The Everglades for Dummies

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The best way to get people interested in a novel is to title it Skinny Dip . Even better, one of the most effective ways to get people involved in Florida 's Everglades is by subtly making it the setting for a novel full of murder, sex, mayhem, and lots of comedy. Carl Hiaasen's Skinny Dip is an attractive read from the start. The title and the cover immediately call on the baser of human instinct. They are catchy and promise readers entertainment. It is a perfect marketing scheme. Even if a person were to see the novel but neglect to purchase it, there is a big chance that that person will read the cover preview… “Chaz Perrone…the only marine scientist in the world who doesn't know which way the Gulf Stream runs”… “Illegally dumping fertilizer into the endangered Everglades ”… “The warped politics and mayhem of the human environment”… Automatically, any passer-by skimmer of the novel will wonder: “What way does the Gulf Stream run?” At the same time, they get a glimpse into possibly un-chartered waters and gain minimal, yet important details about the Everglades, namely, that it is endangered and that ‘warped politics' are part of the reason. If an individual delves into the novel, knowing little to nothing about Florida 's Everglades, they get a crash course about Florida 's environment in an Everglades for Dummies kind of way.

Skinny Dip is a great read for various reasons. It is packed with a murder mystery plot full of vengeance, plenty of shootings, and lots of scheming. It provides some ridiculous situations, hilarious sex scenes, and enough drama to keep a reader sufficiently entertained. The characters are real and the situations, though sometimes farfetched, are a good measure of the absurdity that is very much...

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...me engaging in the environment that surrounds them, which only adds to its misery. There are plenty of residents who have lived in Florida their entire lives and have never ventured into the Everglades . At the same time, how can someone like Chaz, who has traveled into the Everglades , “not be dazzled” by its stunning beauty? (250).

After fifteen miles of pedaling by bicycle through the Everglades, watching the birds, and counting the numerous alligators, it is difficult to believe that anyone cannot appreciate the environment of Florida . Reading novels about the settings that need to be conserved adds to the actual experience of that environment. But when a visit to the environment is not possible, authors like Carl Hiaasen offer readers important information about the Everglades without the fifteen mile bike trip. Only a dummy would pass up on the message.

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