... starts slowly, with an introduction that gives away too much story with too little context. But once we settle into a journey that follows the movement of the carp from the lower Mississippi to the Upper Midwest, and once we start meeting the scientists, aquaculturists and officials who variously abet and thwart each other at the front lines of that migration, the tale assumes a certain grandeur. It becomes a gracefully composed exemplar of the human species’ disputatious struggle to protect its own habitat while those of so many other species are disappearing or shifting.
With a journalist’s critical eye and storytelling ability, Reeves traces the rise of the Asian carp in the lakes from its very beginning ... The book moves seamlessly from location to location, demonstrating the relentless resilience of the Asian carp. The suspense grows as it becomes clear that the carp were doing more damage than good. Reeves’s chilling reportage enhances the narrative ...Overrun is more than an engaging story about nuisance fish. This eye-opening book demonstrates the interrelationship of species, the climate, and the environment.
[Reeves's] book will win embraces from fellow environmentalists, from marine biologists and from geologists specializing in rivers. The rest of us may find parts of Overrun tough wading. Reeves tends to slip into multi-syllable prose of an abstract nature ... Reeves also wanders into the combat zone of bureaucratic infighting — fascinating to those on the inside but stultifying to the rest of us.
Early chapters will intrigue environmentally-conscious readers ... Later sections, on the fishing and restaurant industry’s attempts to handle the carp surplus, prove equally fascinating ... Reeves rounds out his investigation by discussing government efforts to manage the Asian carp population, particularly around the Great Lakes, and the Trump administration’s disregard for environmental protections. In so doing, he delivers a thorough look at an important—and multifaceted—topic.
