The Enchanted Braid: Coming to Terms with Nature on the Coral Reef

Although I've been an avid scuba diver for twenty years, I've never really studied the scientific aspects of the coral reefs that I dive on. I hoped that this book would be a good introduction to coral reefs without getting too bogged down in textbook-level details, and it was all that I hoped for and more. The author, Osha Gray Davidson, knows his subject, and he knows how to write. Even though I have dived many coral reefs, I learned a lot of fascinating details about how coral reefs are built, how they reproduce, and how they are sustained. There are also many fascinating tidbits about the behaviors of reef fish and reef invertebrates. The first half of The Enchanted Braid is about coral reefs and how they work. The second half is about the current state of coral reefs and the many threats to their continued existence. It gets pretty gloomy, reading about the worldwide decline of reefs and how much humans have contributed to this decline. There are some hopeful notes, but overall it's pretty depressing, which is probably the message that we need to hear if anything is to be done to preserve these magnificent creations. A superb book for anyone who has an interest in coral reefs or oceanology but doesn't want to wade through a college textbook.

I rarely read nonfiction in bed because I fall asleep too quickly. Not so with this book. Davidson's writing is compulsively compelling. Though the book details the disturbing trends affecting the health of coral reefs worldwide, it also offers hope by describing in vivid and accessible detail how corals have survived for millenia. Though they haven't survived rapidly warming surface temperatures like we're seeing today. Davidson describes coral reefs as "the soul of the sea" and aptly describes their biology and importance to the ocean and to humankind. The book is simultaneously a travel narrative, scientific and environmental treatise, and philosophical look at why we need to take better care of coral reefs and other precious ecosystems. Though the messages in the book are clear that coral reefs are in trouble, Davidson's writing is not filled with gloom and doom and somber predictions of a coral-less ocean. By putting coral reefs in the context of survival, he inspires hope for their future. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

Even if you have no prior knowledge about reefs, this book explains and makes sense of the entire reef ecosystem. I would highly reccommend it, especially for teenagers with an interest in coral reefs and thier preservation, to spark thier interest in environmental issues.

I have read hundreds of articles and books about coral reefs, "The Enchanted Braid" offers one of the best introductions you could ask for into the world of coral reefs. The book features both biological and historical descriptions of coral reefs as well as reporting on what is happening today to coral reefs around the world. It is clear, well written and easy for us "non-scientists" to understand. SCUBA divers, snorkelers and anyone else who loves the ocean should read this book.

A book well written and researched for the layman. The Enchanted Braid describes the addiction to the sea that many sport diving enthusiast experience. It provides a global perspective of the mysterious plight of our coral reefs. I read the book while in Bali, Indonesia. The well travelled author's feelings about the plight of the reefs is true to form from my perspective. The message is one we all should read and heed.