Winged Obsession: The Pursuit Of The World's Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
Fascinating, and I learned a ton about the world of wildlife smuggling, but I felt there was too much prurient emphasis on the smuggler's gay interests. Interesting that nonfiction contains so much interior monologue; I didn't have a problem with that, but I definitely wondered about it: did the characters tell her this was what they were thinking at the time? Still, I'd recommend this book. Intriguing and informative. Oh how I long to break the trend in my readings for 2013! Over the past six months, I’ve worked through volumes about people entirely obsessed with reptiles, running, orchids, and—most recently—butterflies. There’s little wonder why this recurring motif exists—I find it fascinating how compulsion can entirely consume the lives of so many. In Winged Obsession, author Jessica Speart deftly chronicles how layers of tortured compulsion can not only undermine an individual, but can also threaten to rob the world of the object of that individual’s obsession. In this case, Speart’s villain callously pushes some of the planet’s most imperiled butterflies to the brink of extinction in his quest to dominate the illegal traffic in protected species.Speart’s narrative reads at times like a work of pure fiction. In the course of just over 300 pages, she chronicles the cat-and-mouse, cloak-and-dagger pursuit of the world’s most notorious butterfly smuggler by a dedicated agent of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Along the way, the inherent difficulties of wildlife enforcement are laid bare: the impossibly high burden of proof necessary for convictions, the woeful indifference with which the justice system views wildlife crimes, the inadequacy of fines and prison time levied against the convicted, and the impotence of enforcement agencies across international boundaries. Speart’s remarkable work will no doubt simultaneously leave readers with an enduring appreciation for wildlife agents, and a growing cynicism over their ability to ever halt the trade in imperiled organisms.
What do You think about Winged Obsession: The Pursuit Of The World's Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler (2011)?
true story of worlds biggest butterfly smuggler and US Fish and Wildlife agent who captures him
—lalokita1996
The story was interesting, but the author's way of changing view points confused me at first.
—tessie992
Nope, didn't like it. Mostly for the horrifically bad writing. And the unsuspenseful story.
—Bella
Interesting non-fiction. Reads like a Joseph Wambaugh.
—solecita
