Irreplaceable by Julian Hoffman explores the transformative possibilities that emerge when people come together to defend the Earth’s most special places and wildlife from extinction. The book is both a reminder of the vital connections between humans and nature and a love letter to the haunting beauty of landscapes and the wild species that call them home.
In the book, Hoffman surveys the unique ecosystems of plants and animals that are being destroyed by human intervention. By exploring coral reefs and remote mountains, tropical jungles and ancient woodlands, the author uses the stories of local communities and grassroots campaigners to spread awareness for threatened places around the globe. The book also includes commentary from professional ecologists and academics. Finally, he asks what a deep emotional relationship with place offers culturally, socially and psychologically. In total, the book is a powerful call to arms in the face of unconscionable natural destruction.
Hoffman is the author of The Small Heart of Things: Being at Home in a Beckoning World (University of Georgia Press), which won the 2012 AWP Award Series for Creative Nonfiction and the National Outdoor Book Award for Natural History Literature. He was also the winner of the Terrain.org Nonfiction Prize and has written for EarthLines, Kyoto Journal, Beloit Fiction Journal, Briar Cliff Review, Flyway, Redwood Coast Review, Silk Road Review and Southern Humanities Review. He lives in northwestern Greece.
