A fun and fascinating deep dive into the natural history, current uses, and vast potential of algae.Who knew that the slimy green stuff we commonly encounter as seaweed and pond scum is a driving force behind all of life as we know it? In this accessible and enthralling book, Kassinger (A Garden of Marvels: How We Discovered That Flowers Have Sex, Leaves Eat Air, and Other Secrets of Plants, 2014, etc.) writes that algae are responsible for creating the environment that supports our existence on this planet. Today, algae are much talked about as an abundant source of alternative energy, but scientists have discovered that the usefulness of algae extends far beyond biofuels. They play a role in the production of a bevy of everyday products, from beer to paint. In seaweed form, algae are incredibly versatile and nutritious. The seaweed industry alone generates more than $6 billion per year, and seaweed may be an effective prebiotic. (As just one of the many charming features of this book, the author includes a few delectable seaweed recipes in the appendix.) Never one to shy away from getting her hands dirty, Kassinger traveled around the world to interview researchers and see for herself how algae may help save coral reefs, curb climate change, and produce eco-friendly plastics. She also provides exciting updates on how algae are being used to solve that pesky petroleum problem. Importantly, the author doesn't overlook the not-so-rosy qualities of algae, touching on its potentially harmful effects on marine life. Still, there is no ick factor here. Kassinger delivers the powerful and optimistic message that slime just may be our savior. "Remember," she writes, "that every fish in the sea depends on algae and that every plant on land is actually a sophisticated alga."Thorough but not dense, informative but never boringa delight from start to finish. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gardening and botany writer Kassinger (A Garden of Marvels) mingles ecology and 3.7 billion years of Earth's history to explain the importance and ubiquity of algae, from the cyanobacteria, which first released oxygen into the atmosphere, to the invasive azolla, cherished by organic rice farmers. In chirpy prose chock-full of homespun metaphors-"With pyrenoids, microalgae were cooking on a professional range instead of a hot plate"-Kassinger turns an obscure subject into delightful reading. Some readers' tongues may twist on the likes of coccolithophores, but concise explanations make the going easy. As the book explains, algae were possibly what helped fuel early hominin brains and prompted humans to first migrate from Asia into North America along an algae-rich "kelp highway." Kassinger describes the possibility of replacing fossil fuels with algae-based fuels, the ecological threat posed by toxic algal blooms at sea, and the various locales to which her research took her, including an algae oil farm in Brazil, a seaweed research center in South Korea, and a test kitchen (from which she shares recipes, such as dulse and cheddar scones and Irish moss blancmange) in San Francisco. Even readers who never expected to enjoy a book about slime will find this an informative and charming primer to "the world's most powerful engines." (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kassinger departs from her delightful gardening books (A Garden of Marvels, 2014) to take a deep and enlightening dive into the world of algae. As she writes, there are as many algae on Earth as stars in the universe, and Kassinger is determined to learn as much as she can about as many as she can. Traveling from Wales, where she meets a seaweed-harvesting food-truck owner, to a coral reef in the Bahamas, her curiosity drives her to inquire about algae as food, power, and the material for sneaker soles. Kassinger's keen interest in the world around her and the people trying to save it inspired her continued search for every imaginable use of algae. She interviews the successful, the hopeful, and those who promise a bit more than they can deliver, and through her penetrating questions and avid interest, readers will learn more about algae than they ever imagined (and relish every minute of it). Comparisons to Mary Roach and Susan Orlean are well-deserved, and Kassinger's erudite and wide-ranging approach should entice readers with a wide range of interests, from food to fashion, bioengineering, marine biology, farming, and general fascination with the wonders of nature. Gardeners will welcome Kassinger's latest, and everyone else will feel lucky to discover this winsome writer.--Colleen Mondor Copyright 2019 Booklist

Kassinger (A Garden of Marvels) looks at the diverse assemblage of organisms that comprise what society collectively refers to as "algae," which comprises three main groups: cyanobacteria (sometimes called "blue green algae"), microalgae (referred to collectively with cyanobacteria as "phytoplankton"), and macroalgae (the larger seaweeds humans and other animals can see and often consume). Kassinger's definition is archaic and her groupings artificial; they do not reflect the way scientists think about this assemblage. Yet this does not mean that the work is without merit for lay readers. Kassinger has chosen an ambitious subject to tackle, as many of the organisms thought of as algae are from ancient, diverse, and distantly related lineage. The central part of the book--and where the author seems to be the most comfortable--is about how, why, and where humans consume and use macroalgea, or "seaweed." Bookending the text are chapters about the roles of cyanobacteria in evolution and that different algae play in the understanding of climate change. Ultimately, Kassinger successfully makes the case for algae's importance. VERDICT An exploration of an eclectic and lesser-studied assemblage of organisms that has elements of appeal for curious science and food readers.--Esther Jackson, New York Botanical Garden