Fjords Reviews

Non Fiction
Tracks and Shadows Field Biology as Art
by Harry W. Greene
University of California Press
PAGE COUNT: 240
ISBN 978-0-520-23275-4

The text, Tracks and Shadows Field Biology As Art, is an expressive autobiography that discusses the process of how the author (Harry W. Greene) came to be a field biologist, studying of all things, snakes. The text primarily chronologically explores major memories in his personal life and in the life of his mentors, colleagues, graduate students, and friends. He focuses on how they impacted his view of the world, his occupation, and humanity. This author gives a great account of Henry Fitch, one of his mentors, going into the details of his life, work, and contributions to biology. The author tells vivid stories of some of his most exciting times in the field working with incredible species like Black-tailed Rattlesnakes (Crotalus molossus) and African Rock Pythons (Python sebae). The field expeditions and excursions are described in detail to illuminate the character of the patrons on the trip with him and engage the senses as Greene describes the sights, sounds, and smells of the situation. I enjoyed the perfectly executed combination of anecdotes and references to his published work or the publications of others. Greene’s field work was often funded by his time as a biology professor at several well-known universities across the country. His description of his classroom experiences and teaching techniques (some of which were his, some not) were so profound I will use them in my future teaching practice. One of these examples is the idea of taking students to a cemetery to look at the various ages of head stones, and the variation of organismal growth on these head stones to discuss the concepts of “biological succession”. As a professor who has taught introductory biology courses and environmental science courses, this is an amazing idea that I am surprised is not universally done more often. In the area of the text where this is mentioned, I do believe a photographic example would have been keen. The book connects with anyone who has ever been a full-time graduate student, especially in the sciences, as it discusses the open hardships and reality of graduate student life, not just the grandeur that is sold by professors seeking graduate students for their programs. The author’s humanity is showcased in multiple examples of his experiences as a medic, mortuary assistant and friend, where poignant stories are explained in detail, as are how they have shaped his world view. The book evokes thoughts of the frailty of life and triggers internal exploration of a spiritual nature. There are a few examples of, in my opinion, distasteful language when quoting individuals during the depiction of an encounter, but this was only on occasion and fowl language was not used egregiously or often. This book is a unique combination of well-orchestrated writing, scientific illumination, photography, and (human) drama. It is a great read for those of us in similar occupations as Professor Greene, or those of us who simply like good stories.