally eschewing the most popular periodicals with the largest reach in favor of the lesser known and potentially overlooked authors and subjects. Although the NYT and National Geographic have entries here, so also do Hakai, Knowable, and Atmos.

There is a lot of content devoted (rightfully) to the dystopian loss of habitat and climate change, but I was gratified to see that not -all- the articles were strictly bad news; there are a broad selection of essays on the anus as a functional organ and what roles it plays in various organisms which I found endlessly entertaining and informative, one about slime molds, beavers as natural engineers, and many more (33 total by my rough count). All of them were well written and engaging.

There is also an erudite and well written introduction by the guest editor (Dr. Johnson) as well as a foreword by series editor Jaime Green.

Five stars. Accessible and interesting. Recommended for fans of science writing as well as a good choice for public or school library acquisition. Impressively egalitarian vetting and choice of material included.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Every once in a while I need to remind myself that science can be enjoyable and fun, and when I need that reminder I love to turn to great essays and articles about different topics that I don’t read about every day. This edition of The Best American Science and Nature Writing gave me that break I needed. Jaime Green and guest editor Ayana Elizabeth Johnson pulled together an excellent collection of writing on a broad range of topics. I loved “The Body’s Most Embarrassing Organ Is an Evolutionary Marvel” and “Too Big for the Universe”.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A real treat for fans of popular science. In one volume you will find so many great topics, from slime to beavers to galaxies, and so many of the best authors in the field. What I always appreciate about such anthologies is that they are not limited to the articles from the biggest and most popular titles, like the New York Times or The Atlantic, but also contain pieces from outlets that I would have no idea existed otherwise - and would miss a great story.

Thanks to the publisher, Mariner Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

** Thanks so much to NetGalley, Jaime Green, and Mariner Books for this ARC! The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2022 will be out on November 1st, 2022 **

I enjoyed this one a lot! As with all anthologies, there were articles that I liked more or less. This anthology focused more on climate change and related topics. A perfect book to read an article a day before bed.

4 stars.

The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2022 is a solid collection of articles published in 2021. I had only known of the "Best American" short story and essay collections in the past, so was intrigued by this collection. All in all it was a good read!

Great essays- I always find one or two new writers to follow by reading these anthologies. I am more interested in learning about science and the world around us, this was a good introduction without being too unapproachable.