Still Waters: The Secret World of Lakes

Stager (Deep Future; Your Atomic Self; Field Notes from the Northern Forest) builds on decades of research and observation in the Adirondacks, Tanzania, Siberia, Israel, and beyond in this deep dive into lakes, ponds, and inland seas around the world. Stager is a natural and lucid storyteller, and every chapter of this book is filled with vivid details on the fish, insects, microscopic organisms, and other creatures that make up a particular lake's ecosystem. Stager has previously written on global climate change—work that easily joins the ranks of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring and Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction. He takes a similarly long view of lake ecology here, yet this book has more in common with Henry David Thoreau's Walden. Stager sets out to update Walden's unique blend of genuine scientific information, aesthetic prose, and philosophical insights for the 21st century and more than ably succeeds. The chapter about Walden Pond not only sets the tone for the rest of the volume but also helps make a strong case for the beauty and vulnerability of our lakes.