The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World's Most Coveted Fish
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.92 (974 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1451678940 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 336 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-01-06 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
. Emily Voigt is a journalist specializing in science and culture. Her stories have appeared in the New York Times, OnEarth Magazine, Mother Jones, and Isotope: A Journal of Literary Nature and Science Writing, as well as on the programs Radiolab and This American Life. The recipient of a Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship, she holds degrees in English Literature and Journalism from Columbia University
A riveting journey into the bizarre world of the Asian arowana or “dragon fish”—the world’s most expensive aquarium fish—reveals a surprising history with profound implications for the future of wild animals and human beings alike.A young man is murdered for his prized pet fish. Treasured as a status symbol believed to bring good luck, the Asian arowana is bred on high-security farms in Southeast Asia and sold by the hundreds of thousands each year. Delving into an outlandish realm of obsession, paranoia, and criminality, The Dragon Behind the Glass tells the story of a fish like none other: a powerful predator dating to the age of the dinosaurs. In the United States, however, it’s protected by the Endangered Species Act and illegal to bring into the country—though it remains the object of a thriving black market. In an age when freshwater fish now comprise one of the most rapidly vanishing groups of animals on the planet, Voigt unearths a paradoxical truth behind the dragon fish’s rise to fame—one that calls into question how we protect the world’s rarest species. Meanwhile, a pet detecti
"Part exposé, part travelogue, part scholarship, part descent into madness equals 100 percent addictive" according to Zen Faulkes. The Dragon Behind the Glass is part exposé, part travelogue, part scholarship, and part descent into madness. It’s a combination as addictive as a skillfully made desert.Ahab had a great white whale. Emily Voigt had a great red fish.Voigt is pursuing the arowana. She first hears the name from a law enforcement who is talking to her about the exotic pet trade in New York. She learns that the arowana is a large f. Who knew a fish book was better than a Brad Thor mystery. michael saitta I bought this book because of a review in the Wall Street Journal. I know nothing about fish except as a meal or some guppies in an aquarium. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It's like reading a mystery novel. In fact, better than the last two I have read. It has to be a given that people close to the writer will give a great review. After one reads the book there can be no possible reason for someone to write how great. "Fantastic fish tale" according to Michael Newman. Who knew a story told 'round the aquarium would be better than one told 'round the campfire. The dragon behind the glass is a mystery, a memoir, a travelogue, and an engaging exploration of science, conservation, and the environment. I definitely recommend this book, from prologue to epilogue. A fun summer read with memorable characters where you will actually learn something too.
(I'm thinking of "The Orchid Thief," Susan Orlean's wondrous strange book about an orchid poacher's bizarre search for the rare ghost orchid that grows in the swamplands of Florida's Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve.) The Dragon Behind the Glass is the same kind of curiously edifying book."—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review. Praise for The Dragon Behind the Glass:“A masterpiece! Emily Voigt has raised the bar for anyone who thinks they can tell a good fish story. What an extraordinary and extraordinarily well-told tale. Voigt’s passion in pursuing her subject is infectious, as is the self-deprecating humor she injects into her enthralling look at the intersection of science, commercialism, and conservationism."—Publishers Weekly *Starred review*"Voigt's passionate narrative perfectly conve