THE VOICE OF THE INFINITE IN THE SMALL: Re-visioning the Insect-Human Connection

In this newly revised and expanded edition of an earlier work, Lauck, an environmental educator, details a great deal of interesting information about insects and encourages readers to make an effort to understand them. Lauck contends that the connection between insects and humans has been broken by a culture that teaches us to hate and kill earth's smallest creatures, and to pollute the environment with dangerous insecticides. To counteract the bad publicity given to insects, the author draws on stories and myths from other societies. Lauck explains, for example, that indigenous people such as the Kwakiutl of British Columbia believe that "creatures like the bee, wasp, midge, mosquito, and gnat played a role in creation." Lauck also relies on scientific evidence to make her point that humans have not protected biodiversity; on the contrary, humans have been wantonly destroying the ecology of wild regions that were home to many creatures and plants. Mosquitoes, insects that humans are continually seeking to kill, actually protect the rain forests because they make them uninhabitable to people. The author presents an array of positive insect qualities such as the cleanliness of cockroaches and the intricate communication system of bees. However, some readers may feel that her suggestion to "share our blood with an occasional mosquito or two" is going too far. (Nov.)