Analysis Of The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History By Elizabeth Kolbert

There have been five great mass extinction events in history: Ordovician, Devonian, Permian, Triassic, and Cretaceous. And now, we may be in the middle of a sixth. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History is a Pulitzer-Prize-winning book by Elizabeth Kolbert. Kolbert uses a comparison between the past and present to assert that we are living in the sixth great mass extinction, only this time humans are the asteroid. It is well-written with a good blend of scientific and common language so that it is easy to understand and informative. Her target audience is the common American citizen, so she uses a conversational tone and uses the US customary system because “most Americans think in terms of miles, acres, and degrees Fahrenheit” (Kolbert Author’s Note). Kolbert is very talented at making every chapter intriguing and understandable through her use of humorous language, first person narrative, and easy-to-understand explanations. The purpose of the book is to make more people aware of humanity’s harmful effects on the environment and warn them about the future of the humble planet Earth. Kolbert wants to “convey both sides: the excitement of what’s being learned as well as the horror of it” (Kolbert 3). In The Sixth Extinction, Kolbert uses humorous language,

She thoroughly explains her research in a clear and concise manner, which is nice. She uses humor to lighten the mood and is quite good at telling the stories of everything she encounters. Usually nonfiction books tend to be dry, but this was quite the opposite. The main motif of the book is, of course, a comparison between the past and the present, which shines through in many aspects of the book. It is a brilliant book that serves as a call to action and a proof of the devastating effects humans have on the