Being salmon, being human Encountering the wild in us and us in the wild

Review by Booklist Review

Pacific salmon have become a signature species for many environmental titles in recent years, and Mueller could be excused for echoing some of those sentiments. Although he does focus partly on the familiar surroundings of the Pacific Northwest, and specifically the positive impact of the removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams in Washington State, Being Salmon, Being Human splits its focus between matters ecological and philosophical. Mueller, who lives in Norway, opens with the stunning recollection of reading an opinion piece from a fishery economist in a local newspaper questioning the value of wild salmon versus a thriving farmed-fish industry. Though pitting wild against farmed fish is not a new tactic, Mueller goes deep into the philosophical question of why wild salmon do matter more, considering the works of Descartes, Heidegger, and beyond while looking at human culture, storytelling, and geographical identity as affected by the revered fish. This unique approach packs some thoughtful messages that reveal the ever-broadening appeal and significance of this enduring creature.--Mondor, Colleen Copyright 2018 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Mueller, a naturalist, philosopher, and storyteller from Oslo, links his fate to wild salmon in a remarkable work that doubles as poetic treatise and a broad environmental critique. He migrates across many waters-including ethnography, genetics, and linguistics-but throughout his focus remains the coho, sockeye, and other river-spawning salmon species with which humans share an intricately woven history. Anthropocentrism comes in for harsh criticism in this account. So does the Norwegian fish-farming industry, which boasts of providing 12 million salmon dinners a day; AquaBounty Technologies, a Waltham, Mass., biotech company that in 2010 applied to the FDA to market a genetically modified supersalmon; and René Descartes, the early modern philosopher whose separation of mind from body (and thus of the human from nature), Mueller argues, is responsible for the "suicidal" course on which humans have put the planet. Here, Spinoza and philosopher David Abram (Mueller's mentor) offer alternate "narratives" for survival, an ecologist investigates how the fungal networks in tree roots help forest communities survive, a geomorphologist studies modern humans' dysfunctional relationship with dirt, a microbiologist espouses Gaia theory, and an ethnographer asks Quinault elders for their "side of the story" regarding Capt. Robert Gray's 1787 "discovery" of the Columbia River. This is a powerful book about what it means to be human in the "more-than-human" world. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Review by Library Journal Review

In this lyrical nonfiction debut, philosophy PhD Mueller critiques modern Western society's attitudes toward the natural world, using salmon as both case study and controlling metaphor, juxtaposing the modern salmon farming industry with Native American tradition. The result is a cross-disciplinary work interweaving aspects of philosophy, psychology, spirituality, and environmental ecology to advocate for a more empathetic, respectful, and holistic approach toward interacting with the natural world. Mueller creates an accessible introduction to environmental philosophy-the branch of philosophy dealing with humans' relationship to nature-with a strong narrative thread. Verdict Appropriate for academic libraries and large public libraries. May hold special interest for institutions based in the Pacific Northwest.-Lindsay Morton, P.L. of Science, San Francisco © Copyright 2018. 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.

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