In his brilliant study on the stages of the Earths' history, Peter Brannen in his book, The Ends of the World, brings the five ancient worlds, lost to the five mass extinctions, to life. Including different topics, such as paleontology, geology, climate change, and ecology, Brannen connects these scientific topics through the use of stories, theories, facts, and of course, humor. The author's casual writing style and sense of humor differentiate his book from other books formatted as old-school science textbooks. Most people prefer to read fiction stories; however, I highly recommend reading this nonfiction book as it combines a variety of scientific topics into a compressed yet enjoyable read. The reading level is a little more advanced for younger readers, so I would recommend high school students or anyone around the age of 14.
What stood out to me was the connection between the past and the present Brannen highlighted. For example, on pages 48 and 49, Brannen describes the possible theories to the Ordovician mass extinction, one of which was climate change, a present-day concern. His connections between the past and the present help explain the validity of the extinction theory and why climate change is happening today.
Overall, this book is spectacular and a unique read for anyone!