PositiveThe New York Times Book ReviewThrough a series of richly drawn biographical portraits, [Nijhuis] introduces us to the men and women who have been working for more than a century to rescue endangered species from extinction ... Tracing key turning points in the development of conservation biology, Nijhuis shows that the growing threat of extinction provoked an intellectual revolution in the way scientists think about the very meaning of species ... Nijhuis is an engaging storyteller as well as a self-described \'lapsed biologist,\' weaving this history with firsthand accounts of those on the front lines of species preservation today ... She acknowledges that her story offers no reason for great optimism concerning the fate of so many species now facing extinction, but she reminds us of the very real accomplishments of these \'passionate experts and passionate amateurs\' who devoted their lives, and too often gave their lives, to protecting our fellow species from ourselves.