Eating Aliens

Starred review from August 1, 2012

From Asian carp in the Midwest to green iguanas in the Florida Keys to nutria in Louisiana, invasive species cause very real, possibly irreversible damage to their environments every day. Scientists and government agencies have been at a loss for how to stop them, but Landers (The Beginner's Guide to Hunting Deer for Food) has a plan: create a demand for them as food, then eat them until they're under control. It's not such a crazy idea; as he points out, humans have hunted plenty of species into extinction (the passenger pigeon, for example). Moreover, many of the invaders are delicious. Lionfish taste like Chilean sea bass and the feral hogs tearing up great swathes of the South are nothing less than free-range pork. The book chronicles the 16 months Landers spent traveling around the United States hunting and eating invasive species, often in the company of colorful characters. VERDICT Part travelog, part conservation treatise, this is a terrific read and an effective call to arms. Readers may or may not come away wanting to hunt, but they'll almost certainly be curious to try some of the fare described within.--Stephanie Klose, Library Journal

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